The phone to rule them all… is what I was hoping when the Mate 8 was first announced last year.

Having reviewed and then the bold and proud owner of a Mate 7 the Mate 8 was the shining crown that I was waiting for.

So, is it everything my heart desired?

Well first off those that have owned the Mate 7 or at least eyed one up will see that it is still a phablet, boasting the FHD 6.0 inch size.

The Mate 8 at a quick glance looks extremely similar to it’s predecessor, but, asides from a few aesthetic changes, plugs and ports in different places, the curvature of the Mate 8 is more ergonomic and more snuggly in the hand (or hands).

The finger print sensor is also more user friendly and this even allows you to make payments (if your Banking or Credit Card providor has that service).

The body styling differences are subtle but are welcome.

Where any android phone connoisseur will notice the improvements is when they go under the hood.

Huawei have packed alot of grunt into the slim cased, diamond cut almost non existent bezel phone with a Kirin 950 processor accompanied with 64BIT Architecture and 4GB RAM.

Storage options come in two varieties; 32GB and 64GB. I would have liked to see Huawei adopt the 128GB though. Of course you can expand this via microSD (upto 128GB).

When I’m reviewing an Android phone, I will enter in all of the required setup information, which of course includes Google account information. Google then proceeds to restore all of my apps, and, I guess I can say here I am a power app user with literally 100’s of the tasty micro programs and games that go everywhere with me on whichever handset I am using.

Usually I’ll let Google do it’s thing overnight, as it usually takes a very long time to auto download and install my collection.

The Mate 8 was a surprise. Within only a couple of hours, my 6 or so pages of apps were all there, downloaded and installed at lightning speeds.

Huawei have also managed to make the already beautiful Emotion (EMU) GUI that they overlay on top of the Android OS exquisite.

Bringing a more sharper and defined experience with coloured icons in the top notification bar.

While functionally the interface is still the same and still as super responsive before, it is on par, if not better than Apple’s retina display. The knuckle and finger gestures that we saw in Mate 7 and even P8 are still there, and if you have a one of those super cool Infotainment systems in your car the added Android Auto will see you connected and on the road.

Huawei have ramped up the specs on the camera aswell. With a perfected image stabilizer the 16MP back camera has you snapping or filming like a Pro without the jostling and shaky or blurred visuals other smartphones produce. This is also due to Huawei having an onboard image processor (ISP).

But of course owning a smartphone these days is all about selfies. Huawei have you sorted with the 8MP Selfie camera and a whole myriad of filters which, well, will set the tone for that breathtaking self snap.

Battery performance is outstanding, to almost understate.

On Standby the Mate 8 was able to last up to 5 days without a single charge on moderate to light use. Playing a more graphic intensive game did drain the battery, of course, but we were able to get 4 to 5 hours play before it required a recharge.

Huawei have adopted Fast Charging on the Mate 8 and from almost zero to full charge you would expect to wait around 45 minutes or so. Considering how long the battery will last you on standby, 45 minutes is nothing.

Huawei have also added an Easter Egg into their device, which other smartphone manufacturers tend to have either not thought of or just don’t add.

The Mate 8 is fully equipped for world explorers. They added in more frequency and band recognition to make it easier to latch on and connect to any Global cellular network anywhere in the world. Huawei have always been pushing the envelope in this respect, with the Mate 7 also being a dual sim (and probably the only Dual Sim handset that released on the New Zealand markets commercially).

Pricing on the Mate 8 had me surprised however. At just over 1K it is Huawei’s most expensive device. That said, if you compare to equivalents on the market in both spec and performance it’s still very budgetly priced.

So to answer my question at the start of this review, yes the Mate 8 is all that I hoped for and more. It actually exceeded my expectations.

Huawei’s Mate 8 is more than just another Android phone. If a larger handset gets your juices going, the Mate 8 is a power rocket that not only outshines and outperforms any other handset on the market, but is your fully equipped, highly spec’d ‘mate’ that you shouldn’t be without.

The post Huawei Ascend Mate 8 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

The Huawei Mate 8, which combines lightning-fast performance with groundbreaking power efficiency, is now available in New Zealand.

The Mate 8 builds on the success of the Huawei Mate range, with its stunning design and a user experience shaped from the ground up by the demands of our customers globally.

Featuring groundbreaking hardware, the Mate 8 is the first smartphone to run the new Kirin 950 chipset which boosts CPU power by 100 percent, GPU performance by 125 percent, and power efficiency by 70 percent vs. The Kirin 925. The architecture balances energy efficiency with high-end performance through 4 x A72 2.3 GHz processors and 4 x A53 1.8 GHz processors.

Equipped with a 4000mAh high-density battery, the Mate 8 delivers class-leading power efficiency with over two days of normal usage. With rapid charging technology, the phone is able to charge a day’s worth of power in just 30 minutes. In fact, regular users can go without charging their phone for 2.36 days, and heavy users can go without charging for 1.65 days. The Mate 8 also features advanced six-layer thermal mechanics, which allows higher heat dissipation and ensures the device keeps its cool at all times.

The Mate 8 features a refined, elegant design that highlights its beautiful 6-inch high contrast display. With a leading 83 percent screen-to-body ratio, the phone is able to stay sleek and compact without sacrificing a desiredlarge display. The 2.5D curved diamond cut glass and aerospace grade aluminium metal are joined seamlessly, giving the device a sleek blend of beauty and practicality.

