It may only be shipping to China for now...actually three months from now...but Lenovo's new K900 smartphone is worth taking a look at.
Announced during CES 2013, the company's new flagship phone sports a 5.5-inch IPS display and a 6.9-millimeter side view. 6.9 millimeters? Seems there was another phone announced today with just that profile.
What sets the Android-running K900 apart from its preceding smartphone is its processor: it will be packed Intel's new Z2580 dual-core chip aimed at forthcoming handsets.
The screen stands a solid 1080p and 440-plus pixels, allowing Lenovo to stake the claim that has the first IPS display of its size with the Full HD res.
Good, K9
The phones a mesh of stainless steel alloy and polycarbonate material, creating a Unibody bod that's as strong and sharp as appears.
For the pocket conscious, Lenovo said the rear 13MP camera and sensor stay within the shell of the phone - no protruding bump here.
The camera also comes with a F1.8 focal length lens, meaning users can take clear, flash-less photos. On the front side of things, Lenovo's stretched out that camera to an 88 degree angle, the "widest available" for a phone's front camera.
And to keep Intel's new chip (of which full specs aren't yet public) it's coated the screen in Gorilla Glass 2 for protection.
Lenovo didn't announce pricing, but we hope we see some iteration of this phone make it out of China before long. It sounds like it could really hold its own.
T-Mobile has announced a partnership with MLB for the coming years, and it looks like there’s a pattern starting to emerge between carriers and pro sports teams
T-Mobile’s CES 2013 keynote wrapped up earlier today, and while all eyes are on the new “Uncarrier” philosophy, the carrier is toting, another big announcement: a new marketing deal with MLB. That makes T-Mobile the third major carrier to make a new sports-related deal; are we starting to see a pattern here?
While Sprint and Verizon have had iron-tight relationships between NASCAR and the NFL respectively, both took the liberty of showing a tighter relationship at work for 2013 during CES. Sprint showed off its buddy-buddy relationship through some heavily-branded Qualcomm enhancements at its keynote. Verizon, meanwhile, took the liberty of reaffirming its relationship with the NFL, and promised to broadcast the 2014 Superbowl all over the US through 4G LTE. Sprint’s new relationship was seen through Qualcomm’s new tech, which allows a HUD and detailed look at the cars as they race from your tablet. It’s already is on top of new branding rights for the renamed Sprint Unlimited exhibition.
T-Mobile claims that the new tech should allow fans to get a closer look than ever at the dugout, and give you a better way to view the games and interact with the experience. It’s just another example of the social media element, and how it has grown to bond with long-standing traditions like professional sports. While an MLB At Bat app already exists for each season, we’re guessing T-Mobile will have something cooked for its customers in the near future.
But, there’s another thought is on our minds: Where’s AT&T? Is it going to grab the NHL, or the NBA?
T-Mobile made some major announcements during CES 2013. The first was a partnership with Major League Baseball, the sport’s first such deal in 15 years. The second is will bring HD Voice to the bullpens at MLB stadiums and 4G enabled smartphones.
Verizon may have brought out the NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell, but T-Mobile had a counter to that with a sports partnership of it’s own. Today T-Mobile announced a 3 year sponsorship deal with Major League Baseball, giving the sport it’s first telecom deal in nearly 15 years. Joe Torre, Tim Brosnan, and Noah Garden all took to the stage as ambassadors of the MLB to talk about the partnership. The plan will also include providing communication between the dugout and bullpen in MLB ballparks. If nothing else, this will provide relief pitchers some extra “any time minutes” to chat during all that down time they have.
The cornerstone of the T-Mobile and MLB partnership includes a feature the phone maker seems particularly excited for: HD Voice. It’s a concept that has been bandied about by carriers for a bit, but will be instituted for the first time by T-Mobile. HD Voice is said to dramatically improve the quality of voice calls, providing a more “natural sound” that will supposedly make it sound as if you’re in the same room as the person you’re speaking with. Handsets capable of HD voice include: the HTC One S, Nokia Astound, and Samsung Galaxy S III.
The HD Voice feature will power the calls in MLB stadiums, so expect a lot of promo spots during calls to the bullpen. The feature is currently only available on T-Mobile’s 4G smartphones.
