Huawei Launched P8 Lite for U.S. Market

Huawei has raised the curtain a smartphone that will be launched in the United States, something the company has rarely done in the past. The device was announced at an event in the U.S. today and is the Huawei P8 Lite, a handset that has already been released in Asian markets, although there is one minor difference between that and the U.S. model.

At the start of this year, the Chinese giant announced that it would be launching devices in the United States during the year, in an attempt to finally have a major presence in North America. The P8 Lite is the first evidence of the company’s new strategy. As you may remember, the P8 Lite was launched alongside the proper P8 flagship and the P8Max back in April.

Like we mentioned, there is a minor difference between that device and the U.S. variant, namely the inclusion of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 615 (U.S. model) instead of Huawei’s own Kirin 620. The Snapdragon 615 is a 64-bit chipset with eight cores and a clock speed of 1.5GHz. Other specs on the P8 Lite are the same and include 2GB of RAM, a 13 megapixel rear snapper, a 5 megapixel front facing lens, and a 2,200mAh battery. Elsewhere there is 16GB of internal storage that can be bumped by up to 32GB extra thanks to a micro SD card slot.

Considering its very humble mid-range price point, the P8 Lite is very good looking, one of the most aesthetically pleasing at the price we would actually say, metal unibody and all. However, as is often the case with Huawei’s fantastic hardware, it is let down by the software. In this case there is Android 4.4.4 KitKat and not Android 5.0 Lollipop. We do not know why Huawei ignored the newer build, especially as the Asian P8 packs Lollipop, but we imagine an update will happen in the future. The company’s own Emotion UI 3.0 is baked on top of Android, and it is a take it, or leave it experience, hardly a deal breaker but the weak point on this handset.

As normal, Huawei is being very competitive in terms of price and is selling the P8 Lite in the United States for a very reasonable $249.99. The device is available from today and can be bought online from Amazon, Target, or GetHuawei.com, with the latter offering purchase options for 3, 6, or 12 months. The handset will also roll out to various bricks and mortar locations around the country.