Fujitsu to Introduce Rugged Quad-Core Android Arrows Smartphone at MWC

Fujitsu, which has made a name for itself and its Arrows-branded Android smartphones and tablets in Asia, is looking to expand its offerings globally. The outfit has revealed that it intends to bring its smartphones globally, and Europe may be the next destination for Arrows to head to. That said, we’re beginning to hear about Fujitsu’s Mobile World Congress plans, and the latest Arrows addition appears to be impressive on paper in the specs department.

The Japanese smartphone-maker will be introducing its first Tegra 3-powered quad-core Android smartphone at MWC. The device will be running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and like previous Arrows offerings, come with a dust- and water-resistant slim pastil shell. The device will have a 4.6-inch display, will come with a 13.1-megapixel camera, and will have a fingerprint reader.

When I previewed the current-generation Arrows smartphones at CES last month in Las Vegas, I found the phones to feel a little plasticky as far as build quality goes, though well made. The feeling is very much akin to early Android smartphones from Samsung. That said, Fujitsu has always been leading in the hardware department, and we’re going to have to see how the 13.1-megapixel camera stacks up against the current crop of 8-megapixel camera offerings on high-end handsets from HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung today.

The device may appeal to IT departments with the inclusion of a biometric fingerprint sensor. The only other mainstream device with a fingerprint sensor to date in the U.S. is the original Motorola Atrix 4G, available on AT&T. The device made it quick and easy to unlock the phone without having to enter in a PIN code, alpha-numeric password, or enter any patterns on the display. The feature will be a nice backup or alternative to Android 4.0’s new face unlock feature, which utilizes facial recognition to unlock the phone.

In a conversation I had with Fujitsu’s executives at CES, the company eagerly anticipates to also bring its products to the U.S. market within the coming few years.

Via: Unwired View