It seems 2013 will be the year of the Phablets. Sony launched their Xperia Z a 5 inch smartphone at CES. Huawei also announced the Ascend D2 a 5 inch smartphone and the Ascend Mate a 6.1 inch Phablet.

Sony Xperia Z
This smartphone is powered by 1.5GHz quad core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro) with 2GB RAM and 16gigs of internal storage. The handset runs on the Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) OS.

The 5 inch screen comes with Bravia Engine II technology that further enhances the display quality. Display supports full HD resolution. Other features are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, 4G/3G/2G and micro SD slot. The Xperia Z is 7.9mm thick and weighs 140 grams.

Another interesting feature is the 13MP rear camera with Exmor RS sensor. You can record HDR videos and at the same time shoot images (up to 3 shots simultaneously). In still camera mode the handset can capture 10 images simultaneously (Burst mode) with 9 MP resolution. A 2330 mAh battery powers this handset.

sony xperia z

Huawei Ascend D2
This handset also comes with a 5 inch screen with full HD resolution (1080p) and powered by 1.5GHz Huawei K3V2 quad core CPU. The Ascend D2 comes with a 13MP rear camera, 3000 mAh battery and sails on Jelly Bean OS.

Huawei Ascend Mate
The Ascend Mate comes with a 6.1 inch screen, quite close to the 7 inch tablet. This big IPS screen supports 720p resolution. This Phablet runs on quad core processor (Hi-Silicon) clocked at 1.5GHz. The Jelly Bean OS comes loaded along with 8MP rear camera.

Huawei Ascend Mate

The pricing details are not known. These handsets should be available in India by end of Jan or Feb 2013. Also check out Alcatel ONE Touch handsets that were also announced at CES 2013.

By Rajeev Rana

Founder and Chief Editor - gogi.in