14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like Microsoft’s partnerships with various handset makers and OEMs have started to come to fruition as multiple Windows Phone 8.1 handsets have been announced in the last couple of days.
Last week, Indian OEM Micromax announced that it would bring its first Windows Phone 8.1 handsets to India sometime in July, the Canvas Win W121 and Canvas Win W092.
Earlier this week, Romanian-based OEM Allview launched its first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphones, Impera I and Imperia S, which should go on sale in the country in August.
Today, Chinese company Hisense announced the upcoming availability of its first Windows Phone devices, the MIRA6. Unfortunately, there are no details on the exact release date and price tag, but Hisense has confirmed that the smartphone will be available through China Telecom carrier.
Speaking of which, MIRA6 is China Telecom’s first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone, Livesino.net reports. Hisense has also released the first promo for the MIRA6, but the Chinese company made the same mistake as Micromax and presented the smartphone with Android buttons.
There’s also the matter of its resemblance with iPhone 5. Viewed from behind, the MIRA6 looks very much like Apple’s smartphone, but it’s a bit wider.
Hisense MIRA6 will be available in both black and white colors and we suspect that China Telecom will start selling the smartphone within the next couple of weeks.
More importantly, Hisense MIRA6 offers dual-SIM capability with dual standby support, and will ship with Microsoft latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system out of the box.
On the back, the mid-range Windows Phone handset packs an enhanced 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while in the front, there’s a no less impressive 5-megapixel camera for video calls and selfies.
Another strong point of the MIRA6 would be the 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports HD (720p) resolution. Hisense’s smartphone is only 7.18mm thick and offers Dolby Sound, as well as various connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB and GPS with A-GPS.
Things are starting to move for Microsoft and the fact that many OEMs have been convinced to launch Widows Phone devices this summer can only mean more options for customers and larger market share for the platform.