Will Huawei Make Waves in U.S. Market With SnapTo Smartphones?

by Todd R. Weiss

The new Huawei SnapTo smartphone features a 5-inch HD (1,280-by-720) TFT touch-screen display, a Qualcomm MSM8926 Snapdragon 400 chipset, a quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor, 1GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 graphics chip.

The unlocked $179.99 SnapTo runs an earlier version of the Android operating system, KitKat 4.4, and can be used on most 4G LTE GSM-enabled mobile networks, according to Huawei. The unlocked phone will work with AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as many smaller GSM carriers.

The SnapTo offers enough power to allow users to switch easily between multiple applications at once on their smartphones so they can check calendars, send emails, check the weather forecast or use the calculator app as needed.

Included in the SnapTo is a 5MP auto-focus rear camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, as well as an Ultra Snapshot camera feature that allows users to press the lower volume button twice to quickly capture a spontaneous moment without unlocking the screen.

The SnapTo includes a 2,200mAh battery and measures 5.69 inches long, 2.85 inches wide and 33 inches in thickness. It weighs 5.29 ounces and features a leather texture finish on its rear cover, as well as a 2MP front-facing camera.

The smartphone has 8GB of built-in storage and can be expanded to 32GB via a micro SD card. While fully 4G LTE-capable, it also supports 2G and 3G mobile networks. The device also includes WiFi 802.11 and Bluetooth 4.0 support, as well as WiFi hotspot capabilities.

Huawei is the world’s third-largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and Apple, but it continues to be known mostly in its native country of China, according to research firm IDC. Huawei may not be very well-known in the United States so far, but the company is working to change that.