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Huawei's flagship phablet is only $300 in China, and its CMO explains why
Huawei's recently announced MediaPad X1 has caused quite a stir -- it's the lightest and smallest-ever 7-inch tablet (let alone a phablet), while also packing decent features like a 1,920 x 1,200 display, 5,000mAh battery and 150 Mbps LTE. The retail price quoted at the launch event was €399 or about $550 for the LTE model, but back in China, it appears that Huawei's slapped an insane discount on the same quad-core tablet, albeit under a slightly different name. Dubbed the Honor X1, the 3G model will retail for just CN¥1,799 or about $290, and the 4G version will go for just CN¥1,999 or $330. That's a $220 drop for the LTE model! So when we caught up with Huawei Device's CMO Shao Yang at MWC, we had to ask him: What was he thinking? Well, it's all about the way consumers perceive this device in different regions.
Huawei MediaPad X1 is the lightest and narrowest 7-inch tablet, plus it's a phone (video)
Does the world need bigger smartphones? Huawei answers this question at MWC with the launch of its MediaPad X1, a 7-inch Android tablet that lets you make phone calls. As ridiculous as it sounds, this device is designed in a way that makes it more usable than other colossal phones. At just 239g heavy and 103.9mm wide, the X1 is the lightest and narrowest tablet in its class, beating the likes of the ASUS Fonepad 7, Kindle Fire HDX 7 and the latest Nexus 7. Don't be deceived by the lightness, though; Huawei has managed to stuff a generous 5,000mAh battery -- again beating the other 7-inch tablets -- and a high-res 1,920 x 1,200 LTPS display inside this 7.18mm-thick aluminum body. Let's get the remaining specs out of the way. First and foremost, you get a pair of cameras: 13-megapixel f/2.4 on the back, and 5-megapixel f/2.2 on the front. There's 16GB of internal storage, and you can add up to 32GB of external space via microSD. The SoC here is Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 910 (as seen on the Ascend P6S), which features a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, along with 2GB of RAM and a Mali-450 MP4 GPU. There's support for both TD-LTE and FD-LTE, meaning you can enjoy 4G speeds in both China and a large part of the world. Likewise, the same phone also works on both WCDMA and China Mobile's TD-SCDMA 3G networks. Sadly, the WiFi radio only goes up to 802.11n instead of the more powerful 802.11ac, but the 150Mbps LTE Cat 4 radio should somewhat make up for this -- if your carrier supports it, that is. Read on for our hands-on video and thoughts. Update: Huawei is pricing the X1 at a pretty competitive 399 euros.
Huawei's Media Pad X1 leaks with calling capabilities and smart cover
A few cats have escaped from Huawei's bag ahead of Mobile World Conference, namely images of its 7-inch MediaPad X1 and mid-range Ascend G6 handset. A Chinese Weibo site nabbed live pics of the MediaPad X1, and thanks to a previous visit through China's FAA, we know its specs: quad-core 1.6GHz HiSilicon 910 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB memory, a 1,920 x 1,200 display and a 6,000 mAh battery. It's also reported to have telephonic capabilities for those with headsets (or no shame), and optional LTE. Interestingly, the pics also show a faux-stitched smart cover with a secondary display, à la Samsung's S View. All that puts it on the high-end side, and the coup de grace would be a rumored price tag of around 1,200 Yuan (about $200), which we imagine would be sans LTE or the cover. Meanwhile, rumor-monger @evleaks has outed pics of Huawei's Ascend G6 smartphone (after the break), a 4.5-inch model said to have a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek chip, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and an 8-megapixel front / 5-megapixel rear camera. Its standout feature is a slim 7.5mm profile, but it otherwise seems destined for bargain shoppers. We know nothing else about pricing and availability, of course, but we imagine we'll find out soon at MWC 2014 -- which is shaping up to be rather epic. Update: Huawei just tweeted an image (embedded after the break) to tease the four devices it will be announcing at MWC. It looks like the X1 and the G6 are listed there, along with a larger stereo-sounding tablet and a mobile hotspot. But where's the smartband?
Huawei's new high-resolution tablet may give the Nexus 7 a run for its money
There isn't much choice among 7-inch Android tablets with high-resolution screens -- the Nexus 7 is frequently the only practical option. However, it's about to get a proper challenger. China's TENAA has certified the Huawei MediaPad X1 7.0, a small slate with a 1,920 x 1,200 display. It's not clear that the X1's 1.6GHz quad-core Hisilicon processor will outperform the Snapdragon S4 Pro inside the Nexus, but the device will be a featherweight at just 8.4 ounces and 0.3 inch thick. There's also 3G inside. About the only clear setback is the use of Android 4.2 -- where's KitKat, Huawei? The company hasn't said when it might reveal the new MediaPad, but certification raises the possibility of an announcement in the near future.
