Huawei Ascend W1 Review: A Promising First WP8 Device

The Huawei Ascend W1 is a smartphone that's definitely worth considering if you're looking for a Windows Phone 8 device. It's a promising first WP8 device from Huawei.

The Ascend W1 has a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, which is relatively small compared to other smartphones on the market. This makes it a great option for those who want a more compact device.

In terms of performance, the Ascend W1 is powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor, which provides smooth and efficient performance.

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The Huawei Ascend W1 is a feature-packed smartphone that delivers impressive performance. It's powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor, which provides a smooth user experience.

With 512 MB of RAM, the Ascend W1 can handle multiple tasks simultaneously without any lag. This means you can switch between apps, browse the web, and check your emails without any issues.

The phone also features a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 480x800 pixels, making it perfect for watching videos, browsing the web, and gaming.

The camera on the W1 is a bit of a gamble, with inconsistent results from the 5-megapixel rear-facing lens. Weak focusing and wildly varying color balance make it unreliable for taking pictures.

The presence of an LED flash helps in low-light situations, but overall, it's not a primary camera you'd want to rely on.

The forward-facing camera is a VGA (0.3-megapixel) model, which is not impressive, but it's not the worst low-res webcam we've ever seen.

It's capable of taking short Skype sessions, but don't expect to share those selfies online. Overexposed self-portraits may take a few years off, but it's not worth sharing.

Taking video is as inconsistent as snapping stills, with colors either badly washed out or overly saturated.

The microphone struggles to record high-quality audio, picking up a lot of wind noise even on calm days.

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The Huawei Ascend W1's performance is a pleasant surprise. It's powered by the Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8230 processor, which is from 2011, and the Adreno 305 GPU is also from a similar vintage.

Navigating around the device is stutter-free, and it even managed to outperform Nokia's low-end Lumias in benchmarking stakes. The browser is smooth, if not whip-fast, and switching between mobile and desktop versions of web pages is seamless.

The device's performance is further evident in its benchmark scores. In WPBench, the Ascend W1 scored 212.25, while the Nokia Lumia 520 scored 178, and the Lumia 620 scored 180.

Here's a comparison of the device's performance with its competitors:

The Ascend W1's performance is impressive, especially considering its low-end hardware. It's a testament to Microsoft's ability to make Windows Phone work well on low-end devices.

The Huawei Ascend W1 has a rather low internal flash memory of 4 GB, but it can be expanded up to 32 GB via a micro SD slot. Unfortunately, the operating system doesn't allow storing apps on SD cards.

The ports are limited to a micro USB 2.0 port on the bottom edge and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the top. I've found that the micro USB 2.0 port is sufficient for charging and syncing the phone, but it's a bit outdated compared to newer USB standards.

The Ascend W1 connects to wireless networks via integrated Wi-Fi b/g/n and UMTS, and also features Bluetooth 2.1 for short-range data sharing. I've been impressed by the phone's consistent and perfect reception, even in areas with multiple walls and a distance of 10 meters from the router.

The Huawei Ascend W1's casing is comprised of matte-black polycarbonate with a non-slip rubber coating. This design provides a pleasant grip.

The device features a glass pane on the front, which is a nice touch. It adds a bit of sophistication to the overall design.

A unique design element is the part of the casing that protrudes at the lower edge. This gives the device a bit of an angular look.

The test device's design is more angular compared to Android models, but it doesn't detract from the overall feel. The rigidness is very good, and the tightly fitted back cover and display's glass do not dent visibly under high pressure.

The build quality is of a high standard with even gaps. The back cover can be removed via a small recess in the lower back side, giving users access to the removable 7.5 Wh battery, the SIM card slot, and the micro SD card reader.

The Huawei Ascend W1's connectivity features are quite impressive. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core SoC with a clock rate of 1.2 GHz and 512 MB of RAM.

The device has a rather low internal flash memory of only 4 GB, but it can be expanded up to 32 GB via a micro SD slot. Unfortunately, the operating system doesn't allow storing apps on SD cards.

You'll also find a micro USB 2.0 port on the bottom edge and a 3.5 mm audio jack on the top. That's it for ports, so don't expect a lot of connectivity options.

The Huawei Ascend W1 connects to wireless networks via an integrated Wi-Fi b/g/n and UMTS module, and it also has Bluetooth 2.1 for short-range data sharing. The reception was consistently perfect in the test, even with a distance of 10 meters and several walls between the router and smartphone.

The GPS module exhibited an equally stable and reliable signal strength, making it suitable for navigation.

Huawei's first Windows Phone 8 device is the Ascend W1, unveiled at CES 2013. It's a low-end device with a 4-inch WVGA display.

It features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. This is a fairly mid- to low-range device for Windows Phone 8.

The W1 has a 5-megapixel camera, which is a decent feature for a low-end device. Data Sense was enabled on the device, suggesting it might land on Verizon.

The device has 4GB of storage, which is unlikely to appeal to those who like to store many apps, music, and photos.

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