Ascend P2 powers up Huawei's Android lineup

BARCELONA, Spain--The Huawei Ascend P2 is Huawei's next step in its mission to advance its Android presence worldwide.

The P2 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, with Huawei's Emotion UI on top. It features a 4.7-inch, 720p HD display with a 315-pixel density and promises high contrast for outdoor legibility. Huawei also crowed about the P2's 85-degree viewing angle, 500-nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 2 topper for scratch resistance, and lower power consumption.

As with Nokia's Lumia 920, the Ascend P2's screen is sensitive enough to use with gloves on. As for the decision to go with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution rather than the 1,920x1,280 resolution favored by today's top phones, Huawei defended it with the claim, "Your eyes can't identify higher resolution than this."

In addition, the P2 features a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and a 13-megapixel camera. Double-clicking the handset's physical camera button takes a shot. What's more, facial recognition software helps organize photos in the gallery by contact. The camera is backside illuminated for increased low-light performance, and includes HDR mode.

Just as rumored, the Ascend P2 has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and also 16GB internal storage and 1GB RAM. It packs a 2,420mAh battery.

Succeeding the Huawei Ascend P1, the P2 has a similar look, with sleek, glossy finishes and a white back. While there is a black face and bezel, the screen approaches the edges, giving the display an expansive feel.

Interestingly, there don't appear to be any physical navigation keys on the phone, but our overwhelming observation is that the device is extremely light. Unlike the Huawei Ascend Mate, which has a wider body, the Ascend P2 has a longer, slimmer profile that fits well in one hand. The P2 is a slim 8.6 millimeters thin, though it isn't the thinnest handset available (and that's OK by us).

Although the rumors were a little off -- the P2 does not pack a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, or only 8GB internal storage -- it's still a high-end showing.

The P2 is expected to go on sale in Europe in the middle of 2013 for roughly 450 euros, a Huawei executive told CNET, with U.S. availability limited to online retailers.

We'll have many more photos, video, and first impressions coming up.