‘A high end feel for a mid range phone’

The Huawei Vision is a phone, which on first impression would seem less than exciting. However, the combinations of a solid build quality and the Huawei UI make the phone more-than enjoyable. Read further for my full review on the Huawei Vision.

WHAT WE LIKED

Huawei is not a name that most people are yet familiar with. Hailing from China, I too, knew little of what Huawei had to offer. But there are several features of this phone, if they are further developed, would make it a very competitive up-market phone.

Firstly, Huawei has provided its own unique UI called SPB Shell 3D. This really was the first sign, for me, that Huawei knew how to make a decent phone. Immediately, SPB 3D made my Android experience much more enjoyable and easier than most other UI’s I had experienced for the first time.

Essentially, this UI provides everything a user may need – this includes all widgets on their associated home screens. By providing all widgets that a user could ever need, first time Android users can quickly decipher what they will use, and keep it on their home screens, and delete what they will not use. Also, it saves the hassle of first learning what widgets are, where they are and how exactly to use them. For a first time Android user, this could make a huge difference.

What I truly loved about SPB Shell 3D was its ability to include 3D animations whilst remaining almost lag-free. From being able to set up ‘open’ folders, by which you can categorise your applications, and view them without the need to actually open the folder, to simply including contact widgets on the home screen, where you can ‘touch-to-call’, SPB 3D is something that really does compliment the Huawei user experience.  The most impressive of all the features  from the UI (and a definite crowd pleaser) was the ability to scroll through your home-screens in a ‘carousel’ mode. This method of browsing made it easy to view all the homepages simultaneously, and edit them as I wished.

Secondly, the screen quality and pixel density was something that honestly surprised me. Phones that are considered to be at a similar level to the Huawei Vision do not even come close to the quality of the colours you will see on it. This is definitely raising the bar for mid range phones, and it is great tosee a company such a Huawei taking the lead in this regard.

Also, the curvature on the screen really does improve the user-experience. Curved screens such as this are usually reserved for higher-end phones, but Huawei have taken the liberty to provide its customers with something to make the phone truly feel as though it is worth much more than it is.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE

The Vision did have some features, which really solidified its label as a mid range phone – and unfortunately, were not easy to look over.

Firstly, the Vision has a 5mp camera. Ordinarily, a phone of this calibre would be expected to have a 5mp camera. However, the quality of the sensors on the camera, combined with its inability to focus quickly often left images blurry and undefined. Occasionally, you may find that you take a good picture – but the conditions around you must be perfect, and you must have quite a sturdy hand. Usually, you are left with hazy memories that you will not be able to re-take very quickly.

Also, the Vision only comes with 2GB of internal memory. Considering the low cost at the manufacturers end in adding more internal memory, it was quite disappointing to find how few songs and media I could fit onto the phone for my time using it. Also, considering the relative low amount of RAM that the phone has, loading media from an SD card was slow and something that made using the phone a real nuisance.

THE DESIGN

The Vision is wonderfully designed. When holding it, it feels as though you are holding a higher end phone. The build quality seems excellent and the feel of the materials on the phone is very similar to that of the HTC Desire HD. However, the main difference between the Vision and the Desire HD is the money invested into the materials – it is evident from frequent use over a short period of time that the back of the phone would be prone to all kind of scratches, which I do not think is great for a phone that has such visual appeal.

Also, as a side note, the phone often slipped out of my hand, and I found myself catching it mid-air. I am not sure whether this is a good thing or not, but perhaps a worthy point for those with larger hands.

OTHER NOTABLES

THE GOOD:

• Weight – the phone is appropriately weighted for its size, so it is not too light, as many mid-range phones that have smaller screens tend to be too light.
• Scrolling between homescreens – The carousel for scrolling between homescreens is really a fun and aesthetically pleasing feature that I look forward to seeing in future devices.

THE BAD:

• Exiting Applications – unfortunately, I could not find, after hours of searching, any ‘stock’ way to exit application and clear ram. This was very annoying as I consider it a necessary feature on any smart phone.
• 3G and Wifi Connectivity – The ability for the phone to pick up these signals is really shocking – it struggles to pick up wifi signal that I would otherwise receive full signal for. Similarly, the ability for the phone to access the 3G network is diminished to the same extent. This really hinders the manner in which you can use the phone.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

THE CONCLUSION

When I first heard that the review device I was to receive was branded Huawei, I was less than impressed. Budget phones have never really been my thing – but then I realised I just never gave them a chance. If you take the look and feel of the phone, you would think that you are dealing with a nice phone that would have a much higher price tag than it does. However, the Vision lacks in key areas that could otherwise make it a much stronger piece of technology. For those who do not wish to spend too much, and have never used an Android phone before, the Huawei Vision is for you. The Huawei Vision is a smartly designed phone with a user interface diverse and intuitive enough to become popular, if it is given the chance. To purchase this phone now may, however, not be the smartest choice, as there will be no further upgrades from 2.3 Gingerbread, and with Jelly Bean on the Horizon, Gingerbread is becoming old very quickly.