Running Huawei’s EMUI 4.0 with Android Marshmallow 6.0, the Mate 8 brings hundreds of user experience tweaks and improvements tailored to the Mate 8 experience. These include a built-in automatic defragmentation service which continues optimising system performance to ensure maximum performance over the life of the device. Split screen mode is also part of EMUI 4.0, enabling enhanced multi-tasking between apps.

The Huawei Mate 8 introduces a new generation of fingerprint security with enhanced protection technology. The circular fingerprint sensor improves the effective identification area by 10 percent. In addition, the fingerprintfriction ridge matching has three levels of security, providing higher protection for users. The new sensor design also increases the unlock speed by 100%.

The Mate 8 is Semble ready, and maintains two sets of fingerprint interface standards to improve smartphone payment experiences—the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) and Android M standards.  The strong CPU also supports real-time encryption of full storage for better data protection. A microSD card lock prevents anyone from accessing content in the card without a password.

The Mate 8 adopts the all-new Sony 16MP IMX298, increasing the sensor size by 23 percent for breathtaking images.

To further enhance camera quality and performance, Huawei invested US$98 million over three years to develop the first proprietary image sensor processor for faster focusing, higher clarity, and more accurate colour shading. A leading team of 300 engineers was assembled in France to increase the processing speed of the camera, boosting bandwidth to four times the previous level.

The Mate 8 also features an 8MP front camera with a new beauty algorithm for taking the perfect selfie.

The Huawei Mate 8 features “Super Hands-Free 3.0” technology. Whether in a car, a conference room or at a crowded party, users can enjoy clear conversations from up to 3 meters away. With a 120 degree range of audio pick up and directional noise reduction mode, conference calls are crisper and clearer than ever before, no matter where they take place.

In addition Mate 8 features omnidirectional recording and directional playback. Three microphones automatically detect sound sources and record voices from all directions. During playback, people can choose any direction of the sound source they want to hear. Additionally, the Mate 8 provides document readjustment camera mode, which automatically straightens images that are captured at an angle for better viewing.

The Huawei Mate 8 is available from 2degrees, and Noel Leeming stores; RRP$1099 (NZD), Storage: 32GB, RAM: 4GB, Colour: Space Grey.

The post Huawei’s Mate 8 is Down Under appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Today in San Francisco, Huawei and Google introduced the Nexus 6P, an innovative smartphone featuring Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google’s newest operating system for mobile devices.

“Huawei is very excited to collaborate with Google and deliver a premium Nexus experience for the global market,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group. “We value the way consumers embrace mobile technology in all parts of their lives and have created a smartphone with great design, performance and seamless integration of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the latest Android release.”

“We’re excited to partner with Huawei to introduce customers to Nexus 6P, our most premium phone yet and Android 6.0, Marshmallow, our most polished and highest-performing OS ever,” said Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP Android, Chromecast and Chrome OS at Google.

The Nexus 6P is beautifully designed with an elegant all-metal unibody. Crafted from aeronautical-grade anodised aluminium with diamond chamfers encircling its edges, the sculpted back of the phone accents the low-light-loving, fast-movement-capturing camera.

And, Nexus 6P has the best all-around camera being great for outdoor photography, but where it really shines is in conditions with less-than-ideal lighting.

The larger 1.55um pixels capture more light even in the dimmest conditions to produce stunning details and sharp images. The Nexus 6P is also capable of recording 4K and high-frame-rate slow-motion videos. With a faster Google Camera app, you never miss a moment, and with the smart Google Photos app, your memories are easy to relive and always at your fingertips. The Nexus 6P also features an 8MP front facing camera with Google’s HDR+ technology, making it one of the best selfie cameras in the market.

The 5.7” WQHD 518ppi AMOLED display perfect for playing games, watching movies and getting work done in stunning clarity, and front-facing stereo speakers for crisp, clear sound.

With the latest version of the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor under the hood, Nexus 6P delivers great performance, and the 3450mAh battery keeps you talking and texting from day to night.* With the reversible USB Type-C port, there’s no more guessing which way is up.* The included Type-C fast charger gives up to seven hours of battery life from a 10-minute charge.

Your Nexus is quicker and more secure with Nexus Imprint.

Placed on the back of your device to complement the way you naturally hold it, one touch will turn on your phone and unlock your apps for smooth, easy access. For users in the US, Nexus Imprint will also work with Android Pay for quick and easy purchases at thousands of locations nationwide.

Built from the inside out to make the most of the world’s most popular OS, Nexus is the ultimate Android experience. You’re always among the first to receive software updates.* And you’ll have the freshest, fastest version, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, working for you right out of the box.

The Nexus 6P will be available in more than 30 countries and available for pre-order in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland and Japan through the Google Store beginning on Sept 29th, 2015 and in New Zealand from November 2nd, 2015 through the Google Play Store, and at selected retailers including 2degrees, Harvey Norman, and Noel Leeming.

You can expect various storages sizes and colours options  from 32/64/128GB of storage, and colour rangees of Aluminum (Silver), Graphite (Black), and Frost (White).

The post Huawei and Google Unveil the Ultimate Premium Smartphone appeared first on Shane the Gamer.