It’s not a big name in the U.S., but one of the world’s largest Android hset makers just announced its latest flagship phone. On dnesday, China-based Huawei took the wraps off the Ascend , an E-capable Android (KitKat) smartphone with a very slim profile.
The new hset features a 5-inch 1080p display with 445 pixels-per-inch measures around 0.26-of-an-inch thick, which is a hair thinner than the ione 5S’s 0.30-inch frame. For connectivity there’s 802.11b/g/n -Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, B 2.0, NFC. The comes with the latest version of KitKat (Android 4.4.2) a 2500 mAH battery.
But Huawei has also added some nice extras alongside those somewhat stard specs. The phone features an 8-megapixel front-facing camera that comes equipped with a panoramic mode for (what else?) a group selfie or “groufie” as Huawei appallingly calls it.
On the back of the phone, the Ascend features a 13Msensor with a non-spherical lens. Beyond the high megapixel count, Huawei claims the camera’s one-tap wake from the lock screen can you have you shooting pictures in just 1.2 seconds.
rhaps the most interesting claim about the is a built-in feature designed to extend the life of the device’s battery. Dubbed “super power-saving” mode, the will shut down all but the most essential features on the phone when the battery hits 10 percent. Huawei claims that this power-saving mode can extend a 10 percent battery life to 24 hours on stby. The Samsung Galaxy S5 HTC One M8 sport similar power-saving modes.
Everywhere but here
Now for the bad news: U.S. customers will likely be waiting a long time to see the Ascend . Huawei is releasing its latest device across Europe, the Middle East, Asia in May with an asking price around $625 unsubsidized, but a U.S. release date has yet to be announced.
rt of the reason for the lack of a U.S. release date could be Huawei’s problems with Congress. In 2012, the House Intelligence Committee called Huawei, along with fellow Chinese technology company ZTE, a threat to national security advised U.S. telecoms to steer clear of the company’s products.
Despite governmental scrutiny, however, Huawei has seen some success on second third tier carriers in the U.S. such as MetroS Straight Talk—so there’s still hope that the Ascend could l Stateside in the future.
