Huawei's Windows Phones hang on with Ascend W2

The colorful W2 range follows up last year's Ascend W1, first seen at CES, with this 4.3-inch, dual core Windows phone.

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Jessica Dolcourt

Nov. 7, 2013 8:32 a.m. PT

Huawei Ascend W2 comes in a rainbow of colors. Huawei

At least one Windows Phone partner isn't abandoning ship in the wake of Microsoft's plans to purchase Nokia's hardware division for its own. With the introduction of the Ascend W2, the phone-maker at least commits to supporting the OS through another iteration of its only Windows Phone device.

Huawei didn't reveal much when announcing the entry-level W2 in early November. Like its predecessor, the Ascend W1 -- which we first saw at CES 2013 -- will come in some bright shades. This time around, we get yellow, blue, and yellow to go along with basic black.

The W2's screen is slightly larger than the W1's, a 4.3-inch IPSLCD panel instead of a 4-inch display. However, the resolution stays at 800x480 WVGA, which means the pixels may be slightly less crisp on the W2, though probably not a stark enough difference to notice.

Huawei hasn't revealed camera specs, but has said that the phone is equipped with 720P video recording and playback, which tells me that a 5-megapixel camera is likely. A 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor will keep things running inside.

Apparently, the phone is already on sale in China in both TD and UMTS configurations. This month, the Ascend W2 reaches Russia and the Netherlands, followed by other undisclosed markets.