The Huawei Ascend W2 is a sequel to the extremely popular Ascend W1 Windows 8 Handset. The Ascend W1 posted some decent sales figures in Kenya and it is a darling of many Kenyan Smartphone users.
Related: Huawei Ascend W1 Review Kenya
Huawei ranks third in terms of global Smartphone shipments and the Chinese Tech company is also a well-established brand in the Kenyan Smartphone market. Huawei offers the perfect alternative to the horde of Nokia Lumia Windows 8 devices that have taken the emerging markets by storm.
Here is quick review of the Huawei Ascend W2 and its best price in Kenya.
Huawei.com
Display
The Huawei Ascend W2 has a 4.3 inches IPS LCD display. This is a 0.3-inch bump from the Ascend W1 4” display. The Ascend W2 screen has a 400×800 pixels resolution and a 217-ppi screen resolution density.
One bit I disliked with the Ascend W2 is the 16 units drop in screen resolution density when compared to the Ascend W1. I guess this is the price you have to pay for a slightly larger display.
Body and Design
The Ascend W1 has a 134 x 67 x 9.9 mm frame and weighs in at 160g. By comparison, the device is about 30g heavier than the Ascend W1. The end result is a device with an excellent built quality and lacks the creaky parts often common in most entry level devices.
Technical Specifications
CPU
The Huawei Ascend W2 has a Dual-core 1.4 GHz Krait CPU and 512MB RAM. This is a bit disappointing as most expected at least 1GB RAM. Nevertheless, you will not run into much trouble with the 512 MB RAM.
The Windows 8 OS runs flawlessly on the Ascend W2 but there is however, an occasional lag when running some resource intensive apps.
Huawei.com
Memory
The Ascend W2 comes with a generous 8GB internal memory. This is almost double of what is found on the Ascend W1. A 32 GB Micro SD slot supplements the on board memory. This is more than enough for your Apps, Games and multimedia files.
Operating System
The Huawei Ascend W2 runs Microsoft Windows Phone 8 out of the box. In addition to the super smooth Windows 8 OS, the Ascend W2 comes with some nifty add-ons to add up some extra functionality on the device.
Camera
The Ascend W2 has a 5MP 2592 x 1944 pixel rear snapper. This is exactly similar to the one found on its little brother, the Ascend W1. However, it is extremely disappointing to note that the device lacks both a front facing camera and an LED flash.
Frankly, ‘Hii Ni hujma’! That is Swahili for ‘It is unfair’. I am certain that selfie enthusiasts reading this are cursing at Huawei for being too mean on the multimedia aspects of the Ascend W2. However, cost-saving measures are common for most Entry Level and Mid-range devices. It is this juggling act that keeps such devices in the financial reach of most Kenyans.
Battery Life
The Ascend W2 has a Li-on 1700 mAh battery. This is a strip down from the Li-Ion 1950 mAh found on the Ascend W1. I admit this is a significant drop. Nevertheless, the device can take you comfortably through a day on moderate usage.
Tech Trends Diary Verdict
Why You Should Buy the Huawei Ascend W2
- · A Powerful Dual Core CPU
- · Competitive Price
- · 8 GB Internal Memory
Cons of the Huawei Ascend W2
- · Inadequate RAM
- · Low battery Capacity
Techie Talk
The Ascend W1 to Ascend W2 sequel brings forth the reminiscence of the Galaxy Tab to Galaxy Tab 2 sequel. Sometimes it is not all about throwing in new features to a device, but rather making the device cheaper for the masses.
The average Kenyan Smartphone buyers have a fixed focus on just how much they pay for a device. The Ascend W2 is fine, but if I had to make a choice between the device and the Ascend W1, I would choose the Ascend W1 in a heartbeat.
Tech Trends Diary Rating
Huawei Ascend W2: [usr 7]
Competitors
Alternatives of the Huawei Ascend W2 include the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Samsung Galaxy Core.
Price in Kenya
The Huawei Ascend W1 has a suggested retail price of Ksh 24,499.
It will be awesome if you rate this gadget, Thanks!
Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
