The smartphone market is primarily dominated by the top 2-3 technology companies consumers tend to have a skiewed view of products, mostly basing purchase decisions on brand recognition rather than its merits. It is in this type of market that Huawei is making waves with its own Android mobile phone: the Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL and Huawei Ascend G600 (aka Honor 2).
While relatively unheard of as a consumer brand, Huawei is a telecommunications giant, in fact it is the largest telecommunications equipment maker in the world. In the Philippines, Huawei is more known for its wireless 3G/4G mobile WiFi routers. Huawei entered the Philippine smartphone market silently late 2010-2011. In a sense Huawei is a relatively young competitor but it has not escaped the attention of techies around the world.
I was really excited about the launch of the Ascend D1 quad XL and the Ascend G600. Sporting 4.5 inch display and a quad core processor, the Ascend D1 quad XL was set to debut April 2012 as the world’s fastest smartphone. Unfortunately pushed it back to a December 2012 release, and other smartphone makers already beat them to the punch.
The screen of the Ascend D1 quad XL is gorgeous at 4.5 inches. It brags an IPS plus display panel capable of full HD resolution at 1280×720 and 330 ppi. The IPS panel is very important in this regard, which makes whites appear white and not yellowish unlike the famous Samsung Galaxy S3. It runs a modified version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and hopefully a Jellybean upgrade will become available soon.
Another aspect of the Ascend D1 quad XL that I really appreciate is the matte casing. The back portion had diamond grooves in it, which is very nice to hold and resists smudges. At 0.45 inches the phone is noticeably thick though, and 5.11 ounces feels a little heavy to the grasp. The 8-megapixel camera is capable of recording full HD videos as well, though I have not been able to test it.
In terms of performance the quad core processor ranks up there along with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in Antutu benchmarks, which says something because it is amongst the fastest of any smartphone available today. Aside from the speed battery consumption is supposed to be much lower. Along with its 2600mAh battery, phone usage is supposed to be much longer though I have not been able to test this.
The best feature of all? The price. The Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL retails at 18990 PHP, while the Huawei G600 retails at only 13900 PHP. Check it out at a retail store near you!
For more details on the Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL and Huawei Ascend G600 check out the full press release below.
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Best-in-class: Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600 (a.k.a Honor 2)
MANILA, Philippines – Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today unveiled the Huawei Ascend D1 quad XL, its flagship quad-core Android 4.0 ICS smartphone, and the HUAWEI Ascend G600 smartphone, dual-core Android 4.0 ICS successor of the popular Huawei Honor.
“Huawei Device strives to combine what we know people want in a smartphone with our experience in delivering against those expectations. As part of our Ascend series of best-in-class smartphones, the Ascend D1 quad XL and Ascend G600 allow consumers to experience speed, long battery life and exceptional mobile entertainment in a high-quality, lightweight package. In addition, our more than two decades of experience has allowed us to optimize the Ascend smartphones’ network search algorithm and its base station auto-search technology, improving the speed of the phone’s signal detection to further extend battery life,” said Johnson Ma, country manager at Huawei Device Philippines.
Ascend D1 quad XL – Turbo-charged performance dynamo
The Ascend D1 quad XL is a turbo-charged all-rounder, combining good looks and performance with an exceptional audio visual experience. Combined with its ultra-powerful 2600mAh battery, it delivers an impressive 15 hours of talk time and 500 hours of standby time. The Ascend D1 quad XL keeps you on-the-go with 30% more battery power than the industry average by adjusting power consumption according to usage needs.
Powered by Huawei’s HiSilicon HI3620 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, the Ascend D1 quad XL offers a mobile cinematic experience like no other, with its high-definition 4.5-inch, 1280 x 720 Toshiba screen providing crystal clear images even under direct sunlight. The Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL is a feast for all the senses, with Dolby® Mobile 3.0 Plus sound enhancement and Audience earSmart™ voice processor for a superb audio experience.
With a design inspired by streamlined sports cars and measuring just 64.9mm wide, 11.5mm slim and weighing approximately 145g, the Ascend D1 quad XL fits your hand like a glove. Its 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and 1080p full HD video-capture and playback capabilities enable you to record your special moments in clearer, richer detail. The Ascend D1 quad XL also features an 8GB ROM, easily increased up to 32GB with microSD™. It will be available in carbon black.
Huawei Ascend G600 – the power of Honor2 the next level
Running on Google’s sweet Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 OS with an 8-megapixel BSI auto focus (AF) rear-facing camera, and double speakers with DTS surround sound, the HUAWEI Ascend G600 is at the forefront of innovation placing great technology within reach for more people around the world.
The HUAWEI Ascend G600 provides more of the features that improve peoples’ mobile phone experiences, everyday. The mega 4.5-inch IPS HD LCD screen with 960 x 540 pixel resolution brings unsurpassed visual clarity. Powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU with industry-leading 1930mAh Li-Polymer battery, the Huawei Ascend G600 can be fully charged in four hours, powered on in five seconds, and with Huawei’s power saving technology, provides more than 15 days of standby time .
The HUAWEI Ascend G600 offers more connectivity and file sharing with Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth and DLNA. Its 768MB RAM and 4GB ROM storage can be supplemented with MicroUSB 2.0 and Micro-SD up to 32GB. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. The HUAWEI Ascend G600 will be available in black.
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