Huawei has unveiled its Huawei Ascend P7 in a competitive market that has just seen the head of mobile design for the Samsung Galaxy family resign due to poor sales of the Galaxy S5.Building on the successful features of the Ascend P6, the new 4G LTE-enabled smartphone has “ultra-fast connectivity, and easier navigation in… a class of its own,” said the company.
“Huawei Ascend P7 was inspired by the natural curves of a water droplet which instills the phone with a sense of natural purity, and also gives users a more comfortable grip,” said Joon Suh Kim, Mobile Device Vice President, Consumer Experience Design Center, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “It took us months of extensive design refinements to achieve this excellent balance of form and function.”
The Ascend P7 has a 5-inch FHD touchscreen display with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 445ppi and 16:9 aspect ratio. While only 6.5mm slim, it features 8MP front-facing and 13MP rear-facing cameras and the Emotion UI 2.3 interface. Both front and rear covers make use of Corning Gorilla Glass, and a seven-layered rear surface treatment provides a “spin effect” micro-pattern design.
“Huawei’s relentless commitment to developing premium quality smartphones over the past three years has paid off. We are now ranked number three globally in terms of smartphone shipments, and our brand recognition is growing steadily in key regions such as China and Western Europe,” said, Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group.
The camera functions have received particular attention from Huawei. The Huawei Ascend P7 gives users an edge in low-light settings with Sony’s 4th generation BSI sensor, Image Signal Processer (ISP), IMAGESmart 2.0 software and an f/2.0 aperture on its 13MP 5P non-spherical lens rear-facing camera to create clear, rich pictures at night or indoors.
To capture spontaneous moments before they are gone, the Huawei Ascend P7’s unique Ultra Snapshot function enables the user to be camera-ready 1.2 seconds after double-clicking the down volume button intuitively while in locked mode, instead of spending time trying to unlock the screen.
For better selfies, or group selfie – Huawei calls it a “groufie” – the leading 8MP 5P non-spherical lens front-facing camera that comes with a panorama function for panoramic selfie shooting, and 10 level auto-facial enhancement in beauty mode. Users can also take a selfie video with the 1080p HD video playback. A built-in mirror function and selfie preview window also add to selfie accuracy.
Photos can now be accompanied by 10-second audio clips for users to upload photos with special audio expressions on a variety of social media platforms.
In addition to camera improvements, Huawei’s proprietary Image Signal Processor (ISP) allows the smartphone to control a whole range of functions that mimic those found in professional digital SLRs, including autofocus, white balance, and noise reduction. Users can select the focus and exposure metering function with just one touch to maximise image precision.
The Huawei Ascend P7 enables unlimited media viewing with ultra-fast 4G LTE speed and Huawei’s unique dual antenna design to improve signal reception. The Ascend P7 also uses smart network switching technology that stabilises the connection even during weak signal reception to minimise battery drainage. Enjoy long-lasting continuous use thanks to a 2,500 mAh lithium polymer battery and proprietary battery saving technology.
The power saving management function enables users to save battery by switching off any applications running in the background that are consuming unnecessary power. The super power-saving mode enables Ascend P7 to adopt the most suitable use of power when it is running on less than 10 percent of the total battery. When enabled, the screen will dim and only the basic functions of the phone will remain activated, including voice calls and the contact page. It will also stretch the remaining 10% of battery power to last 24 hours on standby.
The recommended retail price of Huawei Ascend P7 is 449 euros and it will be available in Singapore from May. The Ascend P7 is available in a range of colours including black, white, and pink.