"Phablet" Wars.......

The battle lines have been drawn and the contenders are all standing tall.  We all know about the Seismic Smartphone battle raging between Samsung/Android & Apple/iOS.  We all know of the titanic 'Tablet' war raging with the same players.  But, there is a skirmish happening in the middle ground. One which contains more challengers on a supposed smaller battleground.

If you haven't yet heard the phrase or do not yet know what it means,"Phablet" is the term which has been coined to describe a telecommunications device which is lager than the average smartphone but smaller than a small tablet.  A simpler way would be to say a Phablet is a smartphone which has a diagonal screen size larger than 5 inches but smaller than 7 inches.  A better way still would be to simply say it's a big smartphone!

In this Phablet war arena are a few contenders (In no particular order):

1) Samsung Galaxy Note 3
We may as well get them out the way early.  Samsung are competing on all fronts, but here they find themselves up against competition which hasn't a fruit in sight!  The 'Note 3', as the name suggests, is Samsung's third 'Phablet' in the Galaxy note series. With a 5.7" screen (Which is Full 1080p HD) and full dimensions of 151.2x79.2mm this is definitely a large phone and is certainly bigger than the previous 2 in the 'Note' series.  However, it's still very manageable and is quite slim, just 8.3mm thick. Coupled with a 'faux' leather back, the Note 3 manages to have the look of a premium device and even manages to retain a premium feel despite being made of plastic (albeit ultra slim plastic).  The screen has been described as glorious especially when watching films or playing games on the go.  I'm not sure I would use the word "glorious" but I've had a look and it certainly is an impressive bright screen.  If you've had a look at a Galaxy 'S4' think about a bigger and slightly better version of the screen and that's what you've got with the Note 3. It comes really comes into it's own when using the Multi Window feature
The Note 3 has the latest Android operating system (version 4.3 to be precise) a quad core processor (at 2.3GHz) and 3GB of Ram. In a nutshell, those specs make the Note 3 pretty snappy when using it.  If you're the type of person to have multiple apps open at the same time, then this will handle it without breaking a sweat or slowing down.  
It's capable of 4G (I won't get into the current pointlessness of that.....), 3G, WiFi, NFC & Bluetooth connectivity and has a a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash on the back which takes stunning pictures & video.  The S-pen (which is well hidden) is actually rather useful for making notes or drawing.  You can even write down a phone number and call or save it with a simple tap.  It's just an enhancement and the Note 3 is very useable without it but it's more fun with it.

Cost = £600+ (Approx. Sim Free)
Available - Now

Extra Specs
Storage - 32GB/64GB expandable upto 64GB via microSD Memory card (Total Maximum 128GB)
Processor - Quad-core 2.3Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon

More Details at Samsung UK

2) Nokia Lumia 1520
Nokia are still in the fight. Once upon a time just about everyone owned a Nokia or at least had a Nokia charger. Leaner times have befallen Nokia since the rise of the Smartphone. Their Lumia Range is mounting a charge to bring back at least some of the glory days and is certainly holding their own in the Phablet arena. The Nokia 1520 weighs in with a 6 inch Full HD screen and full dimensions of 162.8 x 85.4 and just 8.7mm thick. It's a lovely looking device though lacks that really premium look. It's much like the Nokia 1020 in look but larger. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get my hands on one yet as an early December release date has been announced, however, the reported specs look rather impressive. A quad-core 2.2GHz Qaulcomm Snapdragon Processor teamed with 2GB of RAM should make this Phablet quick and capable of multitasking without lagging. Other Phablets in the arena are quicker but the battery on this puppy might last longer as a result of the slower processor speed.

A simply mind boggling 20-Megapixel camera with Dual LED flash is on the back which can record at full HD. On the front is a 12-megapixel camera capable of 720p HD recording. The Nokia 1520 should more than hold its own against any other Phablet in the camera stakes.
A refreshing change from the Android vs iOS stranglehold, the Lumia 1520 runs the Windows Phone 8 operating system. If you've used Windows 8 on PC then this operating system will be a breeze. If you haven't then it wouldn't take too much getting used to. I guess the only slight downside to the Windows Phone OS would be the lack of apps when pitted against Android & iOS, but it's not as big a gap as it once was.

Cost = £TBC
Available - Dec 6th 2013

Extra Specs
Storage - 32GB expandable upto 64GB via microSD card (Maximum 96GB)

More Details at Nokia UK

Just opted for an iPad mini 4 after much deliberation.
It really came down to the fact that I am heavily invested in Apple already and o don't want to lose content.

Really, that's one of the few reasons to go for an Ipad mini.  I don't do the tablet thing much so settled on a cheap Lenovo.  Got myself a "phablet" in the shape of a One Plus 2.  Been a decent purchase so far to be honest.  Here's a quite honest review: http://www.trustedreviews.com/oneplus-2-review

That seems like a pretty solid phone, the charging time could be annoying but having said that I tend to leave it charging at the end of the day anyway so I probably wouldnt notice.
I have always really liked Apple design and feel, solid weight and look matters to me even though it shouldnt. I do have to say though that since they rounded the edges on the 6 models I have been terrified to hold them without cases. They're like bars of soap in my hands and such an expensive drop!
I now have the apple watch sport to tie it all together and keep track of my running. That's right, I do running and I'm not ashamed

It's holding together pretty well for me at the moment. Yes, it takes a couple hours to fully charge, but funnily enough it'll be 60% charged after about 30 minutes.... Added to that is the fact that I can regularly go for 2 days without needing to charge it, though by the second night it's just about ready to give up. For under £300 sim free I can't complain to much. best of all is the fact that it does NOT have NFC tech! Thinking of upgrade to the OnePlus 3, but I'm hoping my current Oneplus 2 will hold out until the 4 hits.

I sometimes think that apple make their phones as fragile as possible & as easy to drop as possible so that they can get their users to buy more phones. If 4 phones, 1 iphone, 1 htc, 1 samsung, 1 sony, fall off a table onto non carpeted floor then the apple one will need replacing. the samsung will have a cracked screen, the sony will get a chip & the htc will carry on as if nothing happened.....

It does seem intentional I agree, they are so very fragile now. I had the 4 and the 5 for a while and they both took quite a beating but now they have replaced a lot of the materials with sugar glass