A stylish and productive new product in 2014 is the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 phablet. Its hardware filling makes it easy to solve any, including the most complex tasks. It is about her, as well as reviews of the real owners of this gadget and will be discussed later.
Phablet Niche
Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is the flagship solution of this manufacturer of the 2014 release. Its hardware and software components still continue to be relevant today and allow to solve all problems without exception. But now, after a year and a half after the start of its sales, more expensive and more productive smartphones have appeared. Accordingly, this phablet will be more justly attributed to the average price range. The price and the possibilities confirm it once again. But at the same time, it has everything that modern flagship devices are equipped with. Therefore, this gadget can be a great solution for those who want for a relatively low cost to get an excellent smartphone. It is on them that this decision is oriented in the first place.
Gadget
This unit cannot boast of something remarkable in terms of configuration. Everything is standard:
- The “smart” phone itself with a built-in battery.
- Charger with 2 A.
- Proprietary interface cord.
- A modest wired speaker system with a microphone. Fans of high-quality sound and music lovers will definitely not like it, and they will have to think about buying a better speaker system.
- User's manual. It also has a warranty card.
- A special clip for extracting the slots for installing SIM cards and an external drive.
Most of the case in this gadget is made of metal. The front panel is protected by Gorilla Eye 3rd revision glass in the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. It is most likely not worth buying a case for a device with a similar degree of protection. In addition, a special protective film is already initially glued to the screen area, so there is no need to buy it additionally. In general, from accessories you can only think about buying an external drive. Its capacity in this case can reach 64 GB.
Appearance and arrangement of controls and communication ports
Enough impressive overall dimensions of this phablet. Its length is 157 mm, its width is 81 mm and its thickness is 7.9 mm. It is difficult for an average person to manage this device only with the fingers of one hand. But this is true for all phablets without exception. And its weight is equal to only 185 grams, and this is very little for such a dimensional device. Three color variants of the case are available for this smartphone: black, silver and gold (all this is very similar to the iPhone 6). The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Black variant is the most practical solution. Fingerprints, dust and dirt are not so noticeable on it. But at the same time, the device already does not look so elegant and premium. The silver case will appeal to the weak half of humanity more. There is something feminine and elegant in it. Well, Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Gold will emphasize the special status of its owner.
83% of the front panel is occupied by a touch screen, under which is the logo of the manufacturer. There is no special control panel at the bottom of the gadget. For these purposes, the lower part of the screen is used, on which this panel is displayed. Above the screen are the earpiece, the “window” of the front camera and several sensors. Mechanical control buttons (volume control and lock) are grouped on the right side of the device. In order for the user not to confuse them under any circumstances, the surface of the lock button is made loose and the volume swing is smooth. On the lower edge of the gadget, a micro-USB port and a miniature opening of the conversational microphone are displayed. On top of it is a microphone hole for suppressing noise during a conversation and a 3.5 mm audio port. On the left side of the smartphone are two disguised slots. To remove special plastic inserts from them for installing a SIM card or external flash drive, you will have to use a special clip that comes with the phablet. One slot is designed to install a SIM card of a conventional format. But the second one can be used to increase the amount of memory in the device or to install a second SIM card of a reduced format. A peephole of the main camera, its single LED backlight, and the main speaker are displayed on the back cover. Well, the manufacturer did not forget to place your logo here along with a fingerprint sensor.
CPU
It is the high performance and phenomenal energy efficiency of the CPU that is one of the key advantages of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. Premium - devices from other manufacturers with similar characteristics cannot boast of such a combination. The device is based on the computing platform Kirin 925, developed by a subsidiary of Huawei - Hisilicon. According to the documentation, this chip includes 8 real computing cores that operate according to the big.LITTLE scheme. That is, at maximum and average load on the device, 4 computing modules based on the Cortex-A7 architecture are in operation. They are capable of overclocking at maximum load to 1.3 GHz. Their main advantage is high energy efficiency. It should also be noted that if 2 cores out of 4 are enough to solve the problem, the remaining 2 just turn off. Do not forget that with an excess of computing power, the frequency of each active module automatically decreases. As a result, we get a very energy-efficient system that adapts to the needs of the problem being solved. When the computing resources of the first computing module of four cores are not enough, it turns off and the second computing cluster automatically enters the work. It also consists of 4 cores. But only in this case we are talking about the architecture of the “Cortex-A15”. It provides an uncompromising level of performance. The clock frequency of each of them can reach 1.8 GHz. Again, the frequency of the computational modules in this case dynamically varies depending on the degree of complexity of the problem being solved. In exactly the same way as in the previous case, kernels not involved in the operation are deactivated. This allows you to run almost any task on this smartphone. The only exception is 64-bit applications, which are now not so many. It's just that this chip is built on the basis of two 32-bit architectures - such software will definitely not be “tough” for him. All of the above makes the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 very similar to the two flagship solutions from Samsung: S4 and S5. But this Chinese manufacturer went further and equipped this chip with another educational computing module, which received the code name “i3”. Its clock frequency is only 230 MHz. He is responsible for the maintenance of sensors and sensors. Such a constructive solution allows you to significantly unload the main computing resources of the smartphone and thereby further increase its performance and energy efficiency. No other manufacturer of mobile gadgets, including Apple or Samsung, can boast of such hardware optimization. Finally, it should be noted that this semiconductor crystal is made in accordance with the standards of the 28-nm process.