It's had more leaks than a wicker canoe, but finally the Huawei Ascend W1 has been officially unveiled as the Chinese firm's first Windows Phone 8 smartphone.
Missing out on a mention during Monday's Huawei press conference at CES 2013 the Ascend W1 quietly revealed itself today via a press release.
The numerous leaks seem to have been pretty much on the money, with the Huawei Ascend W1 sporting a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4-inch 480x800 IPS display and 5MP rear facing camera.
We expect the Ascend W1 to be the most affordable Windows Phone 8 handset to date when it launches in January, coming in just below the HTC 8S and Nokia Lumia 820.
Although people in China and Russia will be able to pick up the device this month, the rest of us will have to wait, but Huawei has confirmed the Ascend W1 will arrive in Western Europe, the Middle East and the USA in due course.
The Ascend W1 comes in a variety of colours including white, black, pink and blue – the latter of which is the one we got hands on with, and the first thing you'll notice about the device is the glass appears to be sitting on top of the chassis.
Instead of the glass fitting snugly into the body of the phone, on the Ascend W1 there's a noticeable ridge running all the way around the handset, giving the impression that it's just be slapped on top – reminiscent of the HTC One V.
At 120g the Ascend W1 is a good weight for a 4-inch smartphone, and while the handset may measure 10.1mm in depth the curved polycarbonate back rests nicely in the hand and provides some grip.
On the back is the raised 5MP camera unit which is similar in design to the one found on the back of the HTC One X, with a single LED flash to its right.
Towards the bottom of the Ascend W1 there's the Windows Phone logo sitting above an elongated speaker grill, which we found kicked out a decent volume – although audio quality wasn't the greatest.
Back to the front and the Ascend W1 does feel a bit bezel-heavy especially below the display, with the three navigation keys housed in a sea of black and then you have the blue chassis peaking out below, adding extra length to the handset.
It's not too much hassle in terms of the size as the W1 measures a manageable 124.5 x 63.7mm, but it does detract from the overall look and feel of the phone.
Above the display is a front facing camera but at just 0.3MP it hardly seems worth it, especially as we're seeing a lot of phones launching with 2MP front snappers now.
Needless to say picture quality from the forward facing lens isn't brilliant and should be reserved only for brief video chats and the odd vanity check.
As far as the operating system goes it's the same Windows Phone 8 experience we've seen on every device as unlike Android, Microsoft doesn't allow manufacturers to dabble with its software.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing as the Windows Phone 8 interface is extremely intuitive, especially handy for those new to the smartphone world, and the 4-inch display is very responsive, allowing you to navigate around at ease.
This means you get the standard range of applications and features including the mediocre Windows Phone keyboard which isn't difficult to use, it just lacks the fluidity and functionality of some of the third party offerings available on Android.
The camera app is also stock Windows Phone and like all the handsets sporting Microsoft's latest mobile OS the Ascend W1 has a dedicated shutter button on its right hand side.
This gives you instant access to the camera app as well as allowing you to take photos and the shutter speed it pretty quick most of the time, however we did find the auto-focus sometimes jumped around a bit before settling and letting us take a picture.
It isn't the slickest WP8 experience we've witnessed and while the Ascend W1 is by no means sluggish there is a slight lag between screen transitions with the phone seeming to jerk rather than flow.
The power/lock key is located on the top of the device alongside the headphone jack, while the volume rocker is found towards the top of the left side, with both switches easy to hit.
Huawei has equipped the Ascend W1 with a reasonably sized 1,950mAh battery which should easily see you through a days usage thanks to the low resolution display and relatively non-taxing operating system.
You can access the battery by peeling off the rear cover, which we were able to do easily and this is also where you'll find the microSIM and microSD slots.
And you'll be glad the Huawei Ascend W1 does indeed have a microSD slot, as it comes with just 4GB of internal storage – a poxy amount in today's world.
Early Verdict
This isn't a flagship Windows Phone 8 device by any stretch of the imagination and we're pretty sure Huawei is aware of that, so we'd expect the Ascend W1 to carry a reasonable price tag and if it does then it should be a decent proposition.
It provides all the features you'll want from a smartphone in a package which is intuitive and fully functional.
