­Leaked photos of what is claimed to be Huawei's first Windows 8 based smartphone have been posted online via a Japanese website.

Reportedly called the Huawei Ascend W1, the Windows based smartphone was expected to be announced last month, along with other Windows 8 based devices, but the launch appears to have been put back until later this year.

The phone is expected to go on sale in China initially, with sales globally possible next year.

According to the Japanese website, the phone will come with a 1.2Ghz processor, 512MB of internal memory and a 5 megapixel camera.