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Huawei Mate 8 review: the almost-perfect phablet

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The Huawei Mate 8 is finally here. The successor to the Ascend Mate 7, the battery miracle of 2014, has joined the race. But has Huawei once again delivered a long-distance runner with solid performance? In this Huawei Mate 8 review, we’ll investigate where this phablet outpaces the competition – and whether it really is a compelling purchase.

Huawei Mate 8

Good

  • Great battery life
  • Very good performance
  • Fast fingerprint sensor
  • Great design

Bad

  • Poorly placed speakers
  • Mediocre camera
Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8: All deals

Huawei Mate 8 release date and price

Huawei took its time in releasing the Mate 8. This 6-inch phablet was originally expected to make an appearance at IFA 2015 in Berlin, but unfortunately, the schedule was delayed. The reason for this lies inside the Mate 8, with its Kirin 950 processor. The new high-end processor from Huawei's own chip manufacturer wasn't actually ready until early December, and thus delayed the launch. Initially, the Mate 8 was only available in China; an international launch was announced at CES 2016 in Las Vegas in January.

In China, the Mate 8 comes in three different versions: a 32 GB version with 3 GB of RAM, a 64 GB version with 4 GB RAM and a 128 GB version that's also equipped with 4 GB of RAM. All other technical data and features, however, are the same for all three versions. In Europe, the Mate 8 price ranges from around 450 euros, for the smallest version, to 520-620 euros for the 128 GB model.

 

Huawei Mate 8 design and build quality

When the Mate S was introduced at IFA 2015, it also revealed Huawei's new design language, which the company has also used for the Mate 8. While the Mate 7 was largely made of plastic, the Mate 8 is made entirely of metal. There are only two narrow strips of plastic, at the top and bottom of the device.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 screen apps
The design is largely similar to the Mate S. / © ANDROIDPIT

A closer look reveals additional design differences between the Mate 8 and the Mate S. The camera lens cover is now round, not polygonal, and the fingerprint sensor is also round.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 usb new
Huawei continues to use a Micro USB connector for the Mate 8. / © ANDROIDPIT

The edges of our Chinese review unit's metal housing are roughened, making it a little grippier than the Huawei Mate and less likely to slip from your hand.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 side volume button new
The button arrangement is also similar to Mate S. / © ANDROIDPIT

It’s quite easy to identify keys that are found on the side of the device too. While the volume rocker has a smooth surface, the power button is textured, to help you distinguish between them.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 side sim new
There is only one slot on the left-hand side. / © ANDROIDPIT

The Mate 8 feels like a well-designed phone – quite the opposite of the plastic-laden Mate 7. There is a significant jump in overall quality, too.

Huawei mate 8 Dual Sim
The dual SIM slot gives the option to use a microSD card instead of a second Nano SIM. / © ANDROIDPIT

Huawei Mate 8 display

The Huawei Mate 8 display is a 6-inch IPS Neo screen that offers a Full HD experience, comparable to that of the Huawei P8. The only difference lies in the size of the display.

Huawei mate 8 Display
The Mate 8 display is a Full HD unit. / © ANDROIDPIT

Huawei has consistently avoided using 2K resolution displays. The Mate 8's 6-inch screen packs 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, which gives it a pixel density of 368 ppi. This is far less than a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, for example, which offers 518 ppi.

The IPS panel of the Mate 8 shows no weakness in the production of colors. But you'll notice the difference between it and the Mate S's AMOLED display, which offers fuller and better contrast.

There are advantages to the IPS panel used in the Mate 8, most notably when it comes to brightness. The maximum brightness setting of the Mate 8 outshines the AMOLED display of its sister model.

The Huawei Mate 8 uses Gorilla Glass 4 to protect the display and its rounded edges. To use the technical jargon, these edges are referred to as 2.5D Glass.

Huawei Mate 8 special features

Fingerprint Sensor

The Huawei Mate 8 has, as would be expected, a fingerprint sensor on the back, just as the Mate S and Ascend Mate 7 do, but it's now round rather than rectangular. Apart from the shape of the sensor, little else has changed.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 camera
The fingerprint sensor is now circular like the Nexus 6P. / © ANDROIDPIT

The fingerprint sensor does more than just unlock the smartphone. Additional functions can be found in the settings, such as triggering the camera, handling calls, or stopping the alarm.

Huawei Mate 8 software

Huawei ships the Mate 8 with Android 6.0 and 4.0 EMUI from the factory. It’s the first Huawei smartphone to deliver Marshmallow.

Huawei Mate 8 Software 4
Huawei provides the Mate 8 with EMUI 4.0. / © ANDROIDPIT

At first glance, nothing much has changed compared with Android 5.1.1 and EMUI 3.1. There is no app drawer, instead all apps are distributed on the home screen after installation. You’ll need to order and drop them into folders yourself.

