A more refined take on the Mate that’s expected to have better global sales reach
Huawei has just taken the wraps off of its latest leading device, the Ascend Mate 2 4G. Building off the relative success of the original Ascend Mate in its home market of China, the Ascend Mate 2 4G kicks things up to the next level. First and foremost, Huawei is really focusing on the fact that this device includes LTE connectivity. While most of its devices have been released with just HSPA+, the Ascend Mate 2 4G includes LTE access for every version of the device released worldwide — including AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S.
The internal specs seem to be a bit of a mixed bag, but that’s nothing new for Huawei. We’re looking at just 720 x 1280 resolution on that 6.1-inch display (looks just fine to our eyes, though), powered by a 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 processor and 2GB of RAM. Huawei continues its pretty standard camera arrangements with a 13MP Sony BSI sensor on back and a wide-angle 5MP shooter up front. The battery life is purportedly fantastic, with a 4050mAh lithium-polymer battery and special battery-saving software and networking features.
Hit the break for pictures, video and more thoughts on this new device.
When holding this new device, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Huawei has made nearly the same material choices on the Ascend Mate 2 4G as it did on the original. You’re looking at glossy white plastic with a little bit of sparkle in it, sandwiching faux metal accents around the sides. This phone is also just downright big. Huawei will tell you the bezels are small and the screen takes up a full 79 percent of the front surface area, but that screen is still 6.1-inches across.
If you are able to put up with the physical size of the device, you’ll likely be impressed by the software situation on offer here. Once you get past the fact that you’re going to be getting Huawei’s Emotion UI customizations, things work just about as they do on any other Android phone. Not taking into account the lack of an app drawer on the homescreen (launchers are replaceable), Huawei has basically just added some of its own color palette choices and some new settings and sent this thing on its way.
The real question as to whether or not the Ascend Mate 2 4G has a real chance out there will be pricing and availability. Huawei has generally lacked worldwide distribution with its flagships, especially in any kind of a timely fashion. Based on what Huawei claims with its new global strategy and LTE support we may be looking at a wider launch, but we just can’t know right now.
