Huawei is set to challenge Samsung with a new high-end Ascend Mate phablet presented at CES 2013. This supersized handset claims to be "the smartphone with the largest screen in the world" although its doesn't boast Full HD like Huawei's freshly unveiled Ascend D2 mobile.
The Ascend Mate is XXL ... and then some! The screen is big, the phone is big, and while the onscreen display makes the most of the screen's new XXL size—never before seen in a smartphone—this monster mobile isn't exactly the most comfortable device to handle. Plus, it weighs in at a hefty 200 g.
Huawei is no doubt pleased to have beaten Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 on size (5.5" screen) by outing a phone-turned-tablet that's taller and wider (and even less pocket-friendly). However, it remains to be seen how the buying public will react to this Android Jelly Bean smartphone that's almost as big as a 7" tablet.
The Ascend Mate has a 6.1" IPS Gorilla Glass screen with 1280 x 720 pixels—the same definition as the Note 2. It's a shame that Huawei couldn't quite stretch to using the same screen def as the Ascend D2 (1920 x 1080 pixels). However, the good news is that the touchscreen can be used when you're wearing gloves, like Nokia's Lumia 920. We hope to see this technology becomes a new standard in the smartphone market.

A subtle, understated design, made almost entirely from plastic. Size: 163.5 mm x 85.7 mm x 9.9 mm.
Tech specs include a home-grown 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, an 8-Megapixel camera and a 1-Megapixel front-facing webcam. A microSD card slot is on hand for boosting storage and the XXL battery should keep this monster handset powered up.
In fact, Huawei is promising up to two days of battery life with the phone's 4050 mAh battery (22 hours of talk-time!).

The Ascend Mate, the Ascend D2 and the iPhone 5.
Huawei has added its Emotion UI graphic user interface to the Android OS, bringing a few extra functions to help make the most of the massive screen.
The Ascend Mate is due to launch in China in February 2013 and should arrive in other markets later in the year. The price of the handset is still to be confirmed.
> CES 2013 Live From Las Vegas: See all news
The Ascend Mate is XXL ... and then some! The screen is big, the phone is big, and while the onscreen display makes the most of the screen's new XXL size—never before seen in a smartphone—this monster mobile isn't exactly the most comfortable device to handle. Plus, it weighs in at a hefty 200 g.
Huawei is no doubt pleased to have beaten Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 on size (5.5" screen) by outing a phone-turned-tablet that's taller and wider (and even less pocket-friendly). However, it remains to be seen how the buying public will react to this Android Jelly Bean smartphone that's almost as big as a 7" tablet.
The Ascend Mate has a 6.1" IPS Gorilla Glass screen with 1280 x 720 pixels—the same definition as the Note 2. It's a shame that Huawei couldn't quite stretch to using the same screen def as the Ascend D2 (1920 x 1080 pixels). However, the good news is that the touchscreen can be used when you're wearing gloves, like Nokia's Lumia 920. We hope to see this technology becomes a new standard in the smartphone market.

A subtle, understated design, made almost entirely from plastic. Size: 163.5 mm x 85.7 mm x 9.9 mm.
Tech specs include a home-grown 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, an 8-Megapixel camera and a 1-Megapixel front-facing webcam. A microSD card slot is on hand for boosting storage and the XXL battery should keep this monster handset powered up.

In fact, Huawei is promising up to two days of battery life with the phone's 4050 mAh battery (22 hours of talk-time!).

The Ascend Mate, the Ascend D2 and the iPhone 5.
Huawei has added its Emotion UI graphic user interface to the Android OS, bringing a few extra functions to help make the most of the massive screen.
The Ascend Mate is due to launch in China in February 2013 and should arrive in other markets later in the year. The price of the handset is still to be confirmed.
> CES 2013 Live From Las Vegas: See all news





DigitalVersus on...