Huawei Technologies has exped its device portfolio with the E-equipped Ascend as the company hopes to climb in the smartphone market.
The phone supports the latest version of the high-speed E data networking system called E category 4. That means—on paper at least—it’s capable of transmitting data at up to 150Mbps, making it the fastest cell phone yet from any vendor, according to Huawei.
The Ascend is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor has a Gorilla Glass 2-protected 4.7-inch 720-pixel screen that can be used with gloves on. It has 1GB of RAM 16GB of storage, but no microSD card slot for users who want to exp the storage capacity.
The 13-megapixel camera has a dedicated physical key an HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode when both taking pictures shooting video. The camera meant it couldn’t make the phone thinner 8.4 millimeters, the company said.
For short-distance communications, an NFC chip is built in.
Battery booster
NSA recent trend in smartphones is larger batteries features designed to help improve battery life. The battery in the Ascend measures 2420mAh, which is bigger than those in new high-end phones like the the HTC One Sony Xperia Z. The drawback with bigger batteries is that it also takes longer to charge the phone, but Huawei said it has added a quick charge feature to address that issue.
On the software side, Huawei has added a power management application there are software features to lower networking-related battery consumption, it said.
The phone will start shipping around the world during the second quarter will cost €399 ($525). For U.S. customers, the phone will not be available through carriers but should become available online, Huawei said.
The series is the midtier part of a new smartphone portfolio that Huawei started to roll out at CES in nuary. There it launched the high-end Ascend D2, which has a 5-inch 1080p screen, the Ascend Mate, which has a 6.1-inch 720-pixel screen.
Sales climb
st year was a good one for Huawei’s smartphone sales: the company became the third largest vendor during the fourth quarter last year. But the company wants to continue to grow, is hoping devices like the will help it do that.
The company has improved the quality the design of its products, according to Gartner’s Carolina Milanesi. icing is its biggest strength, but the company will still have to work on improving its br in the U.S. Europe, she said.
Huawei is very much aware the challenges that come with changing from a company that manufactures phones for others sells feature phones to a smartphone maker with a br that resonates with people, according to Amy u, global br director at Huawei Device. But she is convinced it can the company can do it by consistently putting out good products.
The company also said it is now working on smartphone it will launch this summer that will be “very distuptive,”
Updated at 12:20 p.m. with video from News Service.
Updated on February 25 with a video report.
