Hasta La Gadget!

After unboxing a pair of phablets at CES, Chinese mobile maker Huawei looks to be lining up a new flagship smartphone in its Android-based Ascend P line ahead of the Mobile World Congress trade show kicking off in Barcelona Monday. The company, which pushed into third place in the global smartphone rankings for the first time in Q4, has sent out invites to a press conference taking place tomorrow afternoon (CET).

It’s not confirmed what device or devices Huawei plans to unveil tomorrow — the invite includes the cryptic tagline “Discover possible” – but CNET‘s Stephen Shankland has snapped a photo of Huawei’s MWC booth, currently under construction before the crowds arrive on Monday, which includes a sign for an as yet unreleased device called the Ascend P2.

Judging by the name, the Ascend P2 is the sequel to the Ascend P1, which launched in Europe last summer. P stands for ‘Platinum’ in Huawei’s marketing speak — one rung down from its top-of-the-line D for Diamond devices, such as the 5-inch Ascend D2, which it outted at CES, along with the 6.1 inch Ascend Mate (its Galaxy Note rival). Those quad-core whoppers leave room in Huawei’s portfolio for a powerhouse smartphone with a slightly less palm-stretching screen. So, enter stage left the Ascend P2. Either that or it has a typo in its booth signage.

Aside from an LTE variant, the Ascend P1 was a relatively mid-range affair — with a dual-core 1.5Ghz chip, 4.3-inch display and 8 megapixel camera. The Ascend P2 is rumoured to add more beef the second time around, with various leaks hinting at a 1.8GHz quad-core chipset — which would give it more welly than either the Ascend Mate or the D2 — along with a 4.7 inch display, a 13 megapixel camera and Android 4.1. We’ll find out for sure tomorrow.

Huawei can’t claim to have the massive brand clout of Samsung and its Galaxy range, but its mobile profile is growing and it has carved out a savvy niche for itself in the Android space by offering relatively impressive specs for the device’s price point — which, in its Ascend G range, has helped to power up the functionality of budget Androids. The company is also taking a similar tack with Windows Phone — showing off an “entry level” Windows 8 device at CES, the Ascend W1, and partnering with Microsoft to launch an “affordable” Windows Phone device for the African market.

A couple of weeks ago the Huawei Ascend P2 was spotted in some leaked photos and with an event invite pegged for the 24^th of February, it would seem as if Huawei could be announcing the device then. However in the meantime it looks like Japanese carrier Emobile has announced a certain Huawei GL07S smartphone, and based on the press shot in the picture above, we can’t help but feel that this device shares a striking resemblance to the Ascend P2. While aesthetically it might look like the P2, there is one notable difference between the models, and that is its processor.

According to the rumors, the Ascend P2 is said to sport a 1.8GHz quad-core processor developed by Huawei themselves. However in the case of the GL07S, it will feature a 1.5GHz quad-core processor instead. Apart from that, other minor differences include larger internal storage at 32GB and a slightly larger battery at 2,350mAh versus the 2,200mAh. It measures 8.6mm thin and will also come with 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera along with 4G LTE connectivity, making it Emobile’s first LTE smartphone.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sprint Force LTE Leaks As Entry-Level Android Phone From ZTE, Consumers Spent More On Mobile Games Than Handheld Games Last Quarter,

As MWC draws near, it’s not surprising to see an increase in leaks, and today we bring you a few more pictures of Huawei’s Ascend P2, which recently made a cameo in some unofficial product shots. The 4.7-inch full HD handset is expected to feature Android 4.1.2, a quad-core 1.8 GHz processor (developed in house), 2GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage (plus microSD), a 13MP shooter and a 2200mAh battery. Slotting below the 5-inch Ascend D2 and 6.1-inch Ascend Mate we saw at CES, the Ascend P2 is rumored to be less than 6.45mm thick with Nexus 4-like on-screen buttons. Of course, since the FCC is unlikely to certify such a svelte device, it’s likely we’ll see a tweaked version of this phone if it ever makes it to the US — then again, it looks thicker to us in the pictures. Pricing is supposedly targeting the 3,000 Yuan mark ($480), unsubsidized. Guess we’ll find out more in Barcelona, right? Hit the break for a couple more images.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Comments

Via: M.I.C. Gadget

Source: QQ Tech