Comparison of Huawei P8 and P8 Lite. Huawei P8. First look The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver

This spring, Huawei introduced the P8 smartphone, which became the flagship of the compact line for the company. Yes, although the difference between the screen diagonals of the Mate and P is decreasing from year to year (from 1.4" in 2013 to 0.3" today), the Mate models are considered phablets, and the P are compact smartphones for those who do not like large ones housings. In addition to the “regular” P8, its simplified version P8 Lite is also sold in Russia, which looks similar, but has a number of serious differences. Let's take a closer look at this couple.

Technical characteristics of Huawei P8:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/9000/1800/1900 MHz), HSPA+, FDD-LTE, TDD-LTE
• Display: 5.2", 1920x1080 pixels, 424 ppi
• Camera: 13 MP, optical stabilization, dual LED flash in different tones, RGBW sensor, f/2.0 aperture
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Processor: 8 cores (4 cores at 2 GHz and 4 cores at 1.5 GHz), 64 bits, HiSilicon Kirin 930
• RAM: 3 GB
• Internal memory: 16 GB
• Memory card: microSD
• A-GPS, GloNASS, BDS
• Bluetooth 4.1
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), 2.4 GHz
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microUSB 2.0
• Two SIM slots
• Led indicator
• Battery: non-removable, 2680 mAh
• Dimensions: 144.9x72.1x6.4 mm
• Weight: 144 g

Technical characteristics of Huawei P8 Lite:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/9000/1800/1900 MHz), HSPA+, FDD-LTE
• Platform: Android 5.0.2 with EMUI 3.1
• Display: 5", 1280x720 pixels, 294 ppi
• Camera: 13 MP, single flash, f/2.0 aperture
• Front camera: 5 MP
• Processor: 8 cores, 1.2 GHz, HiSilicon Kirin 630
• RAM: 2 GB
• Internal memory: 16 GB
• Memory card: microSD
• A-GPS, GloNASS
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), 2.4 GHz
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• microUSB 2.0
• Two SIM slots
• Led indicator
• Battery: non-removable, 2200 mAh
• Dimensions: 141x70.6x7.7 mm
• Weight: 131 g

Video review

Equipment and design

We received Huawei P8 and P8 Lite for testing without a box, along with them came headphones, a USB cable, a needle for removing SIM/SD trays and a charger (5 V, 1 A). According to the company's website, buyers receive an even more simplified package, devoid of headphones. Considering their sound quality, this is a small loss. However, in the box with the flagship I would like to see something other than the proposed set.

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite are similar in appearance. They have almost the same dimensions (P8 is 3.9 mm taller and 1.5 mm wider than P8 Lite, but 1.3 mm thinner) and identical in appearance. The microUSB connector, speaker and microphone are on the bottom for both, the volume and lock keys are on the right, the 3.5 mm headphone jack and an additional microphone are on the top. On the back of both smartphones are the Huawei logo, 13-megapixel cameras and certification information. Both the P8 and P8 Lite have a non-removable back, and the microSD and SIM trays are placed on the right side.

At the front, the smartphones differ a little more - there are no logos on the front panel of the P8, only the screen, 8-megapixel front camera, LED indicator, light and proximity sensors, and the P8 Lite adds the word “Huawei” to this set under the screen. Also on the P8 Lite the LED is located on the top left, and on the P8 it is on the top right. However, in addition to all the above little things (I could also mention the different position of the flash relative to the rear camera), there is one very important difference between the smartphones - the P8 is made of metal, and the P8 Lite is made of plastic. Thanks to this, the Lite feels much cheaper than its relative, but it feels less heated.

Both smartphones are perfectly assembled (in the case of the all-metal P8, it simply couldn’t be otherwise). Their ergonomics are excellent, the buttons are well located, they are comfortable to press, you don’t have to grab the body, but only if you hold the gadget in your right hand. For left-handers (and those right-handers who are comfortable using the phone with their left hand), the cluster of buttons on the right side will not seem convenient. However, not everything is so bad.

The P8 and P8 Lite have different screens. The company installed a 5.2" panel with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels in the flagship, and a 5" display with 1280x720 pixels in its simplified version. Viewing angles in both cases are good. The smartphones have slightly different color rendering, but both lean slightly towards cool tones. However, this is not easy to notice, and the options include color temperature adjustment. In a word, if you don’t find fault with the little things, then there’s practically nothing to criticize the displays for.

