Getting noticed in the smartphone space is increasingly
getting tough, especially in the Android space, now that the
Samsung Galaxy S6 has set the bar for everyone else. Last
year, Huawei managed to pique our interest with the Ascend
P7 , its flagship phone that showed to us all that the
company is capable of delivering a quality performing
smartphone in a premium package – while also retaining a
pretty svelte chassis. Staying relevant is key to long term
growth, so knowing that, the company is hoping that its
latest effort is enough to remain competitive.
With the announcement of its latest flagship handset,
Huawei has shed the Ascend moniker, choosing instead to
go with a direct approach by merely naming it the P8 . From
the looks of it, Huawei has been cognizant to improve the
P8 in several key areas, like its specs and design, allowing it
to keep pace with what the competition has announced thus
far. However, even with all the diligent work put in by the
company to keep it in contention, is it enough to actually
rise above and reach the same level of prestige that’s
attached to the devices we get from Apple and Samsung?
The package contains:
Design
Look ma, no hump! Not only is the camera flush, but the
Huawei P8 features a premium design with a svelte chassis.
Aesthetically, the P8 looks closely similar to its predecessor
in the Ascend P7, so the same tradition to offering a
premium design carries on with this. Sporting a hard lined
design, one that’s uniformly flat both on the front and back,
there’s clearly an edgy look to the entire package –
accentuated further by its beveled edges. What’s most
profound, though, is the premium touch that we get from the
design with its new glass and metal design.
Going with this type of materials, it incrementally gives the
phone a sturdier feeling construction than its predecessor,
but at the same time, too, it gives it a substantial feel in the
hand to make us know it’s solid. Technically, it’s longer,
wider, and heavier than the Ascend P7, but the company
was able to shave off just a smidgen off the phone to reach
a profile thinness of 6.4mm, which eclipses the iPhone 6
and Galaxy S6 in the process. What’s even more
impressive, though, is that there’s no hump near or around
the rear camera – making it completely flush, a rare
achievement of late, it seems!
Holding the P8, however, there’s a subtle sharp feel due to
those beveled edges around its trim. It’s not as bad as some
other handsets, but it’s still noticeable nonetheless. The
achievements are commendable on so many levels! Its
premium design, svelte chassis, and uniformly flush
surfaces, all point to the obvious that Huawei is more than
capable of coming up with good designs.
In keeping true to the design language of its predecessor,
the P8 features the same set of ports and buttons around its
trim – even in the same locations as before too! These
include the 3.5mm headphone jack and noise cancelling mic
on its top edge, the power button, volume controls, microSD
slot, and SIM slot on its right, and the microUSB port,
microphone, and speaker along the bottom side of the
phone. Looking intently more on its bottom edge, we can’t
help but to draw comparisons to the iPhone 6, seeing that
the microUSB charging port is flanked by screws.
Again, we have to applaud Huawei for keeping the P8’s
surfaces flush – while also being accompanied with a
premium finish. When it’s laid flat on either side, there’s no
odd section that’s raised due to the camera lens sticking
out. It’s almost mind-boggling, but it’s rare nowadays to
find phones that have uniformly flush surfaces like the P8,
so we really appreciate that one particular design trait. Of
course, that may be at the expense of camera quality...
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