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Huawei unveils outdoor-ready Honor 3 smartphone, MediaQM310 set-top box
Huawei's first two Honor smartphones were straightforward mid-range devices; with today's unveiling of the Honor 3, the company is going the semi-rugged route. The third-generation model is IP57-rated for resistance to dust and water, and its high-sensitivity touchscreen will recognize wet hands. There's also an HTC One-like infrared blaster to control TVs and home appliances. The Honor 3 is otherwise a modest upgrade, however -- it carries a slightly larger 4.7-inch 720p in-cell touch LCD, a mildly faster 1.5GHz K3V2 quad-core chip, a higher-resolution 13-megapixel rear camera, a 1-megapixel front camera and Android 4.2. The 2GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage haven't changed since last year, although they're acceptable when the Honor 3 is already on sale for just ¥1,888 ($309) in China. The smartphone will soon have company. Huawei is teasing a new TV set-top box, the MediaQM310, that should offer both cloud services and China Network Television's online video. The media hub should be uncommonly powerful for its diminutive size with a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip, Bluetooth and dual-band WiFi. There's no mention of a price just yet, although that should come when Huawei ships the MediaQM310 to China sometime in September. Check out a photo of the device after the break.
Huawei Ascend Mate review: a supersized phone with supreme battery life
When Huawei revealed the Ascend Mate at CES this year, it felt like smartphones had reached an end point -- they surely couldn't get any larger. We've since been proven wrong by Samsung's Galaxy Mega 6.3, but the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate has gone on sale first, and it's every bit as intimidating as it was in January. The question is whether or not Huawei has more than just size on its side. Is this nearly tablet-sized device worth putting in our pockets, and can it fend off the suddenly tiny-looking Galaxy Note II and Optimus G Pro? Read on past the break, and you'll find out.%Gallery-189060%
Huawei A199 outed with 5-inch 720p display, 1.5GHz CPU, 2GB RAM
Huawei kicked off the year by introducing its 5-inch Ascend D2 and 6.1-inch Ascend Mate flagships, and after a few months of catering for smaller hands, it's revisiting larger screens with the A199. The new handset shares a handful of specs with the Ascend D2, and although it's not as equipped, you wouldn't call it a low-end device. Behind the 5-inch, 720p IPS display, you'll find Huawei's own quad-core 1.5GHz K3V2 CPU paired with 2GB of RAM and eight gigs of internal storage, expandable via a microSD slot (up to 32GB cards supported). Weighing in at roughly 160g (5.6 ounces) with a 2,150mAh battery on board, the 8.9mm (0.35 inch) thick handset has an 8-megapixel main camera, a 1.3-megapixel shooter up front, and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean as standard. We're inclined to believe the A199 will be destined for China and emerging markets only given the phone's dual-SIM support (GSM / CDMA / EV-DO), a feature popular in these regions. The device does, however, bear similarities in both specs and design to an Ascend G710 that was detailed in a leak back in February. Maybe, then, the A199 will make its way to the US eventually, albeit with a fresh name and brushed metal disguise.
Huawei's 6.1-inch Ascend Mate priced in China, turns Yu into part-time model
Huawei is once again showing its aggressive side in the consumer space, this time by way of its 6.1-inch Ascend Mate which debuted at CES (with a little help from Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu, pictured above). What's new is that earlier today the company announced a price for this Android 4.1 tabletphone in China: ¥2,688 (about $430) unsubsidized, which is pretty competitive given the specs. Need a quick recap? The Mate comes with a 1.5GHz quad-core HiSilicon K3V2, 2GB of RAM, IPS display (but only with 720p resolution) with Gorilla Glass 2 and glove-friendly "Magic Touch" technology, up to 64GB of microSD expansion (on top of the native 4GB available space), 8-megapixel camera and a 4,050mAh battery. Better yet, this particular model comes with WCDMA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 pentaband radio, so it'll work nicely for frequent travelers. Interested buyers can hit the order button on Huawei's Vmall online store on the 26th next week.
