Skip to main content

Huawei launches the super slim Ascend P7, with an 8-megapixel selfie cam and 4G LTE

Huawei Ascend P7 Top Macro
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Read out full Huawei Ascend P7 review.

Huawei has launched the Ascend P7, its 2014 flagship Android phone, and the follow-up to the Ascend P6 and P6S. It chose the city of Paris to hold its event, a fitting location given the phone’s sleek and fashionable style. Presented by CEO Richard Yu, the Ascend P7 follows the P6’s slim design and measures just 6.5mm thick. The phone is wrapped in an aluminum chassis with Gorilla Glass panels on the front and rear. The glass back covers a neat pattern, which Huawei calls the “spin effect,” giving it an almost laser-cut look.

The Ascend P7 has a 5-inch, 1080p touchscreen with a 445ppi pixel density, up from the 4.7-inch, 720p panel found on the Ascend P6. Powering the phone is a quad-core, 1.8GHz Kirin 920T processor, which is also used in the MediaPad X1 tablet revealed during Mobile World Congress. Around the back of the phone is a 13-megapixel camera sourced from Sony, while the front camera is better than many rear cameras found on other devices. It has a whopping 8-megapixels, a 5-piece lens, and can even shoot panoramic photos and 1080p video.

Huawei Ascend P7Moving on to the memory, the Ascend P7 has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage space, plus there is a MicroSD card slot to increase this amount. Rumors suggested we’d see a larger battery inside the P7, and sure enough, a 2500mAh cell is onboard to keep the phone going. Like several other top-end phones released this year, such as the HTC One M8, Huawei has given the Ascend P7 a power saving mode. It will only kick in when there’s 10 percent or less of the battery remaining, and shuts down all but the essential services. Huawei says the battery will then stretch itself to last another 24 hours.

Android 4.4 KitKat is installed, and then covered with version 2.3 of Huawei’s Emotion UI. Finally, in a significant upgrade over the P6, the Ascend P7 will connect to 4G LTE networks. The phone will be sold in a variety of colors, including black, white, and pink, and the estimated off-contract price is 450 euros, or around $630. It’s set to be released during the coming month throughout Europe, including the UK, and in Hong Kong, Singapore, and China amongst others. Unsurprisingly, there’s no word on a U.S. launch.

Continue on to page 2 for a recap of all the rumors and news surrounding the Ascend P7 prior to its announcement.

Information on Huawei’s next flagship phone, currently known as the Ascend P7, continues to leak. The smartphone is expected to replace the Ascend P6 and its subtly updated sister device, the Ascend P6S, as the company’s 2014 flagship Android phone. If you’re excited about the Ascend P7, then we’ve gathered all the rumors together below to keep you informed.

When will Huawei announce the P7?

Huawei Ascend P7 EventHuawei has confirmed it’ll be holding a press event on May 7 in Paris, where it’s almost certain the Ascend P7 will be announced. A post on the company’s official Twitter feed included the image you see here, which shows a partially revealed number 7 on a glass sheet.

Huawei’s Ascend P6 came out in June last year.

What will it look like?

A set of pictures have been leaked, supposedly showing the Ascend P7 in some press-style glamor shots. We’d already been told not to expect drastic design alterations, and sure enough, things looks pretty similar to the Ascend P6. It’s not terrible news though, and the phone looks very attractive in the images, particularly when viewed from the back. The rear panel shines and seems to have a very subtle pattern laser etched into it. A camera lens and flash unit sit in the top left.

Huawei Ascend P7 Leak
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Around the front and to the sides, the white phone does bear a similarity to the Apple iPhone. Huawei has also taken some inspiration from Sony, and included a new, recessed, circular power button, set mid-way down the side. It’s joined by a volume rocker control, and a pair of card trays, one for the SIM and the other presumably for a MicroSD card.

If this is the final design for the Ascend P7, we think it looks great.

Leaked specs show improvements over the Ascend P6


Early news on the P7’s spec comes from the 
@evleaks Twitter account. The most notable spec change over the P6 is to the screen, which should be enlarged to 5-inches, and the resolution raised to 1080p. This is up from 4.7-inches and 720p on the older model. The processor should also be upgraded. The leak mentions a quad-core, 1.8GHz chip called the 910T Kirin. This is a processor of Huawei’s own design, and has recently been seen in the MediaPad X1 tablet. It’s likely to be accompanied by 2GB of RAM.

Huawei Ascend P7 Leak Rear
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If the leak is accurate, the rear camera could have 13-megapixels, while the front camera will be increased beyond the trending 5-megapixel level, all the way up to 8-megapixels. Selfie fans should adore this one. It’s also mentioned the Ascend P7 should have 16GB of internal memory, plus a MicroSD card slot to increase this further.

The Ascend P6 is one of the slimmest phones you can buy, at just 6.18mm, and although the new leak doesn’t specifically mention the P7’s dimensions, it does say the chassis will measure less than 7mm thick. Huawei may fit a larger battery inside the device – 2500mAh instead of 2000mAh – so it may not be quite as svelte as its predecessor.

Updated on 02-05-2014 by Andy: Huawei has confirmed it will hold a press event on May 7 in Paris.

Article originally published on 04-25-2014

Topics
Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Visible just made its unlimited 5G plan better than ever
Visible wireless phones and plans featured

Digital wireless service provider Visible has announced upgrades to its premium Visible+ phone plan. The highlight is a new Global Pass feature that allows Visible customers to use their phones in 140 countries worldwide.

The Visible Global Pass offers unlimited talk and text services, along with 2GB of high-speed data, for a flat rate of $10 per day. Visible+ members can also enjoy a free Global Pass usage day every month. The activation process can be done through the Visible app.

Read more
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

Read more
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more