Huawei Mate 8 Software 3
Thanks to Android 6.0, EMUI 4.0 now has an app permissions manager. / © ANDROIDPIT
Huawei Mate 8 Software 1
Our Chinese test unit was still missing some fine-tuning. / © ANDROIDPIT 

If you dive into the system a bit deeper, you’ll see numerous small changes. First of all, I noticed that the Huawei Mate 8 has a landscape mode for the homescreen. This makes a lot of sense given its 6-inch screen. 

Huawei Mate 8 Software 2
Stagefright is not an issue with the Huawei Mate 8. / © ANDROIDPIT

In the settings of EMUI 4.0, and thanks to Android 6.0, you’ll find a new calling feature called Huawei Authorization Manager. This grants or restricts various permissions for the apps you use.

Huawei Mate 8 performance

As mentioned earlier, the Mate 8 uses the new HiSilicon Kirin 950 processor. The octa-core processor, is based on ARM's big.LITTLE architecture. The four ARM Cortex-A72 cores of the processor clock to a maximum speed of 2.3 GHz. This quad-cluster only kicks in when power is really needed, such as during graphically intensive gaming and video decoding.

For non-intensive tasks, such as sending SMS, WhatsApp messages or emailing, the four Cortex-A72 can be clocked down and the four ARM Cortex-A53 cores take over the bulk of the computational work. These four cores clock at a maximum of 1.8 GHz.

For our review, we used the basic version of the Mate 8. It has 3 GB of RAM and an internal memory of 32 GB, which is expandable with a microSD card. Our first benchmarks showed that the Kirin 950 is currently one of the most powerful processors on the market. Even Samsung's Exynos 7420, used in the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, is left behind by the Kirin 950. You want evidence? Take a look at the screenshots below:

Huawei Mate 8 Benchmark 1
The benchmark results prove it: the Huawei Mate 8 climbs the throne of the fastest smartphone. / © ANDROIDPIT
Huawei Mate 8 Vellamo
In the Vellamo benchmark the Mate 8 performs well. / © ANDROIDPIT

On Geekbench 3, AnTuTu 6.0 and Vellamo, the Huawei Mate 8 runs very fast. It’s quite different to the benchmark we got from Base Mark, though. This app measures the performance of the graphics unit, and the Mate 8's can't keep up with the Galaxy S6's and those of its edged siblings.

Huawei Mate 8 Basemark X Medium
On medium quality settings in Base Mark X, the Mate 8 lags behind the Galaxy S6. / © ANDROIDPIT
Huawei Mate 8 Basemark X high
Even on the high quality settings, the Mate 8 still ranks behind the Galaxy S6. / © ANDROIDPIT

Huawei Mate 8 audio

Don't let the dual speaker design of the Huawei Mate 8 deceive you. Audiophiles might be disappointed to discover that, as with the Mate S, the right speaker grille produces sound, but the left is there only for adornment.

Huawei Mate 8 Logo
Audio only plays through the right-hand speaker grille. / © ANDROIDPIT

The Mate 8 also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but there is an interesting comparison we need to make here with the Mate S. While the Mate S, with correspondingly certified headphones, produces DTS sound as standard, this feature was omitted from the Mate 8. But that is not a huge disadvantage as the difference between DTS and non-DTS sound isn’t especially noticeable.

There isn’t much to complain about regarding the Mate 8’s call quality. I found the sound to be good, even in very noisy environments, as did those I called. But I should note that our test device was a Chinese version which lacks support for LTE Band 800MHz. This LTE frequency is mainly used by network operators to bridge long distances in rural areas.

Huawei Mate 8 camera

The Mate 8 camera is a solid update over the Mate S. Instead of a 13 MP rear camera, the Mate 8 comes with a 16 MP shooter. The image sensor is from Sony and goes by the name of IMX 298. This chip is used for fast focusing, phase autofocus and has an aperture of f/2.0. An optical image stabilizer and dual-LED flash round off the package.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 back new
The main camera shoots photos with a maximum of 16 MP and even has OIS. / © ANDROIDPIT

For selfie fans there is an 8 MP front camera, whose IMX 179 image sensor is also from Sony. It’s just a pity that Huawei omitted a front LED flash.

AndroidPIT huawei mate 8 screen
Too bad there's no front flash on the Mate 8. / © ANDROIDPIT

On paper, the specs read well, but in practice, both cameras are only just above average. Our photographer Toni had little enthusiasm for the shots he took with it. You can see those shots in the gallery at the link below.

They pale in comparison to pictures snapped with the Galaxy S6, LG G4 or a Sony Xperia Z5. The Huawei Mate 8 is not a smartphone for avid photographers, but the cameras are adequate for documenting daily life to share on social networks.

All images in the gallery can be viewed in full resolution and also downloaded.

