Huawei unveils thinnest smartphone in Singapore

A model shows Huawei Ascend P6 smartphone at Huawei's booth during the CommunicAsia in Singapore, on June 19, 2013. International telecommunications giant Huawei unveiled its latest flagship device Ascend P6 in Singapore on Wednesday, marketing it as the thinnest smartphone in the world. [Photo/Xinhua]

International telecommunications giant Huawei unveiled its latest flagship device Ascend P6 in Singapore on Wednesday, marketing it as the thinnest smartphone in the world. And it features a distinctively sleek design, too.

The Asia launch came just a few hours after the global debut of the smartphone at a standalone event in London, showing the aspirations of the China-headquartered telecommunications equipment and solutions provider in the high-end market.

The device is priced at 449 euros in Europe, or 2,688 yuan in China, where it is soon available.

"Huawei Ascend P6 is a new star member of Huawei's P-series of smartphones that use cutting-edge technology to meet the needs of fashionistas," David Wei, president of Huawei South Pacific, said at the launch ceremony during the CommunicAsia.

The 6.18 mm smartphone features a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and a metallic body that comes in white, black or pink. It uses a 4.7-inch high definition in-cell display, a rear-facing 8 MP camera and an industry-leading 5 MP front-facing camera.

The company that has so far built on its success in technological innovation also notably adds to the simplicity and elegance of its devices. Its previous lines of products have been notably weak in their elegance despite the rugged build.

The company has hired designers that used to work for top international brands in the automobile and other industries to work on its latest products and has been investing a huge amount of resources in the promotion of its smartphones.

The P6 uses the Android-based Emotion user interface developed by Huawei itself, which it said has been optimized based on inputs from over 5 million consumers.

The previous Ascend P2 and the Ascend Mate, both unveiled earlier this year, have been well received, too.

The company is also obviously more confident, with Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei Device, saying that it has won hundreds of thousands of orders in Western Europe even before its official launch.

"The smartphone's brushed metallic look is harmonized with a naturally curved base. It is both elegant and intuitive in its design to achieve the perfect balance of fashionable features and user-friendly functions," it said in a statement.