We're in Barcelona this afternoon (or, in the US, this morning), and Huawei has just taken the wraps off its latest and greatest smartphone - the Ascend D Quad. It's almost as thought the name is suggesting something about the phone's hardware.

Powering the device is Huawei's first in-house smartphone processor - the K3V2. It has four cores, clocked at 1.5GHz. It's really fast. That's about all we know at this point.

But back to the Ascend D Quad (I'm going to call it the Ascend DQ for short - anyone up for a Blizzard?). So, aside from its K3V2, what's the DQ got going for it? Well, we know there's a 4.5" 720p display, so it's definitely packing a plethora of pixels. It's also a mere 8.9mm thick, but still manages to squeeze in an 1800mAh battery. Huawei claims its earSmart technology provides industry-leading noise cancellation on the DQ, and its 8MP rear camera is purpoted to capture some particularly impressive stills.

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Huawei also unveiled two other iterations of the device - the DQ XL and the D1. The DQ XL is packing an extended 2500mAh battery for all your juice-thirsty needs, while the D1 sports a modest dual-core processor for more budget-minded consumers. We'll (hopefully) be getting some hands-on time with these devices on the show floor tomorrow, so stay tuned for more info.

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Here's the full press release:

Huawei Introduces the World's Fastest Smartphone: The Ascend D quad

With Huawei's proprietary quad-core chip and power management system

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today introduced the world's fastest quad-core smartphone, the Huawei Ascend D quad. Powered by the Huawei's K3V2 quad-core 1.2GHz/1.5GHz processor and boasting the most compact design among 4.5-inch smartphones, the Ascend D quad expands the realm of possibilities for consumers with an Android 4.0 operating system and Huawei's proprietary power management system which provides up to 30% in energy savings.

"We've listened to people's top demands from smartphones: speed, long-battery life, high quality visual and audio capabilities, and a compact, lightweight handset. The Huawei Ascend D quad exceeds these expectations," said Richard Yu, Chairman of Huawei Device. "In January at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas, we achieved a world record for the world's slimmest smartphone with the Huawei Ascend P1 S. We are proud to once again introduce a world-first at the 2012 Mobile World Congress with the Ascend D quad, the fastest smartphone."

The Ascend D quad is an entertainment dynamo with its 4.5-inch 720P high definition touchscreen, and the industry's most powerful 32-bit true color graphic processor. Its PPI 330 screen providing crystal clear display even under direct sunlight, is complemented by its Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and Audience earSmart™ voice technology for an experience which excels across the senses. Its 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, and 1080p full HD video-capture and playback capabilities enables you to record your special moments in clearer, richer detail.

The Ascend D quad comes with an 1800mAh battery, which lasts for one to two days with normal usage. The smartphone's prowess is enhanced by Huawei Device's proprietary power management technology which provides a longer battery life of up to 30% compared to industry average by adjusting power consumption according to usage needs. It also ensures higher chipset performance and efficiency by maintaining a low chip temperature.

Measuring 64mm narrow and 8.9mm slim, the Ascend D quad is proof that good things do come in small packages. With an ultra-thin frame, the lightweight and compact smartphone's 4.5-inch touchscreen seems to vanish into the edge, creating an "infinity" feel and allowing an exceptionally narrow body.

In addition to innovative hardware design, the Ascend D quad also has outstanding software design. In addition to its Android 4.0 operating system, the Ascend D quad optimizes the user experience, ensuring greater ease of use.

As part of the Ascend D series, Huawei also introduced the Ascend D quad XL and the Ascend D1 smartphones. The Ascend D quad XL comes with a 2500mAh battery which provides two to three days of normal usage. With the same specifications as the Ascend D quad, the Ascend D quad XL measures 10.9 mm slim. The Ascend D1 runs on a 1.5 GHz dual-core CPU and has a 1670mAh battery.

The Ascend D quad series will be available in China, Australia, Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America, and the Middle East in Q2 2012. The Ascend D1 will be available in the above markets from April 2012.