TechnoNewz

Huawei announces three new Android phones at IFA, coming in October.

Huawei has announced three new smartphones in its Ascend series as well as a brand new user interface 'Emotion' for its Android phones at the IFA trade fair. The new smartphones include Ascend G600, Ascend G330 and Ascend Y201 Pro.

Company stated that the new Ascend smartphones will go on sale starting October in markets across the world.

The high-end Huawei Ascend G600 features 4.5-inch display with qHD resolution, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 768MB RAM and 8MP rear camera.

On the other hand, Ascend G300 is a mid-range smartphone with specs like 4-inch WVGA display, 512MB RAM, 1GHz dual-core processor, 5MP camera, and 1500mAh battery.

The third device announcement of the day was Ascend Y201 Pro which will come with 800MHz processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB on-board memory, 3.5" display with HVGA resolution, 1400mAh battery, and 3.2MP camera.

Apart from the new devices, Huawei also showcased its brand new user interface Emotion. Company claims that Emotion will play a critical role in cementing the Huawei smartphone portfolio.

"Reinforcing Huawei's user-centric design philosophy, 'Design with Empathy', Emotion UI is built on a clear understanding of how consumers interact with their smartphones and what they expect from these interactions," company noted in a press release.

ZTE launches Intel-based Grand X IN smartphone.

Chinese group ZTE, the world's fourth-largest mobile phone maker, unveiled its first smartphone model using Intel processors, marking an important break into a top-tier handset maker by the U.S.-based group.

ZTE said on Thursday its Grand X IN model, which will go on sale in Europe next month, will mark the start of a wider portfolio of Intel-based products.

"This is the first among a number of handsets in the next 12 to 18 months," Chris Edwards, European business development and marketing chief at ZTE, said in an interview.

Intel has fallen far behind in processors for smartphones and tablets and is betting its lead in manufacturing technology will help it break into the key growth market.

"Intel has to forge a path into mobile given the sizeable growth opportunity. Failure to do so further risks ARM using its mobile dominance as a platform to attack Intel's core business in PC," said Geoff Blaber, analyst at research firm CCS Insight.

 

 

China to overtake US as largest smartphone market, India fourth: IDC.

China will overtake the United States as the biggest market for smartphones amid a surge in low-cost handsets, a survey said Thursday.

The research firm IDC said China will account for 26.5 percent of all smartphone shipments in 2012, compared to 17.8 percent for the United States.

"Looking ahead, the PRC smartphone market will continue to be lifted by the sub-$200 Android segment," said Wong Teck-Zhung, senior analyst at IDC.

"Near-term prices in the low-end segment will come down to $100 and below as competition for market share intensifies among smartphone vendors."

IDC said the move to 4G, or faster mobile networks, is another major growth catalyst and that growth is continuing in virtually all markets.

"The fact that China will overtake the United States in smartphone shipments does not mean that the US smartphone market is grinding to a halt," said IDC's Ramon Llamas.

"Now that smartphones represent the majority of mobile phone shipments, growth is expected to continue, but at a slower pace. There is still a market for first-time users as well as thriving upgrade opportunities."

IDC said it sees strong growth in India, which has the lowest smartphone penetration in the Asia region as operators roll out more affordable data plans and generous subsidies, and that it would be the third largest market by 2016.

A separate survey this week said smartphones are set to make up a majority of the global handset market next year, fueled by surging demand from consumers in both wealthy and emerging nations.