Power users will look past this handset, but those wanting to explore smartphones for the first time, or who are looking for a simple experience at a low cost, the Huawei Ascend W1 could be well worth considering.
The Keynote from Verizon ended with a promise by CEO & Chairman Lowell McAdam for LTE Broadcasting of the 2014 Superbowl.
The Verizon Keynote has just ended, and while not much was pursed from the lips of CEO and Chairman Lowell McAdam, Verizon did give an interesting fun fact about their LTE coverage: it plans to broadcast the 2014 Superbowl via LTE broadcast channels.
The announcement came after McAdam invited Roger Goodell, Chairman of the NFL, onto the stage to join him for a short Q&A and video clip. While they talked about the playoffs and upcoming 2013 Superbowl, McAdam also talked extensively about Verizon’s continual rollout of LTE in America and plans to bring it to nearly 100-percent of customers by 2014. Along with that, McAdam promised to ensure that the 2014 Superbowl at the Meadlowands in New Jersey, will be broadcast on Verizon’s LTE technology.
While this news was broken as a mere footnote for the entire Keynote, it’s interesting given the combination of Verizon’s growing LTE footprint, and continual commitment to NFL via The Red Zone and other initiatives. We’re not sure just how Verizon plans on doing it, but a good guess is that they won’t simply stream it through data, but utilize an LTE broadcast platform to maximize all that bandwidth goodness and keep the feed nice and open for the big game.
Nonetheless, NFL fans and geeks alike will probably love it – at least until Verizon announces pricing.
Lenovo has announced the K900, a smartphone/tablet hybrid with a 1080p, 5.5-inch screen and Intel Atom power, but sadly it’s not currently expected to come to the U.S. or Europe.
Samsung’s reign at the top of the smartphone-tablet hybrid market could end this year, as many major manufacturers are expected to release their own big-screen devices to challenge the Galaxy Note 2’s supremacy. Once such company is Lenovo, which will be bringing the exciting Ideaphone K900 to select markets very soon.
Like the Galaxy Note 2, the K900 has a big 5.5-inch touchscreen, however instead of a 720p resolution, Lenovo claims it’s the first in the world to bestow such a display with 1920×1080 pixels; providing a 1080p resolution and a pixel density of more than 400ppi. A version of Google Android is installed, which we expect to be 4.1 Jelly Bean, however Lenovo has yet to confirm this.
You may be expecting a Qualcomm chip to be running the show, but you’d be wrong, as the K900 is Intel powered. It uses the dual-core Atom Z2580 processor, the latest to come from Intel’s Medfield family of chips, which has a clock speed of 2GHz, Intel’s Hyper-Threading technology and has been built using a 32nm process.
K900 release schedule may disappoint
The camera is suitably exciting too, as the 13-megapixel shooter has an f1.8 aperture, the widest seen on a smartphone so far, plus the lens uses Sony’s Exmor R backside illuminated sensor. The primary camera is joined by a 2-megapixel forward facing video call lens with a very wide 88-degree viewing angle too.
All this is wrapped up inside a 6.9mm thick chassis – yep, just 6.9mm, slimmer than the iPhone 5 and a whisker off the record-holding 6.65mm thick Oppo Finder – which has a unibody construction made from stainless steel and polycarbonate. As tough as this combination will no doubt be, it does make the K900 quite heavy, as it weighs in at 162 grams. However, it’s still lighter than the 183 gram Galaxy Note 2.
If you’re all excited about getting your hands on Lenovo’s impressive K900, we’ve got some bad news, as its release isn’t going to be as wide as many will hope. Currently, it’s scheduled to appear in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Russia, and the Philippines. Lenovo has never given its smartphones a wide release in the U.S., Canada or Europe, something which fits in with Intel’s mobile chip strategy, as it’s also concentrating on these important high-growth markets. It’s a shame though, as not only is the K900 a real tech powerhouse, but it could finally persuade many to buy an Intel powered smartphone too.
There’s always a chance Lenovo will add some more countries to the K900’s release schedule in the future though.
The ZTE Grand S just made its debut at CES 2013 and it is the world’s thinnest Android smartphone boasting a 5-inch full HD 1080p display. Can it compete with the current leaders? We compared it with the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5.
