GSM Review

Huawei Ascend P6

 

What is the Huawei Ascend P6?

 

The Huawei Ascend P6 is the world’s slimmest smartphone at just 6.18mm thick. It is the latest flagship phone from the Chinese manufacturer and is looking to challenge the Google Nexus 4 for the mantle of the best smartphone on the market at a wallet-friendly price point.

The P6 is a handset that treads the line between and mid-market and high-end handset, with a 1.5GHz quad-core processor lining up alongside a 4.7-inch 720p display and an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera.

Set to hit retailers in August around the £300 marker, can the Huawei Ascend P6 really rival the Nexus 4? We’ve gone hands-on to find out.

Huawei Ascend P6 - Design

 

The Huawei Ascend P6 design is about more than just the svelte 6.18mm thickness - its a notable improvement over the manufacturer’s past offerings. The P6 feels great in the hand, with the brushed metal body yielding no unwanted bend or flex. It weighs just 120g and feels nicely balanced, too.

Strangely, despite being just 6.18mm thick, the Ascend P6 does not feel unnervingly slight. In fact it feels like a solid, well-constructed phone that could stand up to the rigours of daily usage with little sign of wear or tear.

There is a nagging familiarity about the phone that is impossible to escape, however. The Huawei Ascend P6s design has more than an air of the iPhone 5 about it. Although considerably larger than its Apple-branded rival, its metal edging and brushed aluminium rear are more than a little familiar.

Huawei Ascend P6 - Screen

 

The Huawei Ascend P6s screen is a 4.7-inch 720p HD offering. As such it is a notable step back from the eye-popping 1080p Full HD likes found on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One. That doesn’t mean it isn’t impressive in its own right, however.

The P6 screen is sharp, vibrant and proved highly responsive during our hands-on. Photos and text looked detailed, and colours were rich and clear. Well need to get it side-by-side with similar phones to get a proper idea, but on first inspection it seems unlikely to disappoint.

Huawei Ascend P6 - Performance

 

From first impressions, the performance of the Huawei Ascend P6 is strong. Apps load and close promptly with little fuss or fanfare and menu transitions are fluid and elegant.

Behind this is the P6’s 1.5GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Its a pairing that pushes the P6 to the upper end of the mid-range market, enough that it should hold its ground against the top phones. It is a step on from the Huawei Ascend P2 unveiled earlier this year.

Although it has just 8GB of internal storage, the P6 supports expandable memory via microSD. This option is hidden away neatly under a key accessed slot on the handset’s side.

Running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the P6 overlays the familiar Android OS with the latest rendition of Huaweis Emotion UI. On the first impressions, the Emotion UI is easy to navigate and offers a visually appealing, natural and intuitive interface to the phone, though there quite a few features we didnt time to explore during our hands-on time.

Huawei Ascend P6 - Cameras

 

Huawei has built more than your average point-and-shoot snapper into the Ascend P6. It has added a number of elements more akin to a designated compact, including a 4cm macro focal length and an f/2.0 aperture. In testing the macro capabilities proved accurate and precise, although it was a little sluggish to focus.

Shutter speeds seem more than acceptable and the camera’s handling of challenging lighting conditions was impressive - something well test further in future.

The Huawei Ascend P6’s forward facing camera felt a little disappointing in first use given its impressive sounding 5-megapixel resolution. With less defined edges, images viewed back on the handset’s screen lacked the colour management of the rear-mounted offering.

Beauty Shot mode, a feature said to produce more flattering pictures of your face, requires further testing but on first use and theory comes across as little more than a gimmick in the realms of the Dual Shot mode found on the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Huawei Ascend P6 - First Impressions

 

The Huawei Ascend P6 is a strong handset from what remains one of the lesser known global manufacturers. The P6 is a sign that the brand is finally putting as much effort into its design as it is the spec and low price point. If marketed correctly, the Huawei Ascend P6 could be the device to send Huawei into the mainstream. It won’t be troubling the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One just yet, though.

Samsung recently released its official Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean update with base firmware XXMC3, for Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus GT-P6200 in several countries including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and United Kingdom. The official firmware is now available for download via Over-The-Air (OTA) update as well as through Samsung KIES.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200 users who have already updated their devices with Android 4.1.2 XXMC3 Jelly Bean firmware, may root their devices using the tutorial below.

This tutorial uses CF-Auto-Root file released by recognised XDA Developers, Chainfire. The CF-Auto-Root file allowing Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus users to root their devices easily.

Disclaimer: Rooting voids the warranty of your device. We and the developer of this rooting procedures shall not be held responsible if any undesirable outcomes may happen to your device. use of this root guide is solely at your own risk!

Pre-Requisites
1) Install USB Driver for Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus on your computer.
2) Enable USB Debugging Mode. [Press Menu >> Settings >> Applications. From there navigate and tap on Development option and ensure the USB Debugging is turned on.]
3) Make a backup of all your important data before following the guide.
4) Ensure the battery of the tablet is charged more than 80 per cent.
5) The Recovery file and the Superuser files used for rooting are compatible only with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200 running on Android 4.1.2 XXMC3 Jelly Bean.

