Up-and-coming Chinese manufacturer Huawei has announced the launch of a brand new smartphone, which technology experts have argued could be set to rival the Apple iPhone. Hailed as the world’s thinnest handset, the Ascend P6 is just over 6 mm thick and boasts a touch screen so sensitive that is responds to gloved hands.
The smartphone’s developers appear to be capitalising on the growing popularity of the so-called “selfie” – a photograph that is taken by the user, then uploaded to various social media platforms – by including “instant facial beauty support” that reduces the appearance of wrinkles and blends skin tone.
In addition, the stylish offering comes in colours such as black, white and rather unconventionally baby pink – meaning it is the ideal tech accessory for fashion-conscious individuals.
The Ascend P6 comes with a five-megapixel camera, which is considerably more than the majority of smartphones with front-facing cameras, along with eight-megapixels on its rear camera. This compares to the 1.2-megapixels offered by the iPhone 5.
Thinnest Smartphones of 2016
- Vivo X5 Max – 4.75 mm
- Oppo R5s – 4.85 mm
- Gionee Elife S7 – 5.5mm
- Samsung Galaxy A8 – 5.9mm
- Huawei p8 – 6.4mm
Set to be released next month, the handset will have a recommended retail price of €449 (£385) – much less than its rival.
It is manufactured with metal and glass, making it less plastic than previous Huawei products. However, some prospective buyers could be put off by the fact that the smartphone does not come with the ability to run on 4G networks.
Ben Wood from CCS Insight said the price of the Ascend P6 proves Huawei is willing to use its costing as a method of building share in key European markets.
He added:
“Huawei has made substantial progress in design and quality, but the big unanswered question is whether consumers will accept a product from an almost unknown name in preference to established brands.”
Although the launch of the product could provide some stiff competition for the iPhone 5, there is still a long way to go – as the smartphone is still considered a favourite among UK consumers.
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