If we’re honest there are just two or three brands in the smartphone market: Apple, Samsung and on a good day, HTC. The remainder are vying for the leftover crumbs, but one little player is making some noise and surprisingly, it’s Huawei.
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Huawei’s P1 garnered attention for being the thinnest smartphone in the world. At 7.7mm thin, it had the profile of a slender metallic blade and best of all, it managed to stay thin without compromising on features.
Today the company has released a new Ascend smartphone: the D1. It features a more powerful (and Huawei developed) quad core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, a 32-bit true colour graphics processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, with the option of sliding in a microSD card.
On paper it has all of the flagship credentials. The screen spans a notable 4.5 inches, has a high definition resolution and a 330 pixel-per-inch density. It has two cameras: a front facing 1.3MP cam capable of HD video and a more proficient 8MP rear cam that will record in Full HD. Sound is enriched through Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and Audience earSmart voice technology, and it’ll last one or two days before the 1,800mAh battery gives way.
Unfortunately the D1 is a little bigger than its zero-sized sibling. Its waist measures 8.9mm. Nevertheless, it’s still a thin smartphone when you look over its features, and best of all, this Android 4.0 smartphone is an inexpensive $499 from JB HiFi.
Although we want to swoon over the Ascend D1, there’s something holding us back. On paper, it’s almost identical to LG and Google’s new Nexus 4. Granted the Nexus 4 doesn’t have a microSD card slot, but we’d happily sacrifice that functionality to save the $150, and then revel in the many new features the Nexus’ Android Jelly Bean 4.2 software offers.
 Google’s Nexus 4 has double the RAM and newer software for $150 less |
Read Hail Google’s Nexus 4! A $349 Market Leader
