FollowPros
- Large display
- One-handed functionality
- Bigger battery
- Amazing display technology
Cons
- Eccentric size
- Slight lag in responsiveness
- Not 4G capable
A smartphone with a 6.1-inch display – sounds strange but true – is making its way to the Chinese smartphone market. Huawei Ascend Mate, unveiled in the recent Consumer Electronics Show, touts a massive 6.1-inch screen, the largest ever smartphone screen. Are you willing to call it a phone or does it double itself as a phone and slate? It’s for you to decide!Equally amazing is its gigantic 4,050mAh battery, again the largest in any smartphone.
Design
The Ascend Mate is well-built with some great features, meaning that it is likely to be priced comparable to high-end smartphones. Its huge display is its highlight, and despite being 9.9mm thick, it may not fit into most pockets. It weighs 198 grams.
The phone comes in black or white with a silver trim, and it is exciting to see the huge display come to life with vivid colors. The plastic back is fixed and has a nice curvature to fit the unconventional size in your hand.
The unlock key and volume control are placed strategically for convenient access whether you’re holding it in your right hand or left hand.
On top, it features a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSIM slot. Down the left, you’ll find a microSD slot. Either slot is covered with easy-to-snap plastic panels.
Features
Display
The gigantic 6.1-inch IPS + LCD display has a resolution of 1280 x 720 and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. The size beats the bizarrely large screen of Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
The device incorporates a few design features from Apple iOS for its amazing display technology.
Huawei has incorporated its “Magic Touch” technology that lets you operate the phone wearing gloves – something handy for the winter season.
The one-handed functionality lets you use the keyboard on the left or right side of the screen. But, the keyboard size is reduced, meaning that it may be a little tricky to text one-handed.
The display lets you view multiple apps at once, i.e., you can bring an app over the one you’re currently viewing.
The screen-to-bezel ratio of 73% is intended to maximize the size of the display.
The 16:9 aspect ratio and wider viewing angles are enjoyable for watching photos and movies.
Software
The Huawei Ascend Mate is powered by a Hi-Silicon 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB RAM. It runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly bean with Emotion UI.
Huawei’s Emotion UI offers quick and intuitive launches. It is a major plus, as it allows you to hide on-screen interface buttons. It means that it saves a space used by theapplications drawerfound on the regular Android phones. You just have to swipe upwards from the lower end to bring them on the screen.
Camera
There’s an 8 MP camera with LED flash, and a front-facing 1 MP webcam for your Skype video calls. You can shoot full HD video and there are a few options, such as scene modes and effects. Given the big size, you may have to use both hands to balance the device while clicking photos.
Memory
The phone comes with 8 GB internal storage, and features a microSD slot to supplement that.
Battery
The 4,050mAH battery is indeed gigantic, a record-breaking size in the smartphone world. It is apt for the huge screen that needs lots of battery power, and will last for 48 hours. The company also touts of its power-saving technology and fastest charging capability despite being the largest battery.
Performance
The overall performance is good, and its display technology resembling Apple’s iOS is amazing. Its Emotion UI is a nice feature that eliminates the apps drawer, so you can use the whole display. Though it launches apps quickly, the interface is not responsive enough. The device is not 4G capable.
Conclusion
The Huawei Ascend Mate has some interesting features, such as the ability to push the QWERTY and UI buttons to one side of the display for one-handed operation, and the ability to open apps on currently running applications. The eccentric size makes it stand apart.
