Huawei’s Ascend P7 was the first major sign of intent from the Chinese manufacturer’s desire to battle with mobile’s heaviest of hitters. At a London event today, Huawei announced the P7’s successor, the Ascend P8. We’ve watched the launch coverage, so you don’t have to!
Ascend P8 Design
Learning from the shortcomings of the Ascend P7, the P8 incorporates the big buzzword in mobile right now – “uni-body”. First impressions suggest a premium aluminum body which should come close to matching the markets biggest flagships. Huawei Consumer CEO Richard Yu joked that the Ascend P8 has “no bump” poking fun at the lens housing of the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6, which you may have seen in this video already.
P8 Camera
Perhaps the largest portion of the launch was dedicated to the creativity stored within the devices 13MP camera. Huawei have pushed all out on innovation in this area with the world’s first RGBW sensor. With the innovative camera comes innovative software. We’re reluctant to believe that all the features packed into the new flagship will be widely used regularly, but instead are cool features that allow owners to show off their phone. Isn’t this what a flagship is all about?
https://youtu.be/t-7RJUBnRbw
P8’s Target Market
It was a real Jekyll and Hyde launch in terms of target markets for the Ascend P8. The camera features suggest this is a handset for the young, creative and fun loving out there. Still, the presentation kept coming back to features such as conference calling and for regular travelers the benefits of dual sim and quick roaming connect.
P8 Max Announcement
Just before wrapping up, Huawei announced a second handset, the P8 Max. This thing is a 6.8 inch behemoth which dwarfs the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus and the 5.7 inch Galaxy Note 4. Furthermore this beast boasts a massive battery (4360 mAh for the speccy out there). This promises 10 hours of video streaming.
Pricing
To Huawei, nothing is sacred. Not even the ridiculous wait to find out pricing. The beans were spilled on this along with the launch markets. The Irish market will be included in the initial rollout. Huawei appear to have married quality and value, stating the entry level 16GB Ascend P8 will retail from €499.
The final verdict…
This promises to be Huawei’s most exciting handset to date. Combined with the impending Watch, Huawei are pulling out all the stops. For years, they’ve been threatening to sit at the mobile manufacturer top table. The Ascend P8 could very well be their ticket to that table. We’re holding off on a final verdict until we can get hands on but things are looking positive.
There is still more to come on the P8 including a unique eInk case that pairs with the device. Be sure to Like, Follow and Subscribe to GOOS3D to keep up to date.
