Ask anyone to name the top selling smartphones in the U.S. and you won’t find one from Huawei anywhere on that list. Even though the company has a huge presence and market share in China it hasn’t had much luck Stateside. Carrier support is limited and the company’s devices aren’t really a household name. Huawei now looks to change that and has opened up a direct path to potential customers in the U.S.
Huawei has launched a new website, www.gethuawei.com, for customers in the U.S. Those who want to purchase a smartphone from the company can head over to the website and purchase directly from it. For now only the Ascend Mate 2 is available, it was unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 in Las Vegas.
Let me recap the Ascend Mate 2’s specifications to jog your memory. It has a 6.1-inch 720p display, a Snapdragon 400 processor with 2GB RAM, 5 megapixel front and 13 megapixel rear camera backed by a 3,900mAh battery that’s said to be good for 25 hours of talk time. The device is LTE-ready.
Huawei is selling the device unlocked and off contract through its website for $299, positing the Ascend Mate 2 as a compelling mid-range Android 4.3 Jelly Bean powered smartphone. Those who pre-order a unit from the website between now and June 22 will also receive a SIM card with a month’s worth of free service as well as a case for the device itself. 20GB free online storage for life from Bitcasa has also been thrown in.
