CES: Huawei announces world's thinnest smartphone

LAS VEGAS: Huawei kicked off CES by unveiling the world's thinnest high-end Android smartphone as the Chinese firm looks to become a major player in the mobile market.

The Huawei Ascend P1 S is just 6.68mm thick, making it thinner than a number of high-profile devices including the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II and Motorola Razr. Huawei used moulding and injection technology and customised components to get the compact frame, said Huawei Device chairman Richard Yu.

The PS 1 boasts a number of high-end specifications including a large 4.3in Super Amoled Gorilla Glass display with a 960x540 resolution. A 1.5GHz dual-core Texas Instruments Cortex A9 processor is set to power the device, and it may be the fastest device on the market when it is launched.

Other features include 1GB of RAM, 4G of ROM, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Huawei confirmed that the device will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Connectivity will come in the form of 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and DLNA.
There is no word yet on pricing, but the device is set to start shipping in April 2012.

Yu told attendees that the thickness of large-screen devices is very important to ensure that users have a comfortable experience.

"Every millimetre counts. We have the most compact smartphone – it is very easy to hold with a width of 2.55in," he said.

Yu also highlighted the battery life of the PS 1, claiming that the device will have 30 per cent better power consumption than other high-end smartphones as Huawei has invested in "over 30 technologies including proprietary algorithms".

V3 will be posting a hands-on review soon.