Huawei's first Windows Phone handset, the W1, is set to challenge the Nokia Lumia 620 at the low end of the market with a launch price of 1599 Yuan (about £162 at today's exchange rate). It does have MicroSD card support, and comes with an 800x480 IPS 4 inch screen and a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.

The low handset price of the W1 should translate well to the pay as you go markets and with both Huawei and Nokia on the shelves in the lower price bands (and probably available for free on a contract with a low monthly line rental), consumers will have a choice of Windows Phone handsets. And where there is choice, there is competition, and competition helps drive platforms and sales.

The Huawei W1 is initially being targeted at the BRIC countries, along with O2 in the UK (who should have the handset on sale during Q1 2013).