The latest smartphone manufacturer to shrug off the budget tag is ZTE. The Chinese company just showed off the flagship ZTE Grand S – a powerful quad-core Android beast with a stunning, full HD display and an impressive camera. We decided to take a look at how it measures up against the two best-selling smartphones on the market right now, the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. If ZTE wants to make headway these are the phones to beat.
ZTE Grand S
Galaxy S3
iPhone 5
Size
142 x 69 x 6.9 (mm)
136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)
123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm)
Weight
110g
133g
112g
Screen
5-inch
4.8-inch Super AMOLED
4.0-inch LCD
Resolution
1920×1080 pixels
1280×720 pixels
1136×640 pixels
OS
Android 4.1
Android 4.0 with TouchWiz UI
iOS 6.0.1
Storage
16GB
16/32GB
16/32/64GB
SD Card Slot
Yes
Yes
No
Processor
Quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro
Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)
Dual-core A6X
RAM
2GB
2GB
1GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera
Front 2MP, Rear 13MP
Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP
Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP
Bluetooth
Yes, version 4.0
Yes, version 4.0
Yes, version 4.0
Battery
1780mAh
2100mAh
1440mAh
Charger
Micro USB
Micro USB
Lightning connector
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Apple App Store
Price
TBA
$200+
$200+
Availability
TBA
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon
AT&T, Sprint, Verizon
As you can see the ZTE Grand S measures up well, although that battery is a concern, especially with a 5-inch display to power. It is an attractive, minimalist design and it comes in a range of seven colors. It looks good next to the current leaders, but we know that the next Galaxy S will probably be along soon and the recently announced Sony Xperia Z and the Huawei Ascend D2 have similar specs to the Grand S. The competition will be tough, but one thing’s for sure, ZTE is serious about shaking up the smartphone market.
It will launch in China in the first quarter of 2013, but we’re not sure when, or even if, it will touch down stateside, what the price tag will be, or which carrier might pick it up. These details will undoubtedly have a big impact on its potential success, so we’ll keep you posted.
Huawei’s Ascend W1 trots out with a 4-inch LCD and dual-core processor, and unlike many of the Chinese company’s devices, is destined for United States later this year.
After revealing the mammoth Ascend Mate and 1080p Ascend D2 on Monday, Huawei pulled one more rabbit out of hat on the opening day of CES 2013 with the Ascend W1 – its first foray into the Windows Phone 8 market.
Though smaller than the two super-sized Android phones it showed off yesterday, the Ascend W1 maintains the trend in boxy shape and thin case, coming in at just under 0.4 inches thick. The four-inch LCD display has a resolution of 800 x 400. The device will be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 processor. A 1,950mAh battery will provide up to 470 hours of standby time, which Huawei claims is the longest among phones in its class.
Though there is no price point for the Ascend W1, we do know it will make its debut in China and Russia later this month. The phone will then make its way to Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. later in the year. With no official release date or price point to go on, we can at least revel in the fact that the phone will be available in multiple colors, including blue, red, black and white.
At CES, Panasonic showed off an exciting project it has been working on, a massive 20-inch Windows 8 tablet with a screen capable of displaying 4K resolution images.
When one usually thinks about a tablet, one imagines a device that’s at least vaguely portable. However portability clearly wasn’t at the top of Panasonic’s list of considerations when it sat down to develop its latest model. How do we know? Because it has a massive 20-inch screen, boasting a frankly astonishing 3840 x 2560 pixels, a resolution that’s slightly higher than 4K.
Before you start working out which body part to sell so you can put down a deposit on Panasonic’s new beast of a tablet, you should know it has only been teased at CES 2013 and is currently a development prototype. It doesn’t even have a name yet.
What it does have is a spec list though. We’ve mentioned the 4K resolution, 230ppi, 20-inch IPS panel already, but not that it’s running on an Intel Core i5, 1.8GHz, dual-core Ivy Bridge processor with 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and an unspecified Nvidia GeForce graphics card. Windows 8 Pro is the tablet’s operating system and it comes with support for a digital pen, plus there’s the usual array of USB ports, a micro SD card slot, Bluetooth 4.0 and an HD video camera.