Graphics Accelerator
Smartphone Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is equipped with a very productive graphics accelerator Mali-T624MP4. This is a four-module video card that operates at a frequency of 600 MHz. Great flexibility in terms of energy efficiency, like the processor itself in this device, it can not boast. On the other hand, it is necessary to understand that this graphic accelerator should display a picture on a 6-inch display and even in “HD” quality. This is the task that a well-installed video card handles.
Display
A very high-quality display is used in the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 Premium. The review of its technical parameters is even now impressive, although quite a lot of time has passed since the start of sales. So, the parameters for this screen are as follows:
- The resolution is 1920x1080. That is, the image, as noted earlier, is displayed in “Full HR” - quality. Add to this a pixel density of 368ppi and we’ll see that it is certainly impossible to distinguish a single point with such characteristics with the ordinary naked eye.
- The matrix of the screen is made using the IPS technology. Added to this is the absence of an air gap between the touch panel and the matrix. As a result, we get impeccable picture quality.
- To protect the display from possible damage, the front panel of the phablet is covered with a protective glass "Gorilla Eye" 3rd revision. A layer of a special oleophobic coating is also applied on top of it , which prevents fingerprints from appearing on the screen.
- Also, the device has a light sensor, with which it is possible to automatically adjust the brightness of the display.
Sound
The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 phone boasts high sound quality. The main nuance here is the presence of the optional Tensilica HiFi3 module, which is integrated directly into the crystal of the central processor. It processes the sound signal arriving both on the spoken speaker, and on the main. Also involved in the processing of the signal output to the 3.5 mm audio port. Therefore, the sound of this mobile gadget is much better than that of other competitors. But for this we need an appropriate speaker system. A complete stereo headset is certainly not and lovers of high-quality sound will have to immediately think about buying a better accessory of this class.
Cameras
Another strong point in this device is the 13 megapixel main camera. It is based on the touch element IMX214 manufactured by Sony Corporation. Of course, the developers did not forget to equip it with an autofocus system and an LED backlight system (in the dark it is simply irreplaceable). The quality of the photo is really excellent on this device and does not cause any complaints. The only significant minus is that the camera’s peephole itself stands out against the back cover of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. The cover may not be superfluous for this device. With its help it will be possible to avoid possible damage to the eye of the main camera. There is no separate camera control button in this gadget. But the ability to quickly capture an important point still exists. To do this, you need to quickly press the volume down button two times. As a result, the necessary application will start and it will be possible to start photographing. There is also the possibility of recording video in the format “FullHechDi” with an image refresh rate of 30 frames / sec. The front camera has a more modest sensor - 5 megapixels. But this is quite enough for its typical tasks: "selfie" and video calls. To process the received images, an additional IMAGESmart Engine version 2.0 coprocessor is used. It allows you to get a better picture, and at the same time, the resources of the central processor are practically not used. Another important point in optimizing this phablet.
Memory
Several versions of this gadget are on sale at once. The most modest of them is equipped with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. Some of them (1 GB of RAM and about 4 GB of internal storage) will be occupied by preinstalled software. There is also a more advanced version of Huawei Ascend Mate 7 - 32Gb, it has the capacity of an integrated drive, and RAM in it will be 3 GB. To determine which version of the gadget in your hands is quite simple - at a price: an advanced version of the flagship solution costs 1.5 times more. In the single-sim version of the phone there is no way to install an additional external drive. And now the two-SIM version of the device allows you to do this. But it is necessary to understand that you will have to sacrifice the second slot - because of this, the device will cease to be dual-SIM. The maximum capacity of the external drive in this case is 64 GB. But even the capacity of the integrated drive in the most economical version of the smartphone is enough for comfortable work. But in order to avoid the loss of the most important data in the event of a device failure or breakdown, you need to use cloud services and periodically save the most important information on them.
