Skip to main content

Huawei’s got a new smartphone to show us, teases September 4 event (Updated)

Huawei Ascend Mate 2 4G front camera macro
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Huawei gave the press some very early warning about its plans for the upcoming IFA technology show right at the beginning of August, by announcing a press event for the first media day of the show, which takes place in Berlin, Germany in September.

Updated on 08-29-2014 by Andy Boxall: Huawei has released a teaser video, and a leak has given us some more clues about the device itself.

As the show draws closer, Huawei continues to drop hints about what we could see launch at the event. The first invitations said the company would be “empowering a future of exciting possibilities,” a slogan which really didn’t mean anything, leaving us to speculate about what Huawei could introduce on the big day. The next teaser image was slightly more revealing. It showed the edge of a smartphone body in silhouette, which seems to highlight the number seven at the same time.

THuawei 7 Invitehere are no words to accompany the picture, but according to MyDrivers.com, which first published the picture, Huawei’s new smartphone could be called the Ascend Mate 7, or the D7. We’ve been given a few clues about a future Huawei smartphone over the past weeks, thanks to a leak describing what was referred to at the time as the Ascend Mate 3.

Huawei introduced the Ascend Mate 2 at CES back in January, and only recently put the phone on sale in America through its own website. The Mate 3 would replace a device not quite ten months old. One possible reason for the early introduction could be due to Huawei merging the Mate series with the D-Series devices, which could explain the naming confusion.

At the end of August Huawei posted a teaser video on YouTube, named 7 Mates for 7 Dreamers, with the footage highlighting people who will love the new phone, such as gamers and business people. Again, the number 7 keeps cropping up, as does the Mate brand name.

Whatever its name, it promises to have a high spec

The specification, according to the rumor reports, will see the phone’s screen shrink down to 6-inches, and the resolution increase to 1080p. There’s also talk of a second version of the phone with a 1440p, 2560 x 1440 pixel screen, ready to take on the LG G3. If this is true, it may see a limited release.

An octa-core processor of Huawei’s own design could provide the power, replacing the Snapdragon 400 inside the Mate 2, and Android 4.4 KitKat should be installed as the operating system. Like the Mate 2, 4G LTE connectivity should be onboard, along with a 13-megapixel camera on the rear panel.

Leaked Ascend Mate 7A Huawei phone showed up on the website of Chinese certification board TENAA at the end of August, and discussed a phone with a 6-inch, 1080p screen, a 13-megapixel camera, and the Kirin 920 octa-core processor. A leaked picture shows the phone with a fingerprint scanner on the rear, just like the HTC One Max.

Any big screen smartphone announced during IFA is likely to find it hard to grab attention, thanks to the Berlin show traditionally being the launchpad for the latest in Samsung’s Galaxy Note range, and we’re not expecting this year to be any different. We’ll see what Huawei has to offer on September 4, when the event takes place at 3p.m. local time.

Updated on 08-12-2014 by Andy Boxall: Added in details about a second invitation to the event, which teases a smartphone somehow related to the number seven.

Article originally published on 08-04-2014

Editors' Recommendations

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…
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
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more