Naturally, a tablet this size is no lightweight, so the 2.4kg (5.3 pounds) figure isn’t really a surprise, but you wouldn’t want to carry it about all day. Despite its overall heft, Panasonic has managed to get the chassis down to less than half-an-inch thick. So who does the company think will buy one of these? It says the screen “embodies the characteristics of printed media, with texture rich rendering and natural handwriting” that existing tablets cannot provide. In a scenario describing how it could be used, the Panasonic behemoth shows up at an editorial meeting, where magazine proofs are checked and revised on screen, as the tablet can display A3 pages at almost full size.
A reporter for Engadget said that up close, the tablet’s screen “looks like a photo,” and we’d expect pro photographers and video editors to be interested in the device too. It’s not really for playing Angry Birds, but professional types will probably be queuing up to try it if the price is right.
On the subject of availability, Panasonic isn’t committing to a date, saying only that it’s going to “strive to commercialize the 4K tablet, making it available globally to provide new business values to customers.” Exciting stuff.
Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system, revealed that users can soon test out Ubuntu for smartphones on Galaxy Nexus handsets.
Earlier today Canonical engineering manager Alan Pope told OMG Ubuntu that the firm plans to launch a downloadable image of Ubuntu for the Galaxy Nexus in late Feb.
Canonical has built the mobile OS to use Android's own drivers and kernals, giving any existing Android device the potential to run Ubuntu.
Ubuntu ready for prime time?
Ubuntu on smartphones will initially launch only for the Galaxy Nexus, the device Canonical has used as its primary test and demo unit for the OS so far.
However, the OS will not have all of its features at launch, with features like voice control and an app store reportedly still missing while other features may exist but are only partially implemented.
The unfinished state of Ubuntu for Galaxy Nexus might make it too great a risk for the average user to install, but it will provide an excellent testing ground for developers.
Canonical originally had said that the Galaxy Nexus version of Ubuntu would arrive in the coming weeks, though it seems that timeframe has been pushed back to late Feb.
Conveniently, the Mobile World Congress is also taking place late next month, giving Canonical a much larger stage to show Ubuntu running on Galaxy Nexus to the world.
Huawei’s 5-inch Ascend D2 may not be getting as much attention as its larger sibling, but this Android superphone is well worth a look.
Huawei is all about big smartphones this year. The Ascend Mate‘s 6.1 screen is garnering a lot of attention, but the smaller Huawei Ascend D2 should be on your radar as well. This 5-inch Android device has all the hallmarks of a flagship phone: powerful hardware, full HD display, amazing camera, and a huge battery.
The Ascend D2′s 5-inch screen is really impressive with its bright colors and wide viewing angles. We’re fans of the 1920 x 1080 pixel display and the 442ppi density. All this screen does not equal a bulky phone, nor a heavy one. It’s noticeably smaller than the Galaxy Note 2, yet you still get all the advantages of a large display.
The D2 may be right in the Goldilocks zone for people who want a big phone that doesn’t overdo it. The Note 2′s display is only a few fractions of an inch more, yet it makes a big difference, as you can see in the side-by-side shot. Plus, the D2 has a slim bezel, minimizing the overall bulk. It’s very holdable thanks to the curved back, which is similar to the Ascend Mate. The edges could be a little curvier and more comfortable, though that’s a minor nit. The phone feels very solid, and though it’s not light for its size, it’s not heavy, either.
You won’t want to add more bulk or weight with a case or cover, and according to Huawei, you won’t need one. It’s touting the D2 as droppable as well as water and dirt resistant. The demo of these features was very impressive. We’d be interested to see if the phone can stand up to repeated droppings and which surfaces are its Achilles heel.
During our hands-on time we took a few pictures with the 13-megapixel camera and the shots looked really good on the screen, coming out crisp and colorful. We’ll be excited to see if HDR video works as well as advertised.
The speaker on the bottom produced surprisingly well-rounded audio, even in a loud room.
Based on the time we spent with the Huawei Ascend D2, we’re both impressed and eager to see how it holds up in real-world usage. Huawei doesn’t have any deals with U.S. carriers yet, so we might be waiting for a while. Pricing is also a mystery right now, again because there are no carrier deals in place.
Check out our gallery and hands-on video for more.
