Huawei Ascend W2, a windows phone launched in India

Huawei which showcased Ascend W2 in June at the Mobile Asia Expo 2013has now officially launched it. The Ascend W2 is its second smartphone to run on Windows Phone 8 after its predecessor Ascend W1.

The company has said it will be launched in Netherlands and Russia this month and will hit other international markets afterwards. In a release, Huawei said that this smartphone is expected to be launched in India soon.

Huawei claims that you can use the screen even when wearing gloves. There's a 5 megapixel rear snapper capable of recording HD (720p) videos at 30 fps. The W2 has 512 MB RAM, which shouldn't affect user experience, but a small number of games won't be compatible with this phone. Similar to the Lumia 520, Huawei has done away with the front-facing camera. However, what bothers us more is the lack of microSD card slot. This means you're stuck with the internal storage of 8 GB, of which, not more than 6 GB will be accessible to the user.

Being a Windows Phone 8 device, the W2 offers Microsoft's Office, SkyDrive, and Xbox integration. The Huawei Ascend W2 will start selling in Russia and the Netherlands starting this November, with other markets to follow shortly. According to the press release, the phone is expected to hit the Indian market "soon". However, Huawei hasn't given any dates, or even shed light on its pricing yet.

Kevin Ho, President of the Handset Product Line, Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, "Building on the popularity of our first Windows Phone 8 device, HUAWEI Ascend W1, we created HUAWEI Ascend W2 so value-savvy people don't have to compromise on great technology. HUAWEI Ascend W2 provides an enhanced visual experience and impressive stand-by time, and can be customized inside and out with splashes of colour."

Huawei Ascend W2 key specifications

• Windows Phone 8
• 4.3-inch IPS WVGA (480x800) LCD display
• 1.4GHz dual-core Qaulcomm processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB inbuilt storage
• 5-megapixel rear camera
• 1700mAh