Photos: Huawei's collection of Android smartphones
Huawei has announced a swathe of new Android smartphones for the low, mid and high range markets. Check out our gallery for a look at the standout models.
In Pictures: Huawei unleashes smartphone avalanche
The pronunciation of ‘Huawei’ sounds like somebody saying “who are we?” really fast – but that's not a question the Chinese company will have to answer much longer. With a whopping 13 Android handsets slated for release in 2011, along with a 7in MediaPad tablet, Huawei is poised to become a household name in the coming years. Indeed, the company aims to be one of the top five phone manufacturers by 2013.
This week, Huawei showcased its latest products at the Doltone House Google Building in Sydney, including the flagship Honour smartphone and MediaPad tablet. Read on for an inside look at Huawei's new models.
In Pictures: Huawei unleashes smartphone avalanche
The number of phones on display was dizzying, but we managed to get our mits on each and every model for a brief play. Here are some of the highlights.
Huawei Ideos X1
The baby of the Huawei phone range measures 104x56x13mm and weighs under a kilogram. The Huawei Ideos X1 recently made headlines for its ultra-affordable price tag - Optus is currently selling the X1 for a mere $99.
Huawei Ideos X1 (cont.)
The Huawei Ideos X1 has some good specifications for the asking price. It comes with a 2.8in (320x240) TFT touch screen, a Qualcomm MSM7225 processor, 3.2MP camera, a MicroSD memory card slot and runs on the Android 2.2 (Froyo) operating system. Other highlights include Bluetooth, GPS connectivity and inbuilt WiFi.
Huawei C7300
The Huawei C7300 caught our eye with its curious stylus pen/digital TV antenna. It comes with a 2.5in QVGA touch screen, a 2-megapixel digital camera, a GPC navigator and a MicroSD card slot.
Huawei C7300
The Huawei C7300 hits stores this July. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Huawei Boulder
The Huawei Boulder attempts to deliver the best of both worlds, with a 2.6in QVGA touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard crammed onto the same handset. Product highlights include a 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, a digital compass/G sensor, WiFi 802.11b/g/n and a microSD slot. The Boulder has a quoted talk time of 4.5 hours.
Huawei Boulder (cont.)
The Huawei Boulder QWERTY keyboard. The Boulder is expected to launch in late July. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Huawei U8520
The Huawei U8520 stands out from the crowd with its bulky, straight-edged design. It's a no-nonsense, masculine oblong that Germanic executives will probably adore. Product highlights include Android 2.2, a 3.2-inch HVGA capacitive touch screen, a 3.2MP camera, 256MB RAM and BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n.
Huawei U8520
The Huawei U8520 also has a swish highly-reflective backplate. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Huawei Ideos X5
The Huawei X5 is an Android 2.2 smartphone aimed primarily at business users. It comes with a 3.8in WVGA capacitive touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera with inbuilt flash and a micro SD card slot bundled with an 8GB memory card. Other highlights include 720p video capture, multi-touch support, a 3.5mm audio jack, WiFi (802.11b/g) and a GPS receiver. It retails for $349.
Huawei Ideos X5(cont.)
The Huawei Ideos X5 has good build quality for the asking price. While the Android launcher is basic looking, you can tart it up to your heart's content with a visit to the Android Marketplace.
Huawei C6608D
The Huawei C6608D is a nod towards the RIM Blackberry - unlike the rest of the Huawei range, it eschews a touch screen in favour of a keyboard and track wheel interface. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Huawei Ideos X3
The Ideos X3 is Huawei's mid-range smartphone offering, slotting between the X5 and X1. It comes with a 3.2in touch screen, a 3.2MP camera and runs Android 2.3.
Huawei Ideos X3
The Huawei Ideos X3's backplate is not as cheap looking as you'd expect.
Huawei Honour
The Huawei Honour is being billed as the 'hero phone' of Huawei's 2011 Android lineup. Boasting a 4in WVGA capacitive touch screen, an 8MP auto focus camera, Double MIC Noise Cancellation, 4GB on onboard memory, Android 2.3 and a trio of sensors, the Honour will compete in the upper end of the market.
(Incidentally, we have no idea why our fingers look so weird in some of these shots. We don't belong in the circus, honest.)
Huawei Honour (cont.)
As you'd expect, the Honour isn't as slim as high-end smartphones like the HTC Desire or Samsung Galaxy S II. On the plus side, it should be significantly cheaper.
Huawei Honour
It will be interesting to see how much the Honour ends up costing. If they can keep it significantly below the market's leading 4in handsets, Huawei could be on to a winner. Availability has yet to be announced.
Huawei Sonic
The Huawei Spark is yet another midrange phone in Huawei's exhaustive lineup. It comes with a 3.5in WVGA capacitive touch screen, a 3.2MB camera, double MIC noise cancellation and runs on the Android 2.3 operating system.
Intriguing, Huawei claims that the Huawei Sonic has an "optional" Near Field Communications (NFC) chip; a feature that the ultra-premium Samsung Galaxy S II lacked.
Huawei Sonic (cont.)
The Huawei Sonic will be available in late July from Woolworths and Dick Smith Electronics.
Huawei MediaPad
The
Huawei MediaPad is being touted as the world's first 7in tablet to run Android 3.2 Gingerbread. Feature highlights include a 7in IPS touch screen (1280x800), a Qualcomm Dual Core 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of inbuilt storage, a pair of light and gravity sensors, HSPA+ support and inbuilt
WiFi (802.11b/g/n).
It also comes with a HDMI port, GPS, Bluetooth and a 5-megapixel camera. Huawei claims that the MediaPad's battery can last six hours.
Huawei MediaPad (cont.)
The Huawei MediaPad boasts solid, attractive build quality. The chassis is constructed from a single piece of metal for that all-important egonomic finish. For a more in-depth look at the Huawei MediaPad check out our hands-on First Look.
In Pictures: Huawei unleashes smartphone avalanche
To coincide with the release of its new phones, Huawei has released a new web site in Australia. For more information on each phone, including where to buy, click here.
In Pictures: Huawei unleashes smartphone avalanche
The pronunciation of ‘Huawei’ sounds like somebody saying “who are we?” really fast – but that's not a question the Chinese company will have to answer much longer. With a whopping 13 Android handsets slated for release in 2011, along with a 7in MediaPad tablet, Huawei is poised to become a household name in the coming years. Indeed, the company aims to be one of the top five phone manufacturers by 2013.
This week, Huawei showcased its latest products at the Doltone House Google Building in Sydney, including the flagship Honour smartphone and MediaPad tablet. Read on for an inside look at Huawei's new models.