MWC 2013: Huawei Ascend P2 Has World’s Fastest LTE Modem
HANDS ON: It’s not just the fast 4G that impresses us about the Huawei Ascend P2
The Huawei Ascend P2, launched at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, lays claim to being the world’s fastest 4G device, thanks to a modem chip which makes it the first to support the 150Mbps version of 4G – known as LTE Category 4.
The Ascend P2 runs Android, and is an impressive upgrade to the technical specifications of the Windows Phone -based Ascend W1, which the Chinese vendor launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The Ascend P2 features a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, and a 4.7 inch screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, all of which impressed our colleagues from Gizmodo.es at the MWC launch.
Faster 4G with Huawei Ascend P2
There are quibbles of course. The download speed is a genuine first – thanks to Huawei using an early Cat 4 modem in the device, but other features are not unique. Although 1.5GHz is faster than the Ascend W1’s 1.2GHz processor, there’s already a faster phone – and the HTC One boasts 1.7GHz.
The 1,280×720-pixel display looks fine too, but is not as high-resolution as full-HD screens on the HTC One and the Sony Xperia Z. And while 1Gbyte of memory ought to be plenty, there are others out there with 2G. It has 16Gbyte of storage, but without a microSD card to get at, this can’t be upgraded.
The bioggest drawback is the delay – it won’t be available till June, presumably because of that Cat 4 modem. By that time, Samsung will have unleashed its Galaxy S4. So far, the only carrier deal we know of is with Orange in France. However, the price of €399 sounds about right.
There’s a 13Mpixel camera, with a 1.3Mpixel cmera on the front of the device. The phone is very thin and light – only 8.4mm thick , and weighing only 122g, It also manages to squeeze in a 2420 mAh battery, higher than the HTC One or Galaxy S3. It will be available in black or white.
On top of Android, Huawei is offering cloud backup, and also promised AirSharing, a way to wirelessly share content with compatible screens – but did not say which screens would be compatible, or how, exactly it will work.
Huawei entered the top three smartphone makers in the world in January, and with this phone, coupled with an aggressive sales strategy in its home market in China, as well as abroad, it could keep that spot.
Angel Manuel Mendez of Gizmodo.es got his hands on an Ascend P2 in Barcelona, and contributed to this article.Mobile crazy? Try our Mobile World Congress Quiz!
