Step aside HTC One Mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is here... and it's got a spec sheet which will blow your tiny circuit boards.

Following in the footsteps of other cut-down flagships, Sony has mustered up the Xperia Z1 Compact, but as well as borrowing the name from the Japanese firm's high-end handset it also sports several other key elements.

For starters there's the same 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 4G support and microSD slot that'll you find in the Sony Xperia Z1.

The screen is, unsurprisingly, smaller at 4.3 inches and the full HD resolution of the Z1 has been downgraded to 1280 x 720 on the Xperia Z1 Compact.

Camera credentials

There's more good news round the back of the handset, as nestled into the rear cover of the Xperia Z1 Compact is Sony's impressive 20.7MP camera with G Lens - consider its Samsung and HTC rivals don't get over 8MP (plus they're both dual-core), and you can see the spec-gulf widening..

As seems to be tradition with Sony's smartphone these days the Xperia Z1 Compact is also dust-resistant and waterproof, plus there's a dedicated shutter button on the side and the almost obligatory ability to use the touchscreen whilst wearing gloves.

The sticking point for the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact could be its price, as it's unlikely to be as cheap as the One Mini or S4 Mini - but we'll have to wait and see on that one.

Sony has confirmed that the Xperia Z1 Compact release date is set for February and the handset will be available globally.

Asus is out with a trio of new mobiles, all part of the company's ZenFone line. Yes, we're in for more products that phonetically spell "phone" with an "F."

The ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6 are a family of smartphones coming in - you guessed it - 4-, 5- and 6-inch display sizes.

All machines run Android 4.3, though an upgrade to Android 4.4 should arrive later on. Each will be available in a variety of shades, and all store 1GB of RAM.

The similarities continue on with microSD (all have it) and Intel processors.

ZenFone home

The smallest of the lot, the ZenFone 4 will retail for $99. It has a 800 x 480 resolution in its display, seemingly sufficient for its 5MP rear and 0.3MP front cameras.

A 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2520 processor sits inside, along with a 1,170mAh battery. It will be available in black, white, red, blue and yellow.

The ZenFone 5 is a $149 offering featuring an Atom Z2580 processor clocked at 2GHz. There's an 8MP snapper on the back, which includes a backside-illumination sensor with a wide-aperture f/2.0 lens. A 2MP camera occupies the front real estate.

It will be sold in black, white, red and gold.

Finally, the ZenFone 6 will retail for $199, and the 6-inch display is backed by a 13MP camera and 2MP front-facer. It's been stocked with a 2GHz Atom Z5280 as well. Look for it in black, white, red and gold.

None were given release dates, but we'll have our hands on reviews soon enough.

ASUS sure does love its detachable hybrids, doesn't it? This time, for CES 2014, the vendor has pulled the curtain back on the Padfone mini. Is it a hybrid tablet or a hybrid smartphone? It's both.

More specifically, the Padfone mini is a 0.44-inch thin, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (with KitKat on the way) handset with a 4-inch, 800 x 480 IPS+ LED touch screen. If you're in the mood for an Android tablet, then you can place the phone into the back of a tablet station rocking a 1280 x 800 IPS+ LED touch panel.

A 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2650 chip powers the 4.09-ounce Padfone mini – and by extension its tablet dock – with some help from 1GB of RAM. As for storage, the phone is limited to a mere 8GB onboard, but that's expandable by up to 64GB via microSD card.

Powering all this, plus the phone's 8MP (with f/2.0 aperture and backside illumination) and 2MP shooters, is an 1170mAh battery. The tablet dock gets its very own juice to the tune of 2100mAh – both are non-removable polymer batteries.

Bummer alert: While the Padfone mini supports dual SIMs (ideally one for data and the other for phone), there's no LTE to be found – just 4G HSPA+. But ASUS hopes to make up for that with its brand new ZenUI for Android.

That's so Zen, man

Exclusive to ASUS Android devices, ZenUI is a custom Android skin that is said to offer simplified icons and menus. Also on offer are special color themes to match the shell of your PadFone (which comes in black, white, red, blue and yellow).

More important are features like What's Next and enhancements ASUS has made to existing Android apps and tools. What's Next presents users with event data and more to help keep busy users on track. As for improvements, ASUS focused on email, web browsing and image sharing.

First up is email: Now, users can read messages by thread to keep better track of conversations. For the web browser, ASUS added a Smart Reader Mode that adjusts background tone make it easier on the eyes. Finally, ASUS Collage is said to allow users to create photo stories to share with friends. (Instagram, anyone?)

The PadFone mini will cost $249 (about £151, AU$277), but ASUS has yet to mention availability. We'll try to clear that up once we get our hands on this weird little bugger on the CES 2014 show floor.

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The budget market seems to be helping Nokia's new overlords in the smartphone wars

Microsoft has told TechRadar that it's seeing real penetration for its Windows Phone platform, claiming some impressive stats for its OS.

Christopher Flores, director of communications for Microsoft, told us that the brand was attacking 'both ends' of the smartphone market and would continue to do so should, as expected, the deal to purchase Nokia go through.

He showed statistics claiming that Windows Phone devices now have second place in 14 markets around the world, and are outselling Apple's iPhone in 24 markets too, making it the fastest selling smartphone platform globally.

Flores declined to give specific regions for these stats, although did intimate that they were in emerging nations, where the cost of the iPhone is prohibitively high for a lot of consumers.

Bella Lumia

It's also got a strong movement in Italy, where Windows Phone-powered devices are outselling iPhones, with heavy carrier subsidies making the Microsoft platform an attractive proposition, a situation mirrored in Spain where WP handsets are close to usurping Apple's second place in that market too.

However, Android's stranglehold in these areas remains untouched, despite the growth of Windows Phone, with handsets undercutting the cheap Lumia 520 providing stiff competition.

Flores also refused to admit that Microsoft would channel more time and funds into the budget handset range, despite this being the firm's main growth driver for Windows Phone, stating that the Redmond brand wanted to continue to offer consumer choice.

Microsoft has promised to elaborate on these statistics in the near future, so we'll be updating this story with more information as we get it.

Huawei has gone official with its Ascend Mate 2 4G at CES 2014, giving last year's model a lesson in LTE speed.

The new phone comes with 4G LTE built in and the refreshed model has been given a number of more visible upgrades too, including a slimmer design that comes in at 9.5mm thick and – 0.4mm thinner than its predecessor.

That 720p IPS display is still the familiar 6.1 inches though, keeping this still very much in "phablet" territory.

Yes mate!

The new 1.6GHz quad-core processor should also make things a bit more zippy. We were pretty let down with the performance of the first Ascend Mate.

On the back is a 13-megapixel camera for 1080p video while a 5-megapixel camera can be found on the front. It'll be Android Jelly Bean 4.3 on this one, no KitKat love for now.

Finally, there's now double the storage with 16GB to play with and a microSD slot for when you use all of that up. All in all, not too shabby.

No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you'll be the first to know when we hear more.

• CES 2014: it's all going on