Smartphone vendors turn to excess for success at IFA

With smartphone innovation caught in a lull, some smartphone manufacturers are hoping excess will lead to success.

Lacking the marketing budget and brand recognition of Samsung Electronics or Apple, vendors such as Lenovo, Sony and Acer pumped up screen size, pixel count and battery life to previously unheard-of levels at the IFA trade show in Berlin this week in an effort to stand out from the rest of the pack.

These technology areas are important to the smartphone experience, making them natural targets for the engineering and marketing departments -- but they also show that it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

The main selling point of Lenovo's Phab Plus is its 6.8-inch screen. It's a bold move when many of the company's competitors have stopped increasing screen sizes on their phones lest they tip over into tablet territory, although Lenovo isn't alone: Huawei Technologies' recently launched P8max also has a 6.8-inch screen.

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