Huawei Mate 8 battery

The predecessor to the Mate 8 is a true endurance device. The Mate 7 has a 4,100 mAh battery, which was gigantic at the time of its release in 2014. Although the new Mate 8 battery is ‘only’ 4,000 mAh, it scored a fantastic12,065 points in an initial benchmark with the AnTuTu Tester app. For comparison, the Meizu Pro 5 scored 8,327 points.

Huawei Mate 8 Benchmark Battery
Huawei Mate 8 battery benchmark. / © ANDROIDPIT

In everyday use, the Huawei Mate 8 proves that it can successfully carry on the legacy of the Ascend Mate 7. The battery easily lasts a day-and-a-half with intensive use. This can be increased even further if you aren’t like me and can keep off YouTube or refrain from an extended session of Real Racing 3.

The Mate 8's battery life gets even better with Android 6.0 and its power-saving feature Doze. This Marshmallow feature puts some apps into deep sleep mode while the phone is in standby, consuming less power. In effect, it means that the Huawei Mate 8 can potentially survive for two-and-a-half days on one charge.

Huawei Mate 8 technical specifications

Final verdict

It was good that Huawei took a bit longer to release the Mate 8, allowing for the inclusion of the Kirin 950 processor. The new processor has made a very good impression and lifts the Mate 8 to the frontline of the fastest smartphones. This performance is bolstered by strong battery life, aided in part by Android 6.0's Doze feature, which makes this smartphone one of the true endurance machines.

The biggest weakness I noticed during my review was with the camera. It did not meet my expectations and is mediocre at best. But if you’re not too concerned with having the best camera on the market, then the Mate 8 is a great phablet with excellent performance and battery life.

  Editor's choice Best smart home control center Best price-performance ratio Best sound Best sound supplement Best display
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Shu On Kwok

Shu On Kwok
Senior Editor

Since 1999, Shu has written about the colorful world of IT and telecommunications. His career started as a presenter at the five-hour TV show NBC GIGA, which led him through several career stages until he finally joined the AndroidPIT team in May of 2015. His passion for mobile devices and gadgets knows no boundaries. Whether Android, iOS or Windows, Shu feels at home with any OS.

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13 comments
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  • 1
    Muhmmad Sami Khan May 17, 2018 Link to comment

    In this Jan. 31, 2016 photo, Blacksburg Lieutenant Mike Albert announces that Virginia Tech student Natalie Keepers was arrested in connection to the death of Nicole Madison Apkpure , in Blacksburg, Va. Keepers faces charges of improper disposal of a body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. (Edmee Rodriguez/The Roanoke Times via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; SALEM TIMES REGISTER OUT; FINCASTLE HERALD OUT; CHRISTIANBURG NEWS MESSENGER OUT; RADFORD NEWS JOURNAL OUT; Free Download JioMags – Digital Magazines APK


  • Natasha Gomes 1
    Natasha Gomes Jul 1, 2016 Link to comment

    Huawei phones are now on sale only at AndroidSmartphoneDeals;com


  • Bayar Lak 1
    Bayar Lak Jun 22, 2016 Link to comment

    My huawei mate 9 camera error atop working any one help me how to fix


    • Danny1611 2
      Danny1611 Nov 15, 2016 Link to comment

      I thought Mate 9 just annouced at October of 2016... how come you got it for 4 months?


  • 1
    Laurence L Jun 3, 2016 Link to comment

    The main problem with this phone is its notification issues. Huawei seems unable to resolve.


  • 1
    Connor O'Malley Feb 7, 2016 Link to comment

    The left grill is for the microphone


  • Tareq Qasem 1
    Tareq Qasem Feb 6, 2016 Link to comment

    If you had to choose between the Nexus 6P & the Mate 8, which would it be & why ?


  • PATTERZ 9
    PATTERZ Jan 14, 2016 Link to comment

    What about the "Touchwiz like" software?


  • Ali Hejazi 1
    Ali Hejazi Jan 8, 2016 Link to comment

    The mate 7 was made of plastic ? Says who ?
    And the mate 8 actually much more than what's claimed in the article
    It costs 600 euros for the 32 gb model
    And 700 euros for the 64 gb model


    • 1
      Roland Chou Jan 21, 2016 Link to comment

      It is nowhere priced as high as that... About 550Euro for 32GB and 650Euro for the 64GB from the "usual" Chinese phone stores (Eglobal, Wonda, Honormi...) Anyway it is a good phone except the finishing is really dull and the "knock screen" is less responsible than the Mate7. Also USB-C should be used instead of the old micro.


  • 1
    Ken S. Jan 7, 2016 Link to comment

    How does the camera compare to the camera on the Galaxy Note 3? And how does the GPU compare to the adreno 430?


  • 6
    Robert Johnson Jan 7, 2016 Link to comment

    I am a bit disappointed that USB type C was not included as well.


    • Dylan S. 11
      Dylan S. Jan 7, 2016 Link to comment

      Yeah, that is a real shame and may put it behind some of the flagships released later this year.

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