Huawei Ascend W1, Windows Phone 8 handset for just Php8,990

Wanting a piece of the Windows Phone 8 market share in the country, Huawei just launched their first WP8 device in the form of the Ascend W1. It’s a mid-range Windows-based smartphone with an affordable price of just Php8,990.

The Huawei Ascend W1 is a 4-inch WP8 phone with an IPS LCD touchpanel and a 480 x 800 resolution for a decent 233 ppi pixel density. It’s not the sharpest display for its screen size but colors still appear vibrant and bright thanks to the OGS Technology.

This phone follows the design of other Windows phones with the all-glass front and its colorful shell with a soft matte finish. Looks very sleek in my opinion. There’s a dedicated camera button on the side by the way.

Powering the Ascend W1 is Qualcomm’s 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 (Krait) processor along with 512MB RAM which should not be an issue for the platform. There’s also 4GB worth of internal storage plus support for a microSD card.

At the back is a 5-megapixel camera capable of 720p HD video recording. There’s also a VGA camera up front for your video chat needs.

Huawei boasts of its power saving technology to go with the 1950mAh battery of the Ascend W1. They claim that you can last up to 2 days on this phone under heavy usage and 3 to 4 days for light to moderate use.

Microsoft partnered with Huawei to bring the Windows Phone 8 experience to more Filipinos saying it’s the most personal and convenient smartphone to complement your lifestyle.

One highlighted feature of WP8 is Kid’s Corner for parents who often lend their phones to their kids to play around with. With Kid’s Corner, you can sandbox your phone to just show selected apps to make sure that your kid won’t accidentally erase important files or place calls or purchase apps while using it.

There’s also the Rooms feature that brings the traditional contacts grouping to a new level. Aside from messaging to all person included in a “room”, you can also share files, calendars, photos to them as well. This feature is only available to people using WP8.

The Huawei Ascend W1’s rival would be the lower-speed HTC 8S and the yet-to-be released Nokia Lumia 520. The Ascend W1 is already available for only Php8,990. Right now, there’s only the blue color but they’ll bring in the white afterwards, then the red and black.

Huawei Ascend W1 Specs:
4-inch IPS LCD multi-touch display (800 x 480), 233 ppi
Windows Phone 8
1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8230 Snapdragon S4 (Krait) processor
Adreno 305 GPU
512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, microSD up to 32GB
HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
720p @ 30 fps HD video recording
VGA front camera
No FM radio
Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
Li-Ion 1950 mAh battery
124.5 x 63.7 x 10.5 mm
130 g
Colors: Blue, White, Red, Black
SRP: Php8,990