Huawei wants to become a top 5 handset maker in the next two years, and will be targeting Australia with its 7-inch MediaPad and a new range of new Android phones. I got a quick hands-on this morning, so let’s take a look at specs and availability.
The MediaPad runs Android 3.2, a version of Honeycomb that optimises icons for the 7-inch display. The screen runs at 1280×800, and has a pixel density of 217; not quite as high as recent smartphones, but sharper than the iPad. Other key specs includea SIM card slot for 3G connectivity, a 1.2GHz dual core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB flash storage, microSD card support, b/g/n Wi-Fi, HDMI output and dual cameras (5MP rear, 1.3MP at front).
At 380g, the MediaPad feels nice in the hand, and Huawei said it’s working on customised widgets, such as integrated social networking. No pricing was announced, but it should be available between July and September.
Also Coming Soon
Sonic (U8650)
- Exclusive to Woolworths and Dick Smith in late July.
- Pricing closer to launch (but this one’s gonna be cheap)
- Android 2.3
- 3.5-inch HVGA Capacitive Touch Screen
- 3.2 MP Camera
- Double MIC Noise Cancellation
- NFC (Optional)
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n + GPS/Compass/FM/G-Sensor
Boulder
- Expected late July/early September
- Pricing closer to launch
- Android 2.2
- 2.6-inch touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard
- 3 MP Camera
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- GPS/Digital Compass/FM/G-Sensor
October and Beyond
Honour
- Android 2.3 or above
- 4-inch VGA Capacitive Touch Screen
- 8 MP Auto Focus Camera
- Double MIC Noise Cancellation
- 4GB On-Board Memory
- Batery Size: 1930 mAH
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- GPS/Digital Compass/ G-Sensor
U9000
- Android 2.2
- 4.1-inch WVGA Capacitive Touch Screen
- 1GHz CPU
- 10mm thick
- 5 MP Camera
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor
Spark
- Android 2.3 or above
- 3.7-inch HVGA Capacitive Touch Screen
- 5 MP Auto Focus Camera
- 256MB RAM + 512MB ROM
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor
U8520
- Android 2.2
- 3.2-inch HVGA Capacitive Touch Screen
- 3.2 MP Camera
- 256MB RAM + 512MB ROM
- BT2.1 A2DP/WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor
Huawei also took the wraps off its new Australian consumer site. You can check it out at: [Huawei Mobile Australia]
ozdavo
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 1:04 PMThe sonic looks good if it can com in around the $99 mark… the HVGA resolution (480×320) will be a winner over the likes of the Ideos X1 which only has QVGA (320×240).
Danny Allen
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 3:16 PMYep, it’ll be 3G + Wi-Fi. Post updated. Cheers.
Yianni
Friday, July 1, 2011 at 4:40 PMWishful thinking. $99 for a 3.5″ capacitive screen? That’s not going to happen anytime soon.
The Sonic is up on Dick Smith’s website for $248 which falls in line with Huawei’s offerings.
X1 locked $99
U8150 $159
Sonic $248
X5 $299
We should also be getting the X3 which is listed on their website and is a 3.2″ phone and should fall around the $200 price tag.
The “future” offerings also look good! Hopefully they can continue with their aggressive pricing which will no doubt force other makers to rethink their strategies.
dale
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 1:49 PMnice if these work on telstra Next G…
tim
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 3:03 PMI have to say, these products look quite well specced, and the tablet is especially intriging. I’m sure they will be very competitively priced. The wife will be very interested in the Boulder too.
But Apple’s going to be slapping them with a “look and feel” lawsuit before too long….the Spark and Honour have an eerie similarity to a certain iDevice.
Ben
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 4:10 PMExample of apple tactics: Copy the android teams notification system, then sue them for making their phones look just as nice as theirs (if it happens that is).
Tim
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 3:11 PMAre all of these 3g HSPA? You haven’t mentioned whether the tablet will come with cellular at all?
josh
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 6:38 PMBig fan of Huawei, reasonably priced and excellent specs. Hope the mediapad pricepoint hits the sweetspot.
Tetsuo
Thursday, June 30, 2011 at 10:32 AMAs a Mobile Phone Tech the only problem I see so far with Huawei, is the same problem that plagues most Chinese brands of phone. They are totally disposable, you can’t get ANY parts to repair even the simplest problem with them.
RichardB
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 7:57 AMNo users manual (only a multi-fold quick guide) or CD disk (for use with pc). Can’t find any guides on web – not even FAQ’s (product is probably too new). Huawei’s web site today is difficult to read/use – seems to be faulty.
Sam
Friday, July 15, 2011 at 10:11 PMThe Huawei Sonic is $188 Unlocked at my local woolworths.
It has a good screen, decent processor/RAM. (600mhz/256mb) and a 1400 lithium -ion battery.
Looks like a bargain! Only other considerations are the LG Optimus one or the Samsung Galaxy Gio. But I reckon the Sonic is for me!
Dan
Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 11:41 AMThe Huawei Sonic unlocked good value $ 188 Australian dolars at Dick Smiths work very well on woolworths sim card just $2 dolars and $29 for 45 days ans 5G of data fucking good