If you ask an average Android user to name the top smartphone brands in the United States, it’s unlikely that Huawei would be an answer.
After releasing a string of entry-level and midrange devices across some of the smaller carriers, Huawei has been pushing steadily forward with high-end hardware. And with specs that rival the recent offerings out of HTC, Samsung, and Motorola, the company is positioning itself as a dark horse.
Take, for instance, the Ascend P1S, announced at CES earlier this year. At only 6.68mm thick, it somehow manages to sneak in a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, and an 8-megapixel camera with backlight-illuminated sensor and 1080p HD video capture.
What’s more, it was one of the first smartphones announced with Android 4.0 since the Galaxy Nexus. Looking forward, things only should get better with a rumored quad-core Ascend D1 Q on the horizon.
Details of a Diamond series of handsets surfaced in late December when Twice learned that Huawei would be bringing them to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of this month. Described as being “a step higher” than its dual-core Ascend models, it stands to reason that the D1 Q may prove to be a Diamond 1 (Q)uad-core smartphone.
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Unfortunately, we don’t have any hard details to share for the Ascend D1 Q at the time of this writing. Yet, I fully expect Huawei to announce something not all that different from the HTC Endeavor when it holds a press conference on February 26.
If I’m right, we should look for at least a quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, and 8-megapixel camera. Better yet, I’m hoping that we get a major U.S. carrier that is willing to bring it home as a lower-cost alternative to players like Motorola and Samsung.
CNET will be on the ground in Barcelona to bring you full coverage of Mobile World Congress. Check back beginning on February 25 for the complete story in words, pictures, and video.