Software

Both smartphones are based on EMUI firmware version 3.1, based on the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop operating system. Compared to 3.0, which we described in detail in the review of Honor 6 Plus, little has changed, but I will still not be lazy and tell you about the interesting features available in the firmware. Let me start with the fact that the same shell does not guarantee the same appearance of the interface: the design themes on smartphones are pre-installed differently.

screenshots from Huawei P8

Like iOS, Flyme and MIUI, EMUI does not have a separate application menu, placing all the icons on the desktop. There are several scrolling effects to choose from; you can set up automatic wallpaper changing, as well as shaking them. It is also possible to change the desktop grid (4x5, 5x4, 5x5). Swiping from top to bottom opens a search on the smartphone. On the lock screen there is minimal information and icons, there is a camera launch button. Swiping up from the bottom of the display opens a small menu with player controls, access to settings and icons for a voice recorder, calculator, flashlight and camera.

Huawei P8 preinstalled software

pre-installed software Huawei P8 Lite

In addition to Google software and a few applications from third parties (Yandex search utility with a very informative home page, Opera browser, WPS Office, VKontakte client), many Huawei applications are loaded onto smartphones. The functionality of most of them is quite expected and obvious, but some are worth dwelling on in more detail. "Phone Manager" contains a scanner for various harmful things such as unused files and various garbage, a utility to speed up work, several links to "Settings", as well as a tool for setting passwords for applications.

The Director program allows you to create a network of two to four P8s (there is none on the P8 Lite) and shoot video from several angles at once. “Magnifier” allows you to use your smartphone camera as a magnifying glass with magnification up to 2.5 times. Screen Lock is a surprisingly useless app that can only be useful if your lock button breaks. "Huawei Device" opens the website shop.huawei.ru in the browser, which is already the home page of all pre-installed browsers.

The main strength of all Chinese firmware is the huge number of settings. Let's take a look at the corresponding application and see what EMUI has to offer. In P8, in the “More” section of the “Wireless Networks” item, there is a story about Communication+ technology, consisting of Wi-Fi+ (smart switching between Wi-Fi and the cellular network) and Signal+ (improved cellular network reception). And if Wi-Fi+ is at least somehow configurable (it can be turned on or off), then Signal+ does not have any settings. The P8 Lite doesn't have this, but it does have NFC settings (the simplified version, unlike the flagship, supports this technology).

"Home screen style" offers a choice between "Normal" and "Simple", aimed at pensioners and reminiscent of the interface of grandmothers' phones. In “Screen” you can change the color temperature, and also add the name of the operator and network speed to the address bar. The P8 Lite also allows you to “increase clarity in the sun,” which I couldn’t figure out what that means in the Siberian fall. In "Sound" the only interesting thing is the DTS mode, which only the P8 has. There are no settings for the multimedia speaker, but it already plays loud enough, although it does not shine with quality. In "Memory" you can select the default storage location - internal memory or SD card. In "Battery", in addition to discharge graphs, it is possible to add the charge level in percentage to the curtain. The “Energy Saving” section allows you to select the energy consumption mode – “Energy Saving” (turns the smartphone into a dialer), “Smart” and “Productive” (in P8 Lite it is “Normal”). There are also power optimization functions.

In "Screen lock and passwords" the only interesting thing is the ability to unlock the smartphone using any Bluetooth device (a smart bracelet, for example), which is available only on the P8. The "Protected applications" item allows you to allow programs to continue working after blocking (by default, this is prohibited for many programs, that is, they are not protected, this increases the battery life). The selection of applications is hidden by default in the settings of the "Manage applications" item. The "Network Applications" item allows you to select which programs will be able to access the Internet - a kind of firewall.

The curious item “Speech recognition” is only available in P8. It allows you to access your smartphone without even seeing it, and then ask it to call someone or ring it yourself. Alas, the function only understands commands in English, so it is unlikely to be useful to anyone in Russia. The “Moves” item contains typical gestures such as turning off the sound by turning the phone over, answering a call by holding it to your ear, moving icons by shaking, turning on the screen with a double-tap, opening applications by drawing letters on the switched off screen. The “Navigation Panel” item offers to change the order of virtual buttons and add a button to open the curtain, and the “One-Hand Control” section allows you to enable/disable the ability to reduce the working area of ​​the screen and move the keyboard to the edge of the screen. In “More” you can find the “Control button” (a special key that, when pressed, opens a menu that duplicates virtual buttons), “Smart screenshot” (only for P8, details below) and glove mode (for P8 Lite it works much better) better than P8).

