Haier, Chinese the perhaps better known for appliances than phones, introduced five new Android devices.
First up is the flagship HaierPhone W970. Designed for those who want to stream media on their phones in mind, the W970 features a huge 6-inch IPS screen that’s been optimised for video watching.
It runs on a quad core processor, which should be able to keep HD video running smoothly. It’s said to have an HD resolution, but without a spec sheet, we don’t know if that means it’s 720p HD or Full HD 1080p.
The screen is an OGS (One Glass Solution) display; a single layer of glass that sits on the capacitive touchscreen instead of many transparent layers sandwiched together. This has allowed Haier to get the W790 down to a fairly slim 7.7mm across.
A 13-megapixel camera, 16GB of built-in storage and Android 4.4 KitKat come along for the ride. The W970 is available in Europe now for €199 (£157).
Next on Haier’s list are the colourful L701 and L901. They’re both Cat 4 LTE devices, meaning you’ll be able to get (in theory) top speeds of 150Mbps on 4G networks.
The more budget of the two, the L701, features a 4.5-inch IPS screen that Haier claims gives it better viewing angles.
It’s 9.7mm thick and packs in a 5-megapixel autofocus camera. It’ll cost €129 (£102) and will arrive on European shores in the next few months.
The L901 is a little more powerful, weighing in with a 5-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera. Haier has decided to add in Digital Theater System (DTS) for virtual surround sound, although how much it will improve the sound quality on a €179 (£140) phone remains to be seen.
Like the L901, the HaierPhone W861 also includes DTS, although on a slightly better features device. Running on a Qualcomm 8212 quad-core processor, the W861 is touted as Haier’s speedy phone.
It features Android 4.4, a 5-inch HD IPS OGS screen with an 8-megapixel camera. Although Haier says the device is ‘ultra slim’, we would tend to disagree because at 8.6mm, it’s a whole lot chunkier than most other devices announced at IFA. The radios inside the W861 also only give you top download and upload speeds of 42Mbps and 11Mbps, so it won’t be as nippy as the L701 and L901 when it comes to browsing the web.
The final device announced by Haier is the E-ZY A6, a simple phone designed for users with accessibility issues in mind.
It features a stripped back and simple UI with large font sizes and a stylus for those who find navigating with fingers tricky.
Like many of Doro’s phones, there’s an SOS button on the back, should you get in trouble and need help and the charging station means the device is apparently easy to find, even in the dark in case of emergencies.
The E-ZY A6 hits shelves in October and will go for €99 (£78.50).
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