Huawei's dual-SIM Ascend D2 for China Telecom priced at $640, available online tomorrow
It's only been about a week since the Ascend D2's official debut at CES, but according to Huawei's latest announcement on Sina Weibo, the manufacturer will already be offering its unsubsidized 5-inch 1080p flagship at its online store right after 5pm local time tomorrow. Specifically, this will be a China Telecom (CDMA2000) variant with dual-SIM support, so Huawei fans outside China may want to wait for the WCDMA flavor (there's always the Oppo Find 5 as well). If you happen to be in China and don't mind using China Telecom, then feel free to fork out ¥3,990 or about $640 to be one of the first handful of owners of this 32GB, 1.5GHz quad-core device. That is, if you manage to get your order through "while stocks last."
Huawei's Ascend W1 and D2 confirmed for CES, Richard Yu expresses worry over the latter
Huawei's first-ever Windows Phone, the Ascend W1, is no stranger to us at this point, but no one's been certain about its debut until now. After mourning his daughter's two stolen ducks on Sina Weibo, Senior Vice President Richard Yu said not only will his company formally introduce its WP8 device at CES next month, but it'll also be showing off its Android-powered Ascend D2 (pictured center and right). Interestingly, Yu also expressed concern that the D2 "Dream Phone" will be too expensive to produce due to the powerful specs: five-inch 1080p display, quad-core 1.5GHz chip (undoubtedly Huawei's very own K3V2), 13-megapixel camera and 3,000mAh battery -- all according to leaked info from an internal event from late October, as well as a recent filing in the TENAA database. Don't worry, Richard, just give us a decent price tag and we'll be all over you.
Huawei MediaPad 10 review: test-driving the company's first 10-inch tablet
More Info Huawei MediaPad 10 eyes-on Huawei MediaPad 10 hands-on (video) Huawei MediaPad 10 FHD hitting stores starting in September Toward the end of Huawei's Mobile World Congress press event this past February, company executives made a brief mention of an upcoming 10-inch, quad-core tablet. For the media in attendance, it was a coup d'oeil at best and a dangling hardware carrot, for sure. At the time, the company kept curious journalists at bay, but did confirm some high-end specs: a 1,920 x 1,200 IPS display, 8-megapixel rear camera, LTE (Cat 4) / DC-HSPA+ radios and a proprietary, quad-core K3V2 CPU buffered by 2GB of RAM. It wouldn't be until CTIA in New Orleans three months later when we'd actually get some hands-on time with device. Now that we're at the tail-end of the year and the MediaPad 10 is on sale in Europe, much of the buzz has evaporated in the wake of some high-profile product launches (think: Google's Retina-searing Nexus 10, or the recently refreshed iPad). But is there a reason to give the MediaPad 10 a second look anyway? Will a price of 424 euros and limited regional availability mar its chances in the marketplace? Answers to those questions and more after the break.%Gallery-170280%
Huawei's D1 Quad now available in China for $425 unsubsidized
Following the MediaPad 10 FHD quad-core tablet, Huawei's also starting to sell another device powered by its very own HiSilicon K3V2 (Hi3620) chip. Over the weekend, the Ascend D1 Quad (formerly without the "1" in the name) joins the familiar-looking D1 and D1 XL as the third member of the family, but unsurprisingly costs the most out of these three Android 4.0 phones -- we're looking at ¥2,699 or about $425 unsubsidized on Huawei's Chinese online store, while the remaining TI OMAP4460-powered candybars cost ¥100 ($16) and ¥200 ($32) less. Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu said on Sina Weibo that while some local competitors -- namely Xiaomi, K-Touch and Beidou -- are able to offer quad-core devices below ¥2,000 ($315), he assured fans that Huawei's build quality and user experience are worth the price. Staying true to his macho style, Yu also used this opportunity to take a dig at the Galaxy S III's price-to-performance ratio. Meow! Just a quick recap: the D1 Quad comes with a 1.4GHz 40nm Cortex-A9 chip, a mysterious 16-core GPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, 160GB cloud storage and microSD expansion, complemented by a 4.5-inch Toshiba IPS+ HD display, Gorilla Glass 2, eight-megapixel BSI main camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, pentaband WCDMA radio, old-school mini-SIM slot and a generous 2,600mAh non-removable cell (same as the D1 XL's). The more we look at this, the more tempted we are. At least until the APQ8064-powered Xiaomi Phone 2 lands in October, anyway.
