Huawei claims world’s fastest smartphone at MWC 2012

Smartphone makers looking for the next big thing appear to have found it in speedy quad-core processors, with Huawei’s latest entrant boasting the world’s fastest title… for now.

Normally a brand responsible for budget phones, Huawei is giving it a crack with its Ascend D Quad, a smartphone featuring a 4.5 inch HD screen (720×1280), support for Dolby 5.1 surround, 8 megapixel rear camera with 1080p Full HD video capture, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and a thickness of 8.9mm.

The speed demon used in this phone is Huawei’s own chip, which it says is faster than Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 that will be making its way to other handsets and tablets, including the recently reviewed Asus Transformer Prime. Clocking in a 1.5GHz, Huawei says that right now, this is the world’s fastest smartphone.

“In January at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas, we achieved a world record for the world’s slimmest smartphone with the Huawei Ascend P1 S,” said Huawei’s Richard Yu. “We are proud to once again introduce a world-first at the 2012 Mobile World Congress with the Ascend D quad, the fastest smartphone.”

While some might admire Huawei for its inclusion of the world’s fastest processor, the screen clarity is also something of note, featuring an almost Retina grade 326ppi. This level can be seen in the quality of detail and how easy to read items on-screen will be.

We’re not quite sure how Apple will improve its current technology – with Retina boasting 329ppi – but it’s clear that other companies are prepared to bring high-end displays to the table.

Another model will also be introduced – the Ascend D Quad XL – which will feature identical specs, but be slightly thicker at 10.9mm and feature a larger battery rated for between two and three days of use.

Huawei hasn’t yet announced a local price or telco attached to its Ascend Quad D models, though it did say they should be arriving within the next few months.