Huawei Expands Its Ascend Series At The IFA 2012

Chinese mobile manufacturer Huawei has used the IFA 2012 event to launch a pair of new smartphones in the Ascend range.

The first is known as the G330 and it features a suitably impressive array of hardware, including a dual core processor clocked at 1GHz and a four inch touchscreen display. It will only have 4GB of storage space, but microSD memory card compatibility should help it expand if needs be.

A five megapixel camera, 1500mAh battery and version 4.0 of Android round off the G330`s vital statistics. When it comes to price, this Ascend model will reportedly retail for EUR199, which equates to roughly $250 or £155.

The Ascend G330 will be an affordable yet powerful Android device and despite the fact that Huawei did not announce whether or not it has secured any specific network partners, this information should follow in the near future for those who do not want to buy it upfront as a SIM free handset.

The second Ascend handset to make its first appearance during IFA 2012 is the G600 and this is likely to be Huawei`s flagship smartphone over the next few months.

In terms of hardware it outpaces the cheaper G330 as it has a 4.5 inch touchscreen display with a qHD resolution and Gorilla Glass giving it protection at the front. Meanwhile a dual core processor with a 1.2GHz clock speed is humming away under the surface, with a larger 2000mAh battery giving it the extra juice necessary to power all of this thirsty equipment.

With an eight megapixel camera the G600 should be quite a good photography machine as well as possessing plenty of processing grunt. It will feature Android 4.0 just like the G330, although hopefully it will eventually get an update to the newer Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at some point soon in order to ensure that it remains relevant.

Huawei is breaking new ground with the G600 as it will be the first of its smartphone models to feature an NFC (near field communication) chip onboard. This means users will be able to take advantage of services like Google Wallet to make contactless payments and also enjoy other forms of interactivity which are available via NFC.

Because the G600 is more technically advanced it comes at a higher asking price, with Huawei putting EUR299 ($370 or £255) retail mark up on this particular device once it is released to the shops in October. This is still quite affordable when you consider the kind of hardware you are getting for your money, but it will be interesting to see whether the arrival of the new iPhone in September will have altered consumer expectations by then.

Huawei is quickly becoming a purveyor of affordable yet well made handsets that can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with devices produced by its better known rivals. It might soon become one of the world`s most established smartphone brands, alongside fellow Chinese firm ZTE.

Related articles

• Huawei unveils new Ascend G600 phone with Android ICS (unwiredview.com)
• Huawei Ascend G600 announced: 4.5-inch qHD screen, dual-core processor, mid-range price (hands-on) (engadget.com)