Ascend W1: Huawei First WP8 Handset Launched to Combat Nokia Lumia 820 and HTC 8S

Huawei has kept the company's name afloat in the CES 2013 so far and with its latest announcement of it much-anticipated Windows Phone 8 OS based Ascend W1, the Chinese tech manufacturer has definitely sprang up the competition in the Windows phone smartphone arena.

The leading global information and communications technology has finally officially unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 smartphone, Ascend W1 sporting groundbreaking specs. 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, and will hit the retail shelves in an array of bold colors including blue, red, black and white.

Further, Huawei Ascend W1 boasts a low reflective IPS LCD display with full lamination technology, which provides brilliant visibility under any lighting condition. With the Windows Phone 8 OS integrated in the smartphone, the start screen will offer users customize and pin Live Tiles with topics of personal interest, providing real-time updates that are uniquely yours.

Adding on, Huawei Ascent W1 will house 5 megapixel main camera to record 720p videos, VGA Front camera, 4GB native storage; 32GB memory expansion via microSD card slot and Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi b/g, micro USB 2.0 as connectivity features.

The Huawei Ascend W1 is expected to reach the Russian and Chinese markets sometime next month. The markets of Western Europe, USA and Middle East shall receive the device soon after. At the same time, reports were rife in the recent past that Huawei could price Ascend W1 at $310 (approx. Rs 17,000), however a latest report claimed that the handset will be priced less than $200 (approx. Rs 11,000).

Huawei Ascend W1 Red

Huawei Ascend W1 White

Huawei Ascend W1 Blue