In the world of smartphones, manufacturers are not only aiming to match the technical specifications and features of tablet PCs but they’re also trying to match the physical dimensions and size. Gadget enthusiasts have affectionately coined the term ‘phablets’ for these devices, following Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2, and the latest contender in this race for tablet-smartphone hybrid production is smartphone manufacturer Huawei with its latest phablet, the Ascend Mate.
A lot of information has been leaked about Huawei’s upcoming phablet, although not a great deal has been confirmed as yet. Its existence was first confirmed by Yu Chengdong, senior vice president of Huawei, a couple of weeks ago and since then a lot of consumers have been eagerly anticipating its release. There have been a number of images that were posted by on the Chinese micro-blogging website, SinaWeibo, and Engadget reported a video of Richard Yu, an executive at Huawei, showing off the device at a Huawei store in Guangzhou.
Rumour has it that the 6.1” device comes with a quad-core 1.8 GHz HiSilicon K3V3 chip, and a hefty 4000 mAh battery. At a bit above half a foot and 9.9 millimetres of thickness, the devices is both larger by half an inch and thicker by half a millimetre than the sizable Galaxy Note 2 although rumours have suggested that Samsung has plans of upping the bar by developing a phablet that’s 0.2 inches larger than the Ascend Mate. The Ascend Mate reportedly operates a low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) display which supports 1080p Full HD resolution and an acutely fine pixel density of 361 pixels per inch. Huawei, a company reputed for marketing low-price devices, have even bumped up the price for their upcoming Android-running phablet targeting nearly 3000 yuan, or approximately $481.
While a lot of the details of the Ascend Mate are still shrouded in ambiguity, consumers won’t have to wait too long since Huawei plans on unveiling the device during the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this January. Some critics have, however, chosen to be sceptical about it, claiming that its intimidating size and bulky build might potentially put off consumers. It’s quite likely that Huawei might be just trying to tap into a working formula and could gain the positive reception it’s aiming for. For the time being, one can only wait and watch.
