... although the curves and the thin profile save it from being too huge for daily use. Those extra software inclusions (for one-handed use, including a dialer and keyboard) worked well enough and the screen really comes into its own when you're watching video.

[T]he Mate is a handful, but it’s surprisingly grippable thanks to its slim waistline. That said, one-handed operation is dicey to say the least, but it’s not downright impossible. .... Putting the size aside though, flipping through the device was a largely seamless experience.

Huawei seems to realize that a phone this large can present some usability issues, and to that end, it has created what it calls one-hand UI, which essentially squishes the keyboard or number pad over to one side of the screen, depending upon which hand you type with.

The Ascend Mate is definitely a good effort from Huawei and feels surprisingly premium. Things like Magic Touch technology so you can use it with gloves, or its quick battery charge time are nice touches. One to keep your eyes on.

The Huawei Ascend Mate is a new smartphone with the largest screen in the world, a whopping 6.1in. Blurring the line between smartphone and tablet, the Ascend Mate will be released in China in February.

It has a big, huge, massive screen. But isn't it too big? We've leaped over many screen size hurdles over the past four years, but when you need to start wearing surfer shorts to accommodate a new phone, isn't that something else?

We're not completely sold on that philosophy and tend to sway towards the theory that a 6.1-inch phone is pretty mad – verging on unnecessary. We expected a snappy experience from the Ascend Mate and it is by no means a slouch but it just didn't feel as slick as the offerings from HTC and Samsung.