Skip to main content

Huawei might soon offer an ultra-affordable Android smartphone

huawei ultra affordable phone nova bottom section
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Since 2015, Huawei’s U.S. smartphones have consisted of midrangers like the Honor 6X and more high-end options like the Mate 9. Based on recent benchmarks and FCC listings, however, it looks as if an entry-level option is on its way.

According to the listings, MediaTek’s quad-core 1.44GHz MT6737T processor and 2GB RAM power a phone termed the “Maya,” while the MicroSD card slot provides additional storage. A 2,920mAh battery keeps the lights on, with the phone is compatible with LTE bands 2, 4, 5, and 7. Unfortunately, the phone apparently runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, though it is too early to determine whether it will receive an update to Android 7.0 Nougat.

Recommended Videos

Interestingly, the Maya is listed under model numbers MYA-L03 and MYA-L23. Based on the listings, the former sports one SIM card slot, while the latter includes two such slots. Regardless of the model, the Maya will feature a removable back cover, though it looks like the battery will not be removable.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Just about everything else is shrouded in mystery, though it looks as if Huawei wants to target the low-end smartphone market in the U.S. The company has slowly built a solid array of options for the country, but it has yet to deliver an ultra-affordable option since its renewed U.S. marketing strategy took effect with the Honor 5X‘s launch back in October 2015. Since then, Huawei launched the Honor 8, Mate 9, and Honor 6X in the U.S., but all those phones cost at least $250 unlocked.

The Maya could be that low-end option, since the phone is expected to sell for around $100 to $150. It can also provide Huawei with some breathing room, since the midrange smartphone market has substantially matured since 2015. Expect the phone to sell through some prepaid channels, with an official announcement sometime in the near future.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
The Vivo X100 Ultra might be 2024’s new smartphone camera champion
Vivo X100 Ultra color options

Vivo X100 Ultra color options Vivo

The Vivo X100 Ultra is the latest and greatest in the X100 and X100 Pro line, which was first announced in November 2023 in China. As the rumors hinted at, the X100 Ultra is designed to be a photography beast and the new flagship in the lineup.

Read more
Android 15 might add a new way to charge your gadgets
The Android 15 logo on a smartphone.

Wireless charging has been a fringe feature for over a decade, despite Apple's push into the ecosystem with the iPhone X and its later adoption of MagSafe. It has been limited to flagship phones, save for a few exceptions, mostly due to the painfully slow charging speeds. But with Android 15, Google now seems to offer phone makers additional reasons to adopt wireless charging even without dedicated hardware.

Instead of relying on a dedicated charging coil, Android 15 could enable wireless charging on phones with Near Field Communications (or NFC) tech. Android Authority dug up instances from the source code of Android 15's first user beta, which arrived last week, that suggests the implementation.
Not new, but definitely noteworthy
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Tushar Mehta / Digital Trends

Read more
I used a new type of smartphone that could replace Android
Two phones running Apostrophy OS, sitting next to each other on a chair.

When you buy a phone today, your first decision is to decide which operating system you want: Android or iOS. We've seen other platforms come and go over the years, from Windows Phone to Palm OS, but Android and iOS remain your two sole choices in 2024.

One of the last things I saw at CES 2024 earlier this month was a smartphone operating system that's trying to be that third choice between Android and iOS. It's called Apostrophy OS (also referred to as AphyOS), and I got to play around with it while also chatting with Apostrophy CEO Steve Cistulli to learn about the could-be Android and iOS alternative.
What is Apostrophy OS?

Read more