While the CES 2013 press conference was all about Android, the expected Huawei W1 Windows Phone was unveiled on the sly, and has now been confirmed by the brand.
The Windows Phone 8-powered handset comes with a superbly uninteresting spec list, which thankfully has been dubbed 'entry-level' on the pricing scale to avoid being plopped in the also-rans bin.
Update: O2 will be the first to range the phone in the UK, with the Huawei Ascend W1 release date of Q1, and we're trying to get more information for other territories. The key info here is still the price, so here's hoping it could perhaps even turn up for under £150.
The Ascend W1 it comes with the aforementioned WP8 (with the new update to improve stability, dubbed Portico) as well as 512MB of RAM – which makes sense, given that it's only got a WVGA resolution 4-inch screen.
Please let it be a cheaper phone
What else makes the Ascend W1 special? Well, there's only 4GB of onboard storage, but the addition of a microSD card slot at least means you can chuck some more in there if you so wish.
A 5MP camera and LED flash is the minimum we'd expect here, and the likes of NFC and a dual core 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM 8230 CPU should provide adequate grunt under the hood.
The 1950mAh battery should be enough to keep you chugging along throughout the day (something Huawei is dubbing 'best in class', but it pales compared to the masses of juice plugged into the likes of the Android-powered Ascend D2.
In short, we can see this phone not making waves anywhere in the world unless you're after a really budget handset – come on Huawei, where's the super Windows Phone we all want to see?
Huawei looks keen on keeping CES 2013 interesting and is making another announcement in the first day of the show. The company has just unveiled ts first Windows Phone 8 smartphone called Ascend W1.
The Ascend W1 brings a reasonable array of features and should come with a pretty attractive price tag. It's build around a 4" WVGA (480 x 800) IPS LCD and has a profile 10.5 mm thick. A dual-core 1.2 GHz Krait processor and the Adreno 305 GPU power the whole thing while a 5 MP camera with 720p video recording takes care of photography needs.
The 4" screen uses full lamination technology that should help enhance outdoor visibility.
Huawei Ascend W1
The Huawei Ascend W1 will hit China and Russia this month while Western Europe, Middle East and USA should be expecting it next. The price isn't clear as of now but it should be along the lines of the HTC Windows Phone 8S or lower.
Huawei bragged about the W1 extra long battery life, claiming a 470 hour stand-by. The Ascend W1 utilizes a power saving technology that saves 30% power consumption, letting the 1950 mAh battery last longer than it normally should.
The Huawei Ascend W1 will be available in blue, red, black and white. We cannot overlook the resemblance between the Ascend W1 and recent offerings by HTC but colorful and fresh seems to be the Windows Phone 8 thing these days.
The Huawei Ascend D2 marks the Chinese firm's intent of delivering high-end devices alongside its current offering of budget handsets, and the D2 is certainly a fine starting point.
Launched alongside the huge Ascend Mate at CES 2013, the Ascend D2 provides a purer smartphone experience in terms of scale and features which sees it go up against the newly announced Sony Xperia Z as well stalwarts such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5.
The Acsend D2 follows on from the firm's first quad-core handset the Ascend D1, which didn't make much of splash around the world.
In terms of the Huawei Ascend D2 release date it will be available in China this month and it will ship to other regions round the world in time, but exact countries are yet to be announced.
When you pick up the Ascend D2 you'll immediately notice the sturdy chassis and this helps make it the best feeling smartphone to come out of the Chinese manufacturer.
Although the rear may be glossy white plastic which doesn't offer a huge amount of grip, the Ascend D2 sports a solid metal frame which runs round the phone providing a solid build quality.
It's so tough in fact Huawei CEO Richard Yu happily dropped his Ascend D2 onto the stage to show just how well built it is, and Yu claimed that it was tougher than any of its competitors – something we were unable to test so you'll have to take his word for it.
The Ascend D2 isn't the slimmest of handsets at 9.9mm, but the curved back means the phone sits comfortably in the hand and Huawei has made a lot of effort to keep the other dimensions of the handset down.
The screen-to-bezel ratio is 69% resulting in the Ascend D2 sporting a more compact design compared to the Galaxy S3, iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920, which makes reaching every part of the screen easy as there's little space around the display to traverse.