Steps to Install CWM Recovery on Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200
Step 1: Download Recovery.tar.rar file for Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to the computer and extract using winrar/7zip/winzip or any other extracting tool
Step 2: Download Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip file and copy to SD card of tablet
Step 3: Download Odin 3.07 and extract the zip file
Step 4: Switch off the tablet and place it into Download Mode. To do so press and hold Volume Down and Power buttons together. A warning screen will arrive, then press Volume Up button to enter into Download Mode
Step 5: Run Odin on your computer
Step 6: Connect the tablet to the computer using the USB cable while the device is in the Download Mode. A message saying Added will arrive under Odins message box in the bottom left. You will also get to see COM port with a number in Yellow when the tablet is connected to the computer successfully
Step 7: In Odin, click the PDA and select the recovery.tar.md5 file
Step 8: Ensure the Re-Partition option in Odin is not selected
Step 9: Double-check and click Start in Odin. The installation process will now begin
Step 10: Once installation is completed, the tablet will reboot automatically. After the home screen appears, unplug USB cable from the tablet to disconnect it from the computer

Steps to root Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus by Installing SuperSU via CWM Recovery
Step 11: Reboot tablet into Recovery mode by pressing and holding Volume Up and Power buttons together.
Step 12: Once device is in Recovery mode, use Volume to scroll to Apply Update Zip from internal storage
Step 13: Now select install zip from sdcard, select choose zip from sdcard and then navigate to the Superuser-3.1.3-arm-signed.zip. Select and confirm installation by selecting Yes
Step 14: Once installation process is completed, return to main recovery menu and select reboot system now to reboot tablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus P6200, running official Android 4.1.2 XXMC3 Jelly Bean, is now rooted successfully. Open the app drawer of the Galaxy tablet and look for an app called superuser.

Thanks to all fellas at XDA who first tried out this rooting technique. This root method was originally posted via XDA-Developers original thread.

LG has released an invitation and teaser video for its upcoming August 7 event, strongly tipping the LG Optimus G2 for a summer arrival.


The long-confirmed LG Optimus G2 could launch at the international media event LG is holding on August 7 in New York.

The South Korean electronics manufacturer has released formal invitations and a teaser video for the New York-based event with the tagline “Great 2 Have You”, likely to be a strong reference to the upcoming Optimus G2 flagship.

With the August 7 event confirmed just days after LG confirmed that the LG Optimus G2 will run on a Snapdragon 800 CPU, it was already very likely that the next LG flagship would make an appearance at the New York event.

LG had already confirmed to TrustedReviews that the LG Optimus G2 would definitely launch in Q3, so this August event fits perfectly with this release schedule.

LG Optimus G2 Features

Already confirmed to be a super slim smartphone that reportedly may even be too thin for traditional buttons for volume controls or a power button, the LG Optimus G2 will run on Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 800 CPU.

This CPU would mean the LG Optimus G2 would be 75 per cent better than its LG Optimus G predecessor in terms of performance, not to mention the LG manufactured Google Nexus 4 or rival Sony Xperia Z.

Due to its thin body, the flagship should feature an unusual button array. In fact, the latest leaked image showed the LG Optimus G2 pictured with rear volume buttons situated just below the camera.

The latest rumours suggest the Optimus G2 will come with a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD IPS screen surrounding by an ultra-thin bezel to keep the phone’s body slimline.

Potentially also packing a 13-megapizel rear camera with shot enhancing optical image stabilisation, the LG Optimus G2 could rival the HTC One or Nokia Lumia 925 in terms of camera functionality. 

We have already seen quite a bit of the unannounced Nokia EOS smartphone that is supposed to have a 41 megapixel PureView camera and running on Windows 8.


Now, a metal shell of an unannounced Nokia device has leaked that suggests there could be another Lumia device in the making with a full metal body. The shell is made out of aluminum and you can see cut outs for the camera lens and LED flash on the back and SIM slot and USB port on the top.

Also noticeable is a rather pronounced hump on the back of the phone. This could be because of a particularly large sensor or because the phone itself being so thin that there was not much space inside without the sensor bulging out.

Whether this device is being developed or was an early version of some other device that got cancelled, is something we dont know. But we do know that the EOS device we saw being leaked earlier has a 41 megapixel sensor for sure, as can be seen from the image below.

Weve heard rumours, read about leaked specs and potential release dates, but now it appears that the HTC One Mini handset may be in front of our very eyes.


Engadget has posted a pic from a "trusted source," claiming to show the shrunken 4.3-inch device up against the flagship 4.7-inch counterpart.

If the picture is genuine, the smaller iteration of the device will maintain the aluminium unibody that was such a massive hit on the original HTC One.

According to the photographer who provided the leak, the phone will pack a scaled back 1.4GHz  dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, compared to the originals quad-core offering.

As of right now, the source claimed the device is packing the Android 4.2.2 the latest version of Jelly Bean, as well as Sense 5.0, with HTCs new Blinkfeed feature.

As to whether the UltraPixel camera tech will make its way onto the smaller handset, well that remains unclear, but full HD video is apparently on board.

The report didnt commit on screen resolution either, although previous leaks have suggested that a 720p display will be in play rather than the spectacular full HD offering on the original.

Engadgets report said to expect an announcement this "fall" whereas Bloombergs report yesterday had suggested an August release was on the horizon.

Only official word from HTC will settle the matter which, at the moment, we dont have.