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CES: Huawei Ideos X5 runs stock Android

The globally released Huawei Ideos X5 is officially headed to the U.S. A stock Android interface makes for a refreshing change.

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Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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Huawei Ideos X5--photos

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LAS VEGAS--Just as we reported yesterday, Huawei introduced a new phone for the U.S. market at this year's CES, the Huawei Ideos X5. This midrange Android handset is no stranger; it's already been released in Asia. The U.S. timetable is much murkier--Huawei is keeping the U.S. launch date, carrier, and price under wraps until later this month.

In that sense, the specs are no surprise. The slim, trim Ideos X5 has a nice 3.8-inch screen with a WVGA display (800x480 pixels). It looked bright in our hands and we liked the dark gray brushed metal rim that gave the phone a more premium feel. Multimedia aficionados will appreciate the 720p video recording and playback that comes alone with the smartphone's 5-megapixel camera. The Ideos X5 accepts up to 32GB expandable memory, with 512 MB RAM inside.

It runs on the stock version of Android 2.2 (Froyo), so there aren't any proprietary skins to stand between the handset and updates. We also happen to favor the simpler Google-envisioned interface. Froyo means it's also got hotspot support and Flash 10.1 support as well as standard Android features like e-mail and voice navigation. The keyboard comes preloaded with Swype.

We're cooking up a video--check back to see our hands-on.