Samsung created a whole new segment with the launch of the Galaxy Note phablet in 2011. A year and a half down the line, the success of Samsung's Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2 have acted as a catalyst, propeling other manufacturers to take the bigger smartphone route as well.

China-based Huawei is one such company to have dived deep into the bigger smartphone race with its much-touted Ascend Mate phablet that has a mammoth 6.1-inch display, the biggest on any smartphone currently available. Huawei is speculated to take the wraps off the Ascend Mate at the CES 2013 in January. However, recently, Huawei's Chairman of Devices Richard Yu was seen flaunting the phablet at a company retail store.

The high-end Ascend Mate is looking to challenge the reigning phablet king, the Galaxy Note 2, and carve a place for itself in the consumer market.

As the phablet war intensifies, here's a look at how the Galaxy Note 2 and the Ascend Mate measure up against each other.

Processor

The Galaxy Note 2 features a powerful quad-core Exynos processor, which is clocked at 1.6GHz. On the other hand, the Ascend Mate is rumored to pack in a quad-core processor with a chipset built by Huawei, which is clocked at 1.8GHz.

Display

The Galaxy Note 2 sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. The 6.1-inch Full HD display of the Ascend Mate makes the Galaxy Note 2 look puny in comparison. What's more, it is said to have a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.

Additionally, the Ascend Mate scores over the Galaxy Note 2 with its much higher pixel density of 316 pixels per inch (ppi) versus 267 ppi.

Weight, Thickness, and Body

The Galaxy Note 2 measures 5.95 x 3.16 x 0.37 inches and weighs just 6.35oz. The measurements and weight of the Ascend Mate are currently not known, except that the device is 0.39 inches (9.9mm) thick, which is pretty incredible considering the size of the device.

Storage and Memory

The Galaxy Note 2 is available in 16/32/64 GB on-board storage options, and it is speculated that the Ascend Mate will also be available in at least 16/32GB variants.

Moreover, the Galaxy Note 2 has an expandable memory option (of up to 64GB) via a microSD card. Whether the Ascend Mate will offer the same option is still shrouded in mystery.

The Galaxy Note 2 has 2GB of RAM and the Ascend Mate is rumored to have the same.

Software

The Galaxy Note 2 comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. The Ascend Mate is also expected to come pre-loaded with Jelly Bean software.

Battery

A 3100mAh battery powers the Galaxy Note 2, which supports up to 16 hours of talk time on 3G. The Ascend Mate edges out the Note 2 in this area as it is rumored to pack in a powerful 4000mAh battery.

Camera

Going by the rumors, the Ascend Mate will have a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, which betters the 8-megapixel one of the Galaxy Note 2. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera; however, the details of the Ascend Mate's secondary camera are not yet known.

Availability and Pricing

The unlocked Galaxy Note 2 (16GB) costs nearly $580 and hit the shelves in October this year. The Ascend Mate is rumored to be priced around the $480 mark and is expected to make an appearance at the CES 2013 in January and release shortly after. The Galaxy Note 2, however, has an S Pen stylus (unlike the Ascend Mate), which makes the former stand out from other phablets in the market.

With the purported launch of the Ascend Mate round the corner, it will be interesting to see if the device can topple the Galaxy Note 2 from its pedestal. However, with Samsung said to be working on a 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 3, come 2013, the battle for phablet supremacy is poised to become more intense.