Huawei to release premium build smartphone this summer
The Chinese mobile giant has the HTC One and Xperia Z in is sights as it ditches the plastic for somehting a little more premium
A Huawei insider tells Stuff that the company plans to release a premium build flagship smartphone this summer. Coupled with Device Chairmen Richard Yu telling us all to look out for a “disruptive” and “much more competitive” device coming “this summer”, it looks like Huawei is definitely looking to trade plastic for metal in a bid to smarten up.
Up until now the Chinese mobile giant has stuck to budget-centric plastic builds like the Ascend P2 and giant Ascend Mate, but it looks like it’s aiming to cross the velvet ropes into the VIP smartphone club, where the gorgeous HTC One and Sony Xperia Z are already lounging.
Huawei actually came third behind Apple and Samsung in the last quarter of 2012 in market share, showing its ambition, and we expect its premium mystery handset to arrive clad in aluminium and toughened glass to match Sony and HTC’s flagships.
With the hugely anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 waiting in the wings with a (hopefully) premium design to boot, the competition will be tough indeed. A premium build at a Huawei price could however be enough to sway punters, so we’re looking forward to seeing what it’ll enter into the smartphone race later this year.
Cocktail dispensing robot wins our hearts and petrifies our livers
Take a run in the sun and improve your performance with this kit
Stuff Office Cat’s Diary – 05/03/13
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
