Huawei launches 6.1 inch Ascend Mate at CES

The phone, er Phablet, could very well be 7 inches at this point because no one in their senses is going to carry this in their back pocket (no chance for a front pocket fit) or hold it to their ears to place a phone call. Read more of Yahoo's coverage :here:.

To quote the end of the article:

what exactly is the motivation behind making larger smartphones instead of smaller ones? Jaycox said the tablet and smartphone markets are going through a test phase as consumers search for the sweet spot, looking for a portable device that meets all their computing needs.

"What's that device size where people truly feel like they have an all-in-one?" he said.

Translation: We don't know what to make so we are throwing everything we can against the wall. Let's see what sticks.