China's Huawei shows smartphone credentials with P8 launch

[LONDON] China's Huawei unveiled its flagship P8 smartphone on Wednesday, a device that stacks up against the latest models from Samsung and Apple in technical specifications if not marketing budget.

The P8, which runs Google's Android operating system, has a 5.2 inch display screen - slightly larger than the Samsung Galaxy S6, unveiled last month, and the iPhone 6 - and an eight-core 64-bit processor.

Made from a single piece of metal, the phone is thinner than its rivals, with a width of 6.4 millimetres, Huawei said at a packed global launch event in London.

Huawei, a major player in the telecoms network equipment market, ranked fourth in global smartphone sales last year, shipping 68 million units, giving it a 5.5 per cent share, according to research group Gartner.

The market is dominated by Samsung and Apple, which Gartner said had combined sales of nearly 500 million units.

Huawei, and fellow Chinese companies Lenovo and Xiaomi, are leading the challenge to the two big players, particularly in their home market.

REUTERS