Samsung no longer offers the largest phablet on the market—wait, what? Incredibly, Samsung’s enormous Galaxy Mega 6.3 is still smaller than Sony’s brand new Xperia Z Ultra, which we briefly heard about just yesterday. Sony’s huge device is real, it’s huge, and it sounds absolutely ridiculous—in a good way. This is clearly a Shock and Awe strategy directed at Samsung ahead of the Korean company’s much rumored Galaxy Note III release later this year. Things are getting crazy.

In addition to the Z Ultra’s overwhelming display, the device’s materials are element resistant so it won’t drop dead at the slightest touch of water or sand. Its 6.4-inch display is the first Full HD TRILUMINOS screen coupled with Sony’s X-Reality technology, promising to “deliver the most immersive viewing experience imaginable.” When a device can be mistaken for a small TV, or even a mini tablet, it sure as heck better have a nice screen.

Running under that gigantic display includes a fully integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2.2GHz quad-core CPUs, LTE, HD voice, Android 4.2, 8-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 4, 3000mAh battery, 16GB internal storage (microSD expandable) and many other added software features designed by Sony to make the Z Ultra the ultimate experience. There are new tweaks for better audio, communication, organization and entertainment. The sheer volume is actually overwhelming, and a little ridiculous. But Sony’s focus is clearly an attempt to out-Samsung Samsung, and on paper it looks like the company might succeed.

Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications said the Z Ultra is the “most exciting revolution in large-screen smartphone entertainment devices.” It’s certainly going big—forget home. Phablets have blurred that line between smartphones and tablets, and Sony’s new handset is further pushing that boundary. The market is quickly going from niche to the majority, but surely there has to be a line. Sony’s 6.4-inch monster may or may not be it.

When the Z Ultra launches in Q3 of this year—timing and availability will vary by market, Sony said—it’ll have some popular competition to go up against from Samsung. The phablet market has quite literally become a measuring contest, and at this very moment Samsung’s Mega 6.3 isn’t the largest device on the block. Sony just one-upped every other phablet out there, but we’ll see how long its crown lasts as the growing market evolves later this year.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra Specs:

  • Display: 6.4-inch (1920×1080) TRILUMINOS
  • Colors: Black, White, Purple
  • Size: 179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5mm
  • Weight: 212 grams
  • OS: Android 4.2
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2.2 GHz quad-core CPUs
  • Internal Storage: 16GB (microSD expandable up to 64GB)
  • Battery: 3,000mAh
  • Camera: 8-megapixel