Huawei’s smartphone offers big bang per buck

Huawei were synonymous with budget phones. Not any more. Their latest, the P8 is 100 per cent flagship, but offers big bang per buck value.

LOOK AND FEEL

Design-wise, Huawei hit a homerun. Crafted out of a single block of aluminum, the P8 has chamfered sides. Where most smartphones have a camera bump, the P8’s back is flat. This means there’s nothing to catch on your pocket. Closer inspection reveals a lot of detail. The P8 feels more like a Swiss watch than a phone. Small things such as a textured power button and chrome ring around the flash hint at its sophisticated design. It’s just 6.4mm deep, weighing 144 grams.

UNDER THE HOOD

Firing the P8 up reveals a crisp and vivid 5.2-inch 1080p display.A high-end processor and 3GB of RAMensure performance is smooth. Games displayed no dips in frame rates. Android fans may be frustrated by the lack of an app drawer, but one is on the lock screen, providing music controls, a calculator and flashlight. Dual SIM slots mean you can keep existing calling circles with one telco while taking advantage of a competitor’s cheaper plans.

The P8’s 13MP rear camera also impressed. Where most image sensors have RGB sub-pixels, the P8’s sensor includes white ones that take in more light. Combined with a DSLR-grade image processor, it shot stunning photos.

IN USE

Huawei’s user interface is responsive. It also didn’t get in the way of everyday use.

The P8 delivered just over a day’s life with typical use. This is impressive given its small 2680mAh battery.

I also liked the P8’s speech recognition capabilities. In standby you can utter its customisable name to wake it up to do your bidding. Saying ‘‘okay [name] where are you?’’ sees the P8 play a tune, flicker its flash, saying ‘‘I’m here’’. Frustratingly, it didn’t work with Android Wear devices.

VERDICT

Huawei should be pleased with themselves. They’ve managed to pull off the near impossible feat of offering a great-looking device with flagship features and design at a wallet-pleasing $799 price.

There’s a lot to like. A fantastic camera, a customisable user interface plus a heap of other features should give Huawei’s competitors plenty to worry about.