The battery of the gadget and its autonomy
The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 smartphone has a built-in 4100 mAh battery. In reality, one charge is enough for 1-2 days of battery life. Given the diagonal of the display, the size of the device and the processing power of the central processor, this is an excellent indicator. If you use the maximum saving mode (it is possible only to make calls and send and receive SMS), then you can count on 3 days. Something more could be achieved with such technical parameters and with such a battery capacity.
Interfaces
All the main methods of transmitting information are supported by Huawei Ascend Mate 7. The characteristics in this regard are as follows:
- Full support for all existing cellular networks is fully and fully implemented in Huawei Ascend Mate 7. LTE, GSM and 3G - you will have no problems working with any of them.
- Wi-Fi is the main tool for transferring data to the global web. It can also be used to upload files of any size to the device.
- To exchange a small amount of information with similar "smart" phones, it will be most optimal to use "Bluetooth".
- This unit can work immediately with two navigation systems "ZhPS" and, of course, GLONASS.
- To connect using an interface cable to external devices, it is most rational to use a micro-USB port. Also, using it, the battery is charged.
- Another wired interface is designed to output a sound signal to external speakers - a 3.5-mm audio port.
Additional protection
An additional means of protection is equipped with Huawei Ascend Mate 7. A review of its back cover indicates the presence of a fingerprint sensor. It is with its help that additional protection of the device is implemented. Now, in order to unlock the phone and gain access to personal data, you will have to confirm your personal presence with the help of this procedure. This puts this device on a par with last year’s smartphone from Apple - iPhone 6. Moreover, the algorithm of this sensor is an order of magnitude better than the flagship solution of the Apple company. And this is another serious plus of this phablet.
Sensor Set
An impressive set of sensors and sensors boasts Huawei Ascend Mate 7. A review of technical specifications indicates the presence of an electronic compass. With its help and with the appropriate software, turning this device into a regular compass will not be difficult. There is also a light sensor (it allows you to automatically adjust the brightness of the display) and distance detection (it automatically locks the screen during a call). And in this phablet there is a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
Soft device
Initially, a version of Android with serial number 4.4 is installed on this device. The first time you connect to the Internet, the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 will update the system software automatically. Version 5.1 is currently available. The manufacturer’s official plans also include a transition to an even more “fresh” version of the operating system - 6.0. Only now, while specific dates have not been announced. When this happens is not entirely clear. In general, a powerful hardware platform allows you to install the latest versions of the operating system on this gadget, and there will certainly not be any problems. On top of the OS, the proprietary shell of Huawei Emotion UI is installed. Version 3.0 will be available from the box. But after installing the updates, its version will also change. The set of the rest of the software is quite solid and allows you to start using the device right out of the box.
Tests
Of course, now the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is far from the flagship performance level. Premium - the latest generation of devices - are built on the basis of more productive chips, and last year’s flagship is already difficult to compete with. Therefore, it is not necessary to expect a fantastic number of points in various test packages. But we can safely note one important nuance: the performance of this phablet is quite enough for a comfortable game in Real Racing 3, Asphalt 8 or GTA 3. Moreover, you can run them even at maximum settings. Therefore, the level of performance of this gadget can safely be called excessive. And the detailed situation will certainly continue over the next two years.
The cost of the phablet today
Like any other flagship device, it can not cheaply cost Huawei Ascend Mate 7. The price for a more modest version of it starts at $ 400. And this is true for black and silver variants of the case. If you want to buy a stylish golden gadget, you will have to increase the indicated amount by $ 50 more. Even more expensive is the more advanced version of the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. The price of silver and black smartphones starts at $ 480. Well, a gold device with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of integrated drive is estimated by online stores at $ 520.
Owners opinion about smartphone
In reality, the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 gadget does not have any significant shortcomings. Reviews only confirm this. Someone complains about its large enough size. On the other hand, they knew its dimensions before buying and after that they complained about the inconvenience of working with one hand on it. And if such a flaw is already voiced, then everything suggests that it really turned out to be an excellent phablet from this Chinese manufacturer. But the advantages are many times more with the Huawei Ascend Mate 7. Reviews indicate these:
- Perfect build quality. However, its degree of protection is not satisfactory.
- A central processor combining energy efficiency and performance.
- Large and high-quality display.
- A high degree of autonomy, as for a device with such dimensions.
- Excellent cameras that allow you to receive high-quality images and record video in the format of “FullHCHD”.
- Constant updating of the software part of the device.
To summarize
Huawei Ascend Mate 7 is an excellent solution for those who want to get a relatively inexpensive, but at the same time functional and reliable smartphone. Of course, its price of $ 400 is quite high today. But, on the other hand, you get a smartphone that will be relevant for more than a year. And the manufacturer himself will regularly “pump it up” with software updates.