Huawei has little brand recognition in Australia, but last year it shipped more smartphones than LG, Sony and HTC. Research firm IDC ranks them third in terms of global smartphone shipments, behind only Samsung and Apple.
Now Huawei is releasing its vision of a market leading smartphone, the Ascend P7, and based on its spec list, it’ll rival smartphones such as the Galaxy S5, while undercutting it on price.
The ‘Ascend’ moniker reveals the P7 runs Android. Huawei has slapped the latest 4.4 KitKat version, and if the company’s overlay is in the tradition of the Ascend G6, it should run smooth.
Protecting the 5in screen is Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display itself spans 5 inches, has a Full HD resolution and a subsequent 441 pixels-per-inch. If those specs look familiar, it’s probably because the HTC One (M8) boasts the same numbers.
Inside the P7’s 7mm body is a 1.8GHz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, which can be expanded further by 32GB through microSD memory. The smartphone supports 4G networks and has a 2500 milliamp-hour battery.
Huawei has turned to Sony for the rear camera. The 13 megapixel camera has an f/2.0 aperture and will record videos in Full HD resolution. ‘Selfie’ enthusiasts will rely on an 8 megapixel front facing camera. which too can record video in Full HD resolution.
Complementing the Ascend P7 is a wearable wristband called the TalkBand B1. The wristband doubles as a Bluetooth headset by integrating a removable 10 gram earpiece. The TalkBand also works as a pedometer and will track sleeping patterns similar to Sony’s SmartBand or Jawbone’s UP24.
Read more: Huawei Ascend P7 review
The Ascend P7 and the TalkBand B1 are not being bundled together. The P7 goes on sale in Harvey Norman for $549 on Monday 18 August. The TalkBand B1 is available now from Dick Smith for $179.
Good Gear Guide will bring a review of both these devices shortly.
Read more: Sony Xperia M2 review
