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The Ascend P1 was a top-notch phone in January... the landscape has changed drastically: Huawei's "Platinum device" will be released in a world in which the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III are available as alternative options. The P1 is a good phone, but it's not in the same league.

The bottom line: Huawei's Ascend P1 takes a step in the premium direction with great specs and a striking design, but it ultimately falls short of its potential.

Our final conclusion for the Huawei Ascend P1 was quite favorable. Other than a few design decisions we’d probably change ourselves the phone is promising... They are headed in the right direction and I’d love to have this phone be available for a good mid-range price on AT&T or T-Mobile.

Huawei's phone definitely holds its own against the competition. It's processor is fast, it's screen is good and it has a decent 8-megapixel camera. You will need to factor in the extra expense of buying your own memory... one of the competitor's models may seem like an even better deal.

Audio and video both won us over, and this makes for a great multimedia phone. Call quality is good too, and everything is well laid out, even with some slight UI tweaks by Huawei. Indeed, this is one of the closest phones we've used to a Nexus device for purity of Android.

The Ascend P1 LTE is a solid phone. Really, we should love it, as it's a barebones Android experience for the most part, has speedy 4G and seems to manage well with its battery. And indeed, it's reliable and practical, but it's also a bit dull.

Huawei might just have their golden ticket in the Ascend P1. This phone hits all the big areas people are looking for in a device they'll hold onto for two years, and in such a sleek package, you'll love whipping this out in front of friends and phone nerds alike.

The Ascend P1 doesn't quite manage to replicate the same classy feel as HTC's One series or the Xperia S, but it gets very, very close and is a great option for anyone looking to combine serious power and size while also avoiding manufacturer skins.

Huawei is certainly on the right track with the Ascend P1 – it is thin, light and stylish on the exterior, while capable on the interior with its dual-core processor. Some tradeoffs are introduced to seal its mid-range faith.

The Ascend P1 LTE is certainly not a bad phone but it is a little 'last-year' with its screen, camera and performance not really rivalling the current top dogs.

The specs may be impressive but there’s compromise at every corner, most noticeable in the build quality.