About "Smart Screenshot". This is the only implementation of Rich Touch technology, which Huawei compared in its revolutionary nature to the advent of resistive displays and MultiTouch during the P8 announcement. Its essence is that the screen determines not only the location of the touch, but also what you touched it with - the end of your finger or the second phalanx. Double-tapping it allows you to take a screenshot, and by drawing a closed figure, you can take a screenshot of only the circled part of the screen. This is not only not very convenient (you can’t do it with one hand) and completely useless (you can crop the screenshot even when taking it in the usual way), but also works poorly (if a double tap on the screen is almost always recognized, then I managed to draw a closed figure only from the sixth or seventh time). If I were too lazy to write all this, I could rightly say that EMUI has many settings and functions, offering many convenient and useful features. At the same time, it does not look overloaded and does not force the user to spend hours understanding all its intricacies. Nice shell. The themes and background images were especially successful.

About the sound. Evgeny Makarov, editor-in-chief of the site: “If you compare the sound of the P8 Lite and P8, the older model plays noticeably better. The P8 Lite model lacks low-frequency processing; the stereo effect clearly divides a rather narrow stage into two parts, which makes it difficult to perceive some compositions as a single whole; there are problems with volume reserve and high frequencies. In the P8 without the DTS effect, the main emphasis is on the middle, with the scene reproduction, which also does not differ in width, something is also wrong - the channels do not play in tandem, but somehow on their own. The detailing is not bad, the highs are good, there is a volume reserve. With DTS, the Denon D600 headphones turn into poor Beats - the emphasis is stupid on the bass. The stock player has no sound settings, no equalizer."

Camera

screenshots from Huawei P8

The Huawei P8 camera is a 13-megapixel RGBW sensor with f/2.0 aperture. Huawei noted at the press conference that it does not protrude from the body of the smartphone, which is now a rarity. This is indeed true, however, on my sample the flash rim sticks out a little from the body, but this is most likely a design flaw. There's nothing extraordinary about the camera app other than the Light mode, which is designed for freeze-lighting. It's surprising that Huawei paid attention to such a detail. You can also take a photo by turning down the volume twice when the display is off. There is no need to either wake up the smartphone or unlock it, which makes the process very fast; the smartphone does it in 1.5 seconds. The quality of the images is good, the camera is not afraid of an abundance of small details, bright colors, or anything else. The noise cancellation that Huawei promised to achieve with white light filters in the camera sensor has indeed been achieved. In short, the Huawei P8 camera will be able to take a good shot, if not always, then almost always. The picture quality of the Huawei P8 Lite is slightly worse, but still more than decent for its segment. There is no “Light” mode, but there is photography by decreasing the volume. Both devices have difficulty setting white balance. The P8 tries to make the photo warmer, while the P8 Lite takes the color temperature in the opposite direction (I was especially struck by the photo of an orange flower, which for some reason turned red in the P8 Lite). The P8 Lite is practically blind in poor lighting conditions; it can't even catch focus. Also, the younger version lacks saturation and contrast, which is noticeable next to the P8.

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite:

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite

As for the front cameras, the 8-megapixel P8 module will allow you to see your face in selfies in the smallest detail. The 5-megapixel front camera of the P8 Lite takes worse pictures, but not enough to criticize it. Also a good camera.

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite

For video, the Huawei P8 has optical image stabilization, which can be combined with digital image stabilization. This combination is very effective, but it leads to strong smooth vibrations of parts of the picture relative to each other. It's like you've been thoroughly drunk. There is touch focus and subject-following focus, but the second one does not work very effectively. In general, the video sequence is pleasant, and the sound is captured well. The P8 Lite does not have optical image stabilization; apparently, it still has digital image stabilization, since the picture hardly shakes. Object-following autofocus again does not work very well, and the video tends to constantly crumble into squares, as if Huawei had used some very aggressive video compression algorithms.