It's not the lightest smartphone on the market at 170g, but this weight provides a reassuring presence in the hand especially when you compare it to the super-light budget handset Huawei has produced in the past.
When it comes to specifications a lot of comparisons can be drawn between the Ascend D2 and its closest rival the Xperia Z, with Huawei's flagship handset boasting a 5-inch full HD IPS+, 1080x1920 display with a 443ppi pixel density.
That means the screen on the Ascend D2 is pretty impressive with a very high level of detail and great viewing angles allowing several people to gather round the phone and see what's happening without any reduction in quality.
Under the hood there's a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and 1.8GB of RAM which sees Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean whiz along nicely, be it flipping through the nine – yes nine! – homescreens of flicking between applications.
We did experience the same lag on the lock screen as we did on the Ascend Mate, which sees the Ascend D2 take a second or two to wake after hitting the power/lock key.
It's an odd situation and it made us think that perhaps the handset was turned off at first, before the display faded in and presented us with Huawei's own Android lock screen – part of its Emotion UI.
The Emotion UI doesn't impose too greatly on the operation of Android, however it does see a change in icon design and if we're honest it all looks a bit childish.
Huawei boasts that there are over 100 themes available online to download and apply to the Ascend D2, which seems a little bit like overkill and we'd still prefer the stock Android design over the less professional looking Emotion offering.
A cool feature which does come as part of the Emotion UI overlay on the Huawei Ascend D2 is the ability to hide the Android navigation keys at any point, allowing you to take full advantage of the 5-inch full HD display.
Just tap the small down arrow to the left of the keys and the bar will disappear with the screen automatically readjusting to fill the space.
A simple slide up from the base of the display will see the navigation tools return and the screen adjust once more to ensure nothing is hidden behind them.
The stock keyboard on the Ascend D2 isn't something to write home about. It provides a simple, functional form of input for short messages, but anything longer than a couple of lines and its accuracy may start to irk.
This isn't a huge issue as you can download third party alternatives from Google Play, and we'd recommend you do so if you fancy plumping for the D2.
There wasn't any internet connection for us to play with during our hands on time with the Huawei Ascend D2, but we did notice that the handset comes pre-installed with the stock Android browser instead of Google Chrome.
We prefer the Chrome browser over the Android offering and it can be picked up for free from Google Play if you fancy checking it out. We'll put both browsers through their paces and see how quick it is in our full Huawei Ascend D2 review.
Thanks to the full HD display on the Ascend D2 video playback looks fantastic with great colour reproduction and audio gets a boost from Dolby's surround sound technology, providing an immersive experience.
We were impressed at just how good the video playback was an it's almost on a par with the Sony Xperia Z – which has the added bonus of the Japanese firm's Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology from its TVs.
Round the back the Ascend D2 sports a 13MP, once again matching the Sony, with a single LED flash and HDR mode.
The shutter was quick, allowing us to snap photos in succession and the HD display proved an excellent viewfinder for us.
In terms of features in the camera app there's nothing too crazy with a handful of scene modes and effects along with the option to switch to the front facing camera and record 1080p video.
Picture quality is acceptable but if anything the full HD display doesn't do the Ascend D2's photos any favours, with images sometimes appearing a little grainy or washed out – something which may not have been so apparent on a lower resolution screen.
Hauwei has managed to pack a sizable 3,000mAh battery into the Ascend D2 which it claims will give you two full days of usage, and can be fully charged from flat to 100 per cent in just 140 minutes - not bad at all.
We were unable to put this to the test, but we'll be sure to find out if this is true during our in-depth Huawei Ascend D2 review and it could be a great selling point for the handset.
You can't remove the back cover, so there's no access to the battery and there's just a microSIM slot on the exterior of the handset meaning no expandable memory option either – although this does help the D2 be dust- and waterproof.
The Ascend D2 does thankfully pack in 32GB, so that should please most people but there will be a few who will be put off by this.
Early verdict
The Huawei Ascend D2 is the best smartphone to come out of the Chinese manufacturer to date, and it looks to be one that can really challenge the big hitters in the mobile market.
Sure it's not quite as slender, nor does the interface look as slick but the Ascend D2 is a solid handset with an impressive spec sheet and we look forward to putting it through its paces in our full review.
