Huawei Ascend P1 Review
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The battery module is with the decent 1670mAh capacity, considering the screen is not HD, and the TI OMAP processor has a pretty intelligent throttling system that ensures meager consumption at stand-by. Huawei doesn't quote talk times, but we found the battery to reach a long way in everyday usage.
Conclusion:
Huawei is certainly on the right track with the Ascend P1 – it is thin, light and stylish on the exterior, while capable on the interior with its dual-core processor. Some tradeoffs are introduced to seal its mid-range faith, like a non-HD screen and 4GB of internal memory, but the Super AMOLED screen is great for watching videos, there is a microSD slot for expansion, and the sealed battery is with quite the endurance, so these are minor quibbles.
We really liked what Huawei did with ICS, leaving the stock Android interface as default, but adding a few easy to switch to light themes for those who want some variety, including a 3D UI. It also abstained from adding bloatware, but rather preinstalled only useful basics.
We'd like to see a bit more capable camera module, but it's still neither better nor worse than your average smartphone cam, and has quite the number of functions and effects to compensate for the somewhat bland pics and video.
Good current alternatives are the Sony Xperia P or the HTC One S, for example, and these are both formidable competitors. The Xperia P might be a bit thicker, but its camera performs much better and it has one of the brightest smartphone displays out there, while the HTC One S has a superb design, a pretty capable cam, and more memory.
What Huawei Ascend P1 has going for it is the design and the stock ICS interface, which will appeal to many, plus the good all-around package. Yet considering it is the gateway phone for Huawei's Android onslaught, the Chinese should be very careful with the pricing scheme if they want to establish Huawei as the best value for money smartphone maker.
Software version: U9200-1V100R001COOB212
Huawei Ascend P1 Review:
Pros
- Stylish, thin and light handset
- Vibrant Super AMOLED display
- Stock Android ICS by default
Cons
- Just over 2GB of user-accessible memory
- Photos often come out overexposed and with bland colors
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18 Comments
1. kshell1 posted on 01 Jun 2012, 06:18 8
If priced correctly it could be a device worth the look for some people. Not for me I target the highest end phones.
2. Nathan_ingx posted on 01 Jun 2012, 07:28 2
The back still looks Chinese-y...no offence!!
But it looks sleek none the less.
6. kshell1 posted on 01 Jun 2012, 08:15 7
Considering it looks nothing like the iphone it must really be a rip off >.>
13. nicholassss posted on 14 Jun 2012, 10:10 0
the average american probably wont be able to pronounce it. IF they ever blow up stateside everyone will be saying "howie" I'm sure.
7. JayRaj posted on 01 Jun 2012, 13:18 1
Just 7 for such a device?! I've seriously started doubting u guys' rating...
9. bobsen posted on 01 Jun 2012, 13:50 1
Thanks for the review. Were all the photos taken with default settings? I would like to see some photos with the saturation turned up.
10. slaggyb posted on 01 Jun 2012, 20:49 1
This is a very capable phone for power users and it got stock ICS with a pentaband 3G frequency how many phones currently in the market can boast of that? Apart from the limited internal memory and a high price of 500bucks this indeed is a well buit and equipped phone....Good job Huawei atleast when your newer and higher end phones with HD resolution are released later on this year it be able to compete with the likes of the SAMSUNG GALAXY S iii and the HTC ONE X....
11. Utipod posted on 02 Jun 2012, 07:13 0
How long before Apple sues them for building a rectangle?
12. groupsacc posted on 02 Jun 2012, 19:36 0
Better not say anything bad about this device, allotta chinese around here
15. avivaus posted on 22 Jun 2012, 02:37 0
is the ascend p1 have OTG?
and it is flash supported?
16. TechnoViel posted on 12 Jul 2012, 08:56 0
Nice Review, nice phone - if the price drops I'll surely consider it for a buy!
One question: I see the mcro-SD slot is externally accessible... can you change the SD card without shutting down the phone? USB OTG would also be nice to know...
@avivaus: Flash ist still available, but Adobe is withdrawing the app from the play store (I think July 15th - so very soon!) and will not support Android 4.1 / Jelly Bean. But this apply to any Android phone!
17. eekiguy posted on 26 Jul 2012, 02:38 0
TechnoViel @ I cant get OTG working on my P1 with the cable i have, but the SD slot is good enough, dont like to keep a cable in my pocket anyw.
I feel some of the US reviews are way to negative on Huawei, i dont know if its cos of high pricing in US or they just dont like Chinese phone brands giving other big players a though competition.
The P1 is a great phone for this price, in China for about 315-375USD, i dont see any other phone come near this price tag with its specs.
Did a search and found it for 369USD + shipping from hotmid:
http://hotmid.com/huawei-ascend-p1-4-3-inch-super-amoled-android-4-0-mobile-phone.html
18. TechnoViel posted on 26 Jul 2012, 07:31 0
@eekiguy: Thanks for your reply. What a pity about OTG, but you're right, the microSD slot partly makes up for that. I might start using microSD cards in my camaera, so I can bump these into the phone and send some shots home ;-)
Here in Europe it's still at ~385 EUR, that's >450USD :-(
Still a very nice phone :)
(I'm planning to review it against Xperia P and One S on www.technoviel.de, but wait for confirmation on the test units)
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