Huawei Ascend D Quad release set for late August in China, October for European markets
Been holding onto the hope that Huawei's quad-core flagship would bow relatively soon? Well, it's time to swallow an extra dose of patience because it appears the Ascend D Quad is slated for an eventual late summer / early fall launch. As confirmed to the The Inquirer, the Chinese market will get first crack at the device this August, with a Western European debut to follow sometime after in October of this year. Originally outed at this past Mobile World Congress, the well-specced handset was scheduled for a summer release before technical issues revolving around the company's custom K3 Balong CPU set back mass production. When it finally lands on retailers' shelves, the one-time dynamo device won't look nearly as spectacular, given its now dated ICS OS, the glut of existing Android überphones (i.e. Galaxy S III and One X) and those to come. Does it risk becoming yesterday's mobile news? Only time and your dollars can say for sure.
Huawei pushes Ascend D Quad production to August, pins it on processor hiccups
Those of us yearning to bring Huawei's Ascend D Quad on summer vacation will have to file that dream away for next year. The company's consumer division chief, Richard Yu, has pushed back the phone's volume production from this month to August. Blame for the setback rests squarely on that custom-developed K3V2 processor -- there have been "technical problems" getting it ready, if we go by Huawei's less than precise explanation. The timing certainly isn't what we'd call ideal: now that the Galaxy S III and One X are both common features of the smartphone landscape, the Ascend D Quad's performance won't be turning nearly as many heads when it arrives. We'll have to make do with the solid Ascend P1 in the meantime.
Huawei Ascend D Quad (hands-on)
It's no secret that Huawei is intent on joining the big boys in the smartphone arena, and the Ascend D Quad is undoubtedly its most promising attempt yet. The manufacturer is determined to make some serious headway into the world of handset relevance dominance, and the Ascend D Quad -- alongside its larger-battery XL brother -- are ready to play ball in the specs game. With a homegrown 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, 8MP rear camera, 720p display and plenty more components that top the charts, we think the chance of Huawei making a big name for itself is more promising than it ever has before.We just took an opportunity to play around with the potential game-changer, and our initial impressions were quite positive. Immediately, our attention was drawn to the display itself, which boasts incredibly vibrant colors and excellent viewing angles. And the device, with its elegant soft-touch back, was incredibly comfortable to hold -- in fact, it felt much similar to the Honor in many respects, with the exception of its width. The unit we played with was running on stock ICS, but it's quite possible this won't be the final software version when the thing is fully baked. We hope to get add more impressions throughout the week as we go to Huawei's booth and spend some more quality time. For now, however, check out a few images below.Dana Wollman and Brad Molen contributed to this report.
Huawei adds home-grown K3V2 quad-core mobile CPU to its arsenal
Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Samsung and Huawei? The Chinese company is hoping to add its name to the list of major players in the mobile CPU game with the K3V2. The processor is a quad-core part that comes clocked at either 1.2 or 1.5GHz. The four A9 cores are actually 64-bit parts, according to chairman Richard Yu, something of a surprise since ARM only ditched world of 32-bits in October with v8. Also along for the ride are 16 GPU cores, which in a set of carefully picked presentation-friendly benchmarks (NenaMark 2 and Basemark), spanked the Galaxy Nexus and the Transformer Prime. If the marketing buzz is to be believed the K3V2 delivers twice the graphics performance, is 49 percent faster in purely CPU-powered tasks and uses 30 percent less power than its competitors. We shouldn't have to wait much longer to put those claims to the test, however. The chip will be inside the Ascend D quad which should be landing sometime in Q2.
