By When you think of Huawei, you think of quick, cheap cookie cutter phones to release to carriers so they can apply their own branding. Huawei had something different in mind when introducing the Ideos X5, though: they wanted to be as big, as fast, and as good as any of the bigger manufacturers on the market today.
I looked at the phone on the CES show floor today and I had absolutely nothing bad to say about it. It was thin, light, sleek, and felt good in the hands. The screen looked great – not the best I’ve seen, but good enough. And most importantly, it was fast with absolutely no customization or layers on top of Android 2.2. The device also records 720p HD video recording and can snap still photos up to 5 megapixels.
It was so snappy that I had to ask which processor was inside – all they could say is that it was Qualcomm, though. It definitely felt like a 1GHz current-gen version, but I can’t say for certain that’s the case considering LG’s Optimus One keeping up with the big boys in terms of speed even though they aren’t using the beefiest of processors.
Still, Huawei’s done a very good thing here. They told us to expect this thing in January, but that’s only for Europe. I asked them about plans to bring it to other regions, and they said they have yet to make a decision. What’ll be really interesting to find out is how much this thing costs: Huawei is known to be the wallet-conscious manufacturer, but this phone feels like it deserves anywhere from $400-$500 without a contract. Check the quick video of it out above.
Always nice to see more offerings. That said, if they will be asking $400-$500 off contract, this will likely make the contract price still in the 100-200 range. If that is the case, I think people will likely stick with the more known brands, for a while.
Stock Android? YES PLEASE
my nexus one has stock android and I still don’t have gingerbread yet. I’m sure this no name company is going to rush with their updates.
Damn, stock Android is refreshing. Huawei, wanna put together a stock 4.3 inch Super Amoled Plus with Tegra 2, 12mp rear, 3mp front, 2000 mah battery, 8.2 mm thin, with kickstand & gingerbread?
Oh wait, that’s asking too much from any manufacturer.
@onlyever but thats what we want! lol. and your forgot the NFC feature, mirrored HDMI out, dual core processor, and LTE!
I have to say that if I worked for Apple, I’d be concerned to see this…
This phone is already selling in Finland (since beginning of December) for 280€ contract-FREE!
It has QuaLcomm MSM 7230 just like T-mobile G2!
You Android guys do know that Android market exist outside US? ;-)
About time Hauwei introduced a phone with proper specs and it looks good too. Should be popular because of the price.
MSM7230 AND stock Android? And it looks great.
Maybe this is the phone that a metropcs rep said was going to metro in febuary? Hope so. Looks great. HUAWEI = AFFORDABLE
Doesn’t the Comet run stock 2.2 ?
The comet does run Stock 2.2….but its the size of my little finger. With all the major manufacturers adding overlays on top of android, I would love to see a major player (or one from left wing like this) pledge to running only stock android and back it up with BIG TIME hardware. The devs would FLOCK to that phone and create more buzz for the XDA faithful to follow. The only problem is getting the network providers to sign on to letting a stock android phone on the network. They love to add bloatware (which would be ok if it could be removed. I don’t know if Hauwei is the right company to do this…would like to see this phone get gingerbread A.S.A.P…then maybe we can talk.
Given that the 280 pounds cited above should include VAT, the North American cost should be well under $400 US.
Lols, love the now standard android lag test in every video these days. A left swipe and a right swipe, and laaaag in every move. How is wm7 so f’ing snappy on ver 1? I really want to hate wm7, but I’m actually considering it.
were can i get that wallpaper??
Huawei will release the device this month in Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, said Victor Xu, Huawei’s chief marketing officer, in a webcast on Friday.
Xu said the Ideos X5 will cost between $250 and $300.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/216024/huaweis_ideos_x5_smartphone_plays_720p_video.html
More info
Huawei has launched about 10 Android smartphones and will launch 10 more smartphones in 2011, beginning with the Ideos X5, Xu said
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/01/07/huawei-expands-android-phone-lineup/
Its already in finland, but the name is u8800. I own one but it has problems with the sd card. Quadrant 1100, Neocore 43.5 fps.
Yeah, it is (or was?) available here in Finland as U8800. It has issues though. Huawei now has a chance to prove itself as a reliable and serious vendor by releasing updates for this device, or it can fcuk up for good and forget about the owners once the phone has been sold. We’ll see how it ends up.