Huawei releases Ascend P2 and Ascend Mate smartphone

Huawei has unveiled its latest series of Ascend smartphones across the Middle East as the company looks to deliver on its new "Make it Possible" consumer platform while advancing its position amongst the top five worldwide smartphone brands.

The much anticipated Ascend P2-the world's fastest 4G LTE smartphone-and the Ascend Mate-the world's largest smartphone with a 6.1" screen-were originally previewed at this year's Mobile World Congress and Consumer Electronics Show. In a similar style, the two devices were revealed in the Middle East during a glamorous media launch held at the Armani Hotel at the base of the iconic Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, UAE.

Both smartphones are set to be on retail shelves across the region by June 1.

"We first launched the product name of ‘Ascend' just over a year ago, and have since introduced a series of flagship products offering the perfect combination of elegance and power," says Jiao Jian, president of Huawei Device Middle East.

"Today we are further strengthening that brand promise in the Middle East under our ‘Make it Possible' platform. Both the Ascend P2 and the Ascend Mate reflect that commitment and our belief that there's no need to compromise when desiring the perfect smartphone," added Jian.

The Ascend P2 is the world's fastest 4G LTE smartphone featuring a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and compatible with LTE Category 4, providing an ultrafast web experience with download speeds of up to 150 Mbps. Running on the Android 4.1 operating system and with Huawei's own Emotion 1.5 user interface (UI), the smartphone is powered by an impressive 2420 mAh battery and is capable of downloading HD movies in minutes while loading online videos, web pages, songs or e-Books in just seconds.

The Ascend Mate boasts a screen-to-body ratio of 73 percent- the highest in the industry - which maximizes viewing pleasure for emails, documents, videos and games. The 6.1-inch high definition LCD screen has a resolution of 1280 x 720 for unsurpassed clarity and color accuracy, with the ‘Magic Touch' feature providing enhanced screen responsiveness. Offering a supercharged entertainment, communication and creative experience, the Ascend Mate is still slim and stylish, designed to fit comfortably in a single hand at just 9.9mm thin at its narrowest part.

"Based on more than two decades of success in the information and communications field, and with our own channel expertise, unparalleled R&D capabilities, and strategic partnerships with leading telecom operators, Huawei is today transforming to a leading consumer brand worldwide," adds Ashraf Fawakherji, vice president of Huawei Device Middle East.

The Middle East has been a key market for Huawei for over a decade. While the company has long supplied networking solutions to top telecom operators, the company has only recently pushed into the consumer electronics segment over the past two years with devices like its Ascend P1 S-the world's slimmest smartphone at time of launch-and the MediaPad 10 FHD tablet. It's most recent expansion within the Middle East market has helped the company's worldwide consumer business realize global sales revenue of $7.7 billion last year-an increase of more than 8 percent year-on-year-shipping more than 127 million devices.

The Ascend P2 and Ascend Mate will be retailed at AED 1799 and AED 1599 respectively, available on the open market at major retail outlets.