Huawei Ascend P6 officially launched

Huawei has used it’s London-based “Beauty” event to officially announce the Ascend P6, a mid- to high-end device that’s apparently the thinnest Android smartphone in the world.

The 4.7in Ascend P6 is only 6.2mm thick, but still includes a 1.5GHz quad-core K3V2+ processor developed by Huawei itself, 2GB of RAM, a 720p display and 8GB of internal storage. That might not sound like a lot, but thankfully there’s a MicroSD card slot on the side of the handset to add an additional 32GB of storage. Other feature highlights include an “industry-leading” 5-megapixel front webcam and 8-megapixel rear camera, which has a F/2.0, back-side illuminated (BSI) lens.

In order to get the phone so thin, Huawei hasn’t added LTE support, which means no 4G connectivity here in the UK (or anywhere, for that matter) and the battery is a slightly smaller 2,000mAh unit compared to the company’s existing handsets.

Build quality and premium materials appear to be the order of the day, with glass and aluminium featuring heavily, although the rear of the device is made from plastic. With an antenna built into the frame of the handset, there are clear similarities between the Ascend P6 and Apple’s iPhone 5 as well.

It runs the latest 4.2.2 version of Android, with Huawei’s own Emotion UI interface overlay on top. There’s no app drawer, with all your installed apps appearing on multiple home screens instead.

Although it’s not a flagship handset like the Ascend D2 or a stand-out device like the Ascend Mate, the Ascend P6 looks like a powerful mid-range smartphone with a smart, minimal design. If the price is right, it could prove to be a budget alternative to Google’s Nexus 4.

Soon to be available in black, white and pink colour options, the Ascend P6 will be launching in the UK from July onwards. So far, Carphone Warehouse, O2, Amazon and TalkTalk are all confirmed to be selling the handset, although the other networks are likely to follow suit.

Check out our hands-on review of the Ascend P6.