Vodacom has announced that it will be launching the dual-core Huawei Ascend P1 smartphone on 7 July 2012.

The P1 is powered by a dual-core TI OMAP 4460 Cortex-A9-based processor running at 1.5 GHz and boasts a 4.3" (540 x 960) Super AMOLED touchscreen. This Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating device sports a frame that measures in at 7.69 mm, compared to the iPhone 4S’ 9.3 mm and Samsung Galaxy S3’s 8.6 mm frame.

Chinese company Huawei equipped the smartphone with a 8 MP BSI (backside illumination) rear-facing camera capable of recording full HD (1080p) videos and a 1.3 MP front-facing snapper for video calls and capturing self-portraits. Also onboard is 1 GB RAM, DLNA support, a large 1670 mAh battery, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0, and Dolby Mobile 3.0 + 5.1 surround sound technology.

This handset will be available at Vodacom World in Midrand as well as other participating Vodacom outlets on a 24-month Business Call contract for R279 per month, which includes 250 MB of data per month over the entire contract period. The recommended selling price on prepaid is R5500, but the operator did state that the final prepaid pricing will be determined by retail outlets.

“The Ascend P1 smartphone will definitely offer our customers value for money. Its unique elegant design and exceptional performance places it as one of the best smartphones available in its price range,” Zunaid Dinath, Vodacom’s managing executive of sales.

Check out our review of the Huawei Honor U8860 smartphone.