We had heard previously that T-Mobile’s reliable MyTouch brand would change into Huawei’s hands later this year, and it looks like that’s been confirmed. TmoNews got a sneak peek at the upcoming mid-range phone, with pictures snapped by some surreptitious tipster. The phone appears to follow in the footsteps of other MyTouch models with a decidedly mid-range design, running Android 2.3.6 (sigh). This incarnation of the MyTouch is without a QWERTY keyboard, though a different version may be in the works for a simultaneous debut.
Previously the T-Mobile MyTouch line was in the hands of HTC, before being shifted to LG for the MyTouch and QWERTY-packing MyTouch Q last year. Apparently LG’s efforts weren’t up to snuff, because T-Mobile’s going with the third major manufacturer in eighteen months. Two Huawei models were spotted a couple of weeks ago: the U8680 and U8730, identical save for a slide-out keyboard. We know that the screen is 800×480, but not how large it is; given these preview shots, I’d say it’s between 3.7 and 4.0 inches.
There’s no word on a release date or price for either phone, but “soon” and “not too much” are pretty safe bets given the previous entries in the family. While we can’t hide our disappointment that Gingerbread on new phones is so common, Huawei’s been surprisingly good about getting timely ICS updates out. Hopefully they’ll do so for their new entries as well, though T-Mobile would need to share some of the blessing and/or blame for that one. Expect more concrete details on both new Huawei phones in the next few weeks.
