Saturday, November 10, 2012

Phone Review: Huawei Ideos X5 Pro (U8800)

I recently purchased a new mobile, Huawei U8800 pro. I bought it through an online store, as the brand is not sold commonly in shops. The major plus of the phone is the price and it is from the world's largest telecom manufacturer. Although all phones are made in China, there is a mindset that Chinese products are inferior.

The phone is well built. Not too large like Micromax canvas series or not too small like the Sony xperia series. It fits your pocket and if you have a large hand like me, you can easily use it single-handed. The phone lacks any physical buttons in the front. Only volume keys and power/lock buttons are the physical keys in the phone placed at left side and top, respectively.

Screen:

The phone has a 3.8 inch capacitive touchscreen. The display is good and vivid. The screen is scratch resistant. I am using without screen guard, and not yet have any scratches. Resolution is 480 x 800 px.

Sound:

The sound quality is relatively good. Ringtones are loud enough to be audible. FM radio is also there. So there is no need to carry a hefty memory card filled with songs always.

Camera:

Camera is not up to the mark. I have expected a better camera. Video 720p recording is available. But quality is 50-50. No front camera. That's ok if you are not in to making video calls.

OS:

Comes bundled with Android 2.3. I updated to Android 4 (This is an official update). It is smooth and works like a charm. For those who are not satisfied, check XDA developers site for other ROMs.

Other Hardware Specs:

1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 1 GB for apps, 1.6 GB internal storage, microSD up to 32 GB  (I got 8 GB free). Comes with a charger and headphone. Headphones are not in-ear type. But quality is good.

Battery:

This is the best part of this phone. It lasts for 3 days with moderate usage (1 hour calls, videos, music etc) but without internet. With internet connection, it lasts for 1 to 1.5 days.

Update(December 2013):

After 1 year, this phone has lived up to the expectations. I am completely happy with this phone. :) :)