Huawei showcases world's thinnest smartphone

The world's thinnest smartphone, with a touch screen so sensitive it responds to gloved hands, has been unveiled by rising Chinese manufacturer Huawei in the latest challenge to the iPhone.

The Ascend P6 is just over 6mm thick, comes in white, black and baby pink, and in language usually associated with skin creams rather than computer technology, its maker claims the camera's "instant facial beauty support" software reduces wrinkles and blends skin tone.

The phone capitalises on the growing popularity of the self portrait or "selfie", examples of which now litter the internet, with celebrities from Justin Bieber to Rihanna as likely to photograph themselves as their friends and family.

While smartphone front facing cameras – those on the same side as the screen - have tended to be low resolution, the Ascend P6 has 5 megapixels, compared to 1.2 for the iPhone 5. Its rear camera has 8 megapixels, equivalent to Apple's phone.

On sale from July, and with a recommended price of €449 (£385), or £21 a month with a contract, it is cheaper than the latest iPhone, which costs £529 in the UK. The P6 is made with metal and glass and less plastic than previous Huawei models, but the current version lacks the iPhone's ability to run on 4G networks.


/The Guardian/