Performance and tests

Huawei is one of the few companies that puts its own processors in its smartphones. Apart from her, only Apple, Samsung and LG do this (its experiments with NUCLUN, however, have so far been limited to the failed G3 Screen phablet). P8 is equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin 930 processor (8 cores, 64 bit, 4x2 GHz + 4x1.5 GHz). P8 Lite is equipped with a simpler Kirin 620 (8 cores, 1.2 GHz). Our P8 has 16 GB of internal memory and 3 GB of RAM (7 GB and 2 GB are available to the user); there are modifications with other capacities available. The P8 Lite has 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM (7 GB and 1 GB are available to the user, respectively). Huawei is often criticized for using its chipsets instead of more popular and powerful solutions from Qualcomm, Samsung and MediaTek. However, by consistently developing the semiconductor business, the company was able to achieve good performance. At least Asphalt 8 runs perfectly with maximum graphics and effects, and the frame rate in Unkilled, although not maximum with the best detail, allows you to play comfortably. As for the P8 Lite and its Kirin 620, everything is not so rosy, but this is not a flagship. In Unkilled you can only play with medium settings, because the maximum ones are accompanied by constant drops in fps to single-digit values ​​(a tautology, right?). You can still play Asphalt 8 at maximum, but the low frame rate (about 20 fps) will be noticeable. As for simple games, they are easy for both smartphones. Moreover, in them, due to different resolutions (1080p and 720p), the younger model produces 2-3 fps more (for example, in Lara Croft: Relic Run and Angry Birds 2).

Huawei P8 and P8 Lite

I don’t see any point in writing all the results in all benchmarks in words and numbers, I’ll limit myself to screenshots.

Huawei P8 runs

A 30-minute run of Huawei P8 in Stability Test and CPU Spy Reborn showed that slow cores spent 74% of the time at maximum frequency and never dropped below 1200 MHz. It is unknown what happened to the frequency of the fast cores at this time, but the smartphone became quite hot - it was not easy to keep the metal case at a temperature of 45 degrees. In Smart mode, the processor almost always operated at 1017 MHz (again, we are talking about a slow cluster), sometimes reaching 1305 MHz. As a result, the temperature was 40 degrees, which is much better.

Huawei P8 Lite runs

The difference between "Simple" and "Smart" modes in Huawei P8 Lite is less significant, and frequencies below 900 MHz are not used at all under load. The smartphone heated up to 42-43 degrees both times, but in the hands it felt far less hot than the P8 - thanks to the plastic case, which transfers heat much more slowly.

Huawei P8 video discharge

About autonomy. The Huawei P8 has a 2680 mAh battery, while the P8 Lite, despite its thicker body, has a 2200 mAh battery. Thanks to the weaker processor and smaller screen in the P8 Lite, the results they show are close. In 30 minutes in Asphalt 8, the P8 was discharged by 15%, and showing a movie from 100% to 5% took a little over 7 hours. The discharge of the P8 Lite in Asphalt 8 in 30 minutes was the already familiar 15%, and the smartphone was able to play video for 6.5 hours. The results are completely typical, nothing supernatural, nothing terrible. Charging every night is about P8 and P8 Lite.

Huawei P8 Lite video discharge

As for Huawei's many innovations in the field of signal quality, I couldn't verify the specific promises made by the company during a press conference in London, but I noticed that the P8 holds a 4G network much better than others.

conclusions

Any smartphone has its advantages and disadvantages, and our today's characters are no exception. The disadvantages of the Huawei P8 include only an average battery and not the most powerful processor (although its power is sufficient in most cases), but it has serious advantages in the form of a good camera, a high-quality screen and a good design. The P8 Lite is simplified in all respects, and in some respects, I think Huawei has gone too far in simplification. The prices of P8 and P8 Lite are 34,990 and 17,990 rubles, respectively. In our opinion, both price tags are somewhat overpriced. What do you think?

Review of the Huawei P8 smartphone: a flagship with a body without protrusions

The tradition of organizing one big presentation for the release of new P series products originated with Huawei several years ago. However, before the P6, smartphones in this series were not particularly popular among the public, but with the release of the P7 model, it became clear that Huawei could, with good reason, claim a place next to such giants as Apple and Samsung. By the way, at the presentation quite often the manufacturer compared