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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:

 

 

Ascend P2 

ascend_p2_white_small

Galaxy S3 (same) 

Samsung_Galaxy_S3_small

HTC One

New 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.