May 4, 2013

Huawei Ascend P2 vs Galaxy S3 vs HTC One

Hauwei unveiled some pretty snazzy phones at CES last month, but the company isn’t done trying to impress smartphone buyers around the world. At Mobile World Congress Huawei unveiled the Ascend P2, a follow up to the P1, that bears the promise of being the world’s fastest smartphone. The speediness Huawei claims is not just in the processor, but in the data connection as well. By utilizing LTE Cat-4 generation networking, the P2 can achieve speeds of 150 megabits per second (the iPhone 5 gets 100Mbps). The Ascend P2 even charges faster thanks to 2-amp charging that gets the battery full in less time.


With it’s 4.7-inch display featuring 500 nits of brightness to show off a heavily customized UI on top of Android, the Ascend P2 is in direct competition with Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and the new HTC One.

Here’s how it compares:

Specification
Ascend P2
Galaxy S3 HTC One
Size
8.4 thick (mm)
136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)
137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 (mm)
Weight
122g
133g
143g
Screen
4.7-inch IPS
4.8-inch Super AMOLED
4.7-inch LCD
Resolution
1280×720 pixels
1280×720 pixels
1080p
OS
Android 4.1 with Emotion UI
Android 4.1 with TouchWiz UI
Android 4.1.2 with Sense 5
Storage
16GB
16/32GB
32/64GB
SD Card Slot
TK
Yes
No
Processor
1.5GHz quad-core
Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)
Quad-core Snapdragon 600
RAM
1GB
2GB
2GB
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera
Front 1.3MP, Rear 13MP
Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP
Front 2.1MP, Rear 4MP
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes, version 4.0
Yes, version 4.0
Battery
2420mAh
2100mAh
2300mAh
Charger
Micro USB
Micro USB
Micro USB
Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Google Play Store
Price
€399
$200+
TBA
Availability
Orange (EU), unlocked (US)
AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon
AT&T, T-Mob, Verizon

The Ascend P2 holds up well in comparison to the new HTC One flagship phone, and out-specs the Galaxy S3 (admittedly an “old” handset) in several areas. What’s surprising is that the P2 doesn’t have full 1080p resolution, which is the trend for new Android smartphones in this size class. It’s great that the phone has wide viewing angles, can be used even with gloves like the new Nokia Lumias, and is protected by Gorilla Glass. Will the lack of full HD matter to everyone?

Huawei is taking the same route as Samsung, HTC, and even LG in putting a heavily customized skin over Android and bundling in a ton of apps and services to enhance the Android experience. Some people love this approach and others really hate it, so the Emotion UI may prove polarizing. That 1GB of RAM could prove a problem in this area.

The 13 megapizel camera on the back is another of Huawei’s selling points. As HTC reminded us recently, megapixel count isn’t the only thing that determines pixel quality. The promise of HDR (high dynamic range) photos and video plus sharper pictures using digital zoom point to a camera that will give even HTC’s ultrapixels some competition.

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