Huawei outs its first Windows Phone, aptly named the Ascend W1

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Yesterday was Android's day during Huawei's press conference at CES 2013, where the largish Ascend Mate and the specc'd -out Ascend D2 were introduced, but today is Windows Phone day.

Huawei announced its first ever phone with Microsoft's mobile operating system, naming it adequately the Ascend W1. It is not a high-end smartphone, rather a more humble device, as Huawei rightfully concluded that it might not stand much of a chance against Nokia's Lumia offerings, or the HTC and Samsung WP8 flagships in the still nascent Windows Phone market.

The Ascend W1 sports a 4" 480x800 pixels display, which is however of the higher quality IPS-LCD variety, a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, Adreno 305 GPU, 4 GB of internal memory, and, thankfully, a microSD card slot for expansion of up to another 32 GB.

The photographic aspect is taken care of by a simple 5 MP rear camera with LED flash, as well as a VGA frontal cam, and a decent 1,950 mAh capacity battery provides the phone with almost 20 days of standby time.

Huawei's first Windows Phone will appear in black, white, red and blue chassis choices, and the Ascend W1 is expected to land in the motherland of the company, as well as Russia as soon as this month. Pricing is yet to be specified, as well as how much later in the year and on what carriers the WP8 handset will appear in the US, Middle East and Europe.

Huawei Showcases its First Windows Phone 8 Smartphone

Date: 2013-01-08

Las Vegas, U.S.A., January 8, 2012: Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 smartphone, HUAWEI Ascend W1, at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) today. The Ascend W1 is 10.15 mm thin and features a 4-inch IPS LCD 480 x 800 touchscreen with OGS Technology, powered by the high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 MSM8230 dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and Adreno 305 GPU. With a 1950 mAh battery, the Ascend W1 has 470 hours of standby time, the longest among all smartphones in its class. It features a visually iconic design inspired by a tropical island and comes in an array of bold colors including blue, red, black and white. The Ascend W1 is a smart and stylish alternative for consumers looking for great technology at a price that is right.

The HUAWEI Ascend W1 has a low reflective IPS LCD display with full lamination technology, which provides brilliant visibility under any lighting condition. The Windows Phone 8 Start screen lets you customize and pin Live Tiles with topics of personal interest, providing real-time updates that are uniquely yours. Additionally, a dynamic lock screen allows you to select the photos or updates most important to you and have them ready at a glance, even when the phone is locked.

"Inspired and powered by people, the Ascend W1 is a combination of Huawei’s user-centric design philosophy and Windows Phone 8 software, bringing consumers a truly compelling alternative.” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “The addition of the Ascend W1 to our smartphone portfolio gives consumers access to an even wider range of Huawei smartphones. At a price that makes sense to consumers, Ascend W1 underscores our commitment to put smartphones within reach of every consumer, no matter who you are or what you want from your phone.”

"We are excited to be working with Huawei to further expand our device portfolio to new locations and price points, allowing more people to experience Windows Phone 8 while enjoying the Ascend W1’s unique features,” said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of the Windows Phone Division.

The HUAWEI Ascend W1 will be available in China and Russia from January 2013, with Western Europe, Middle East, USA and other selected countries to follow.

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