Huawei Ascend D quad XL Review

Recent Huawei Android phones have all offered a pretty good call quality in the earpiece, and the Ascend D quad XL is no exception. The sound comes out very strong from the ear speaker, with enough clarity and distinction. 

The noise-canceling mics subdue the street fluff around you, and relay your voice to the other party with a strong volume, albeit somewhat hollow-sounding. 

Huawei has equipped its flagship Android handset with a best-in-class 2,600 mAh battery, which provides 15 hours of talk time in 3G mode, and 500 hours on standby. We ran an HD video at 50% brightness for an hour, and the handset’s juicer depleted less than 5%, so you can rest assured the battery longevity front is covered here.

Huawei has grown a lot from the manufacturer of cheap low and mid-range phones we knew, and the Ascend D quad XL offers high-end features and launch price that are commensurate with the current Android flagships.

The phone is positioned to stand a chance against Android juggernauts from Samsung, LG or Sony, so it offers everything they do, like a powerful processor and HD screen, but wrapped in quite the thick and uninspiring body. This plasticky and rather chubby construction is a major gripe with the phone, along with the jittery autofocus when recording video. Huawei did utilize the ample space inside, however, to throw in the largest battery capacity in its class, so the design tradeoff might be acceptable for some. 

Direct competition to the Huawei Ascend D quad XL is the LG Optimus 4X HD, which comes at about the same price, and offers very similar specs, down to the jittery autofocus. It has a very slim and eye-pleasing body in comparison, though, plus it sports a slightly larger display. 

The HTC One X is also of similar pricing, with a more toned body, and screen that is larger and brighter, but its lack of a memory expansion slot is a turnoff.

The Sony Xperia T should also be noted as a competitor, and it has the same chubby physique as the Ascend D quad XL, while offering a better camera. With the 15 hours of talk time, though, Huawei’s phone one-ups its direct competition in battery capacity, which makes it a very serious contender in the Android battle.