As excited as we were back in January about Huawei’s Ascend P1/P1 S high-end smartphones, we eventually got tired of waiting for either of the two devices to go up for sale in the US. Not to mention that the Ascend P1 S is nowhere to be found across the globe, being still scheduled to come “soon”. Not cool, Huawei, not cool at all!

Now, a new version of the Ascend P1 has been spotted getting FCC’s approval, which gave us some hope that the device would finally be released in the US. Unfortunately, there’s no indication in the FCC documents that LTE-enabled Ascend P1 would ever come to the United States.

In fact, based on the 201HW codename, XLI band LTE and 900/1500/2100 MHz HSPA bands mentioned in the FCC docs here, it’s pretty clear this particular version of the Ascend P1 will only be heading to Japan via SoftBank Mobile, the nation’s third largest mobile carrier.

As we have learned to expect from FCC certifications, the filing doesn’t mention a whole lot about the device’s spec sheet. In this particular case, we have no reason to think that the LTE Ascend P1 will be in anyway different from the international model of the phone. Japanese tech lovers should therefore expect the same dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP proc under the hood, as well as 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of internal memory, 8 MP/1.3 MP cameras, a Super AMOLED 4.3-inch touchscreen with 960 x 540 pixels resolution, and Android 4.0 ICS out of the box.

Though there’s little reason for optimism for US tech users drooling over the thought of an LTE-enabled P1 (or an even more exciting P1 S), this FCC listing at least give us a glimmer of hope. After all, if Huawei can do it for Japan, why couldn’t it do it for America, too?

Anyone still thinking of buying an Ascend P1 or P1 S when and if it will hit the States? Or has the excitement completely worn off?