The Huawei Ascend P2 is supposedly the company’s best device yet. It’s essentially a follow-up to their 2012 flagship handset, the Ascend P1, and it keeps the same basic design, albeit in a thinner form factor and with more advanced hardware functionality. In fact, the Ascend P1 was labeled as the “world’s thinnest,” Android handset, and for good reason too.
Huawei is looking to expand the Ascend P2, by offering not only the same slim form factor, but maximum durability, as well. This is good news, considering smaller devices generally sacrifice durability for the sake of aesthetics.
The Ascend P2 is rumored to be arriving with a full IP54 certification. That means it can resist water and dust elements to a certain extent. It’s safe to take the Ascend P2 along on an off-trail bike trip, or even for a walk in the rain. It showed up recently in a leaked image, and in the photo we can definitely see someone has the device at the beach.
Huawei is certainly a reputable company, to say the least. It’s obvious the company wants more attention in the North American market. In Europe and Asia, it’s not hard to find Huawei’s devices on retail shelves, but the same can’t be said about the US.
Most of Huawei’s 2013 lineup includes an excellent list of hardware specs and features. The Huawei Ascend P2, for example, is one such device. Just take a look at these rumored specs, they speak of Huawei’s “high-end” offering:
- 4.5-inch IPS Display
- 1.8GHz Quad-Core Processor
- 2GB of Installed RAM
- 8GB of Internal Storage
- 13 Megapixel Rear Facing Camera
- 1.3 Megapixel Front Facing Camera
- 3,000 mAh Battery
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
If you don’t get at least a little giddy when looking at those specs, then I’m lost for words. Sure, 2GB of RAM is starting to be incorporated in a lot of newer devices, but it’s still pretty astounding to see. Especially when it’s coupled with the 1.8GHz quad-core processor. It would be ideal if the 8GB of internal storage was a little higher, but in this case it’s not a killer issue.
Huawei is certainly living up to its promise that it will provide high-end devices. In the past, the company was well known for cheap, low-end devices that made little to no impact in the mobile market. It goes without saying the budget market is thoroughly saturated.
Huawei refocused efforts and started producing more suitable devices like the Ascend P1.
Despite an overall increase in financial earnings and market awareness, Huawei is not satisfied with their current position. Huawei CFO, Cathy Meng publicly stated that the company is looking to have a bigger influence in the mobile market for 2013.
Recently, the company reported $2.5 billion in earnings for 2012, but most of the money actually came from different dealings and not just mobile sales.
If the Ascend P2 is any indication of Huawei’s future focus, I don’t think the company will have any issues making an impact in the mobile industry this year. The key hurdle is enticing US mobile carriers to offer their devices in retail stores. I, for one, would love to see some of Huawei’s products offered here in the US.
If I have the opportunity, I will definitely scoop up the Ascend P2 when it’s available. What about you?
Do you have any further thoughts on the new water and dust proof rumors? Do such features make the Ascend P2 any more appealing to you? Are you going to steer clear of Huawei’s devices altogether? Let us know in the comments below.
Images: Unwired View