HUAWEI Ascend P8 rumors hint at a ceramic body and 2.5D display

The Huawei Ascend P7 may only be 6 months old, but sources in China are suggesting that a successor could make an appearance as early as January 2015, at next year’s CES. The handset is apparently already undergoing internal testing.

Just like the Ascend P7, the P8 looks to fall somewhere just behind the premium-tier of flagship smartphones. Early rumors suggest that the Ascend P8 will feature a 5.2-inch 1080p display with a ppi of 424. The display will apparently feature a “2.5D” tapered edge, which is becoming increasingly common these days.

HUAWEI is also said to be taking note of the trend towards more expensive build materials. The Ascend P8 could end up with a metallic body, and a ceramic back and buttons. From the blurry image accompanying the Chinese report (see below) we can also make out a new look camera design and what could be an accompanying fingerprint scanner or dual-LED flash setup. HUAWEI made excellent use of its fingerprint scanner with the Mate 7 and one would be a welcome addition to its more reasonably sized smartphone range.

However, the rumor looks a little dubious as it suggests that the P8 might end up being powered by a 16nm FinFET HUAWEI Kirin 930 SoC manufactured by TSMC. However, the consensus is that TSMC isn’t scheduled to begin 16nm mass-production until much later in 2015.

Overall, the source’s suggestions point to a small upgrade over the Ascend P7, with attention to build quality being the most noticeable change from the last generation. As usual the HUAWEI Ascend P8 looks to be competitively priced, with a rumored price-tag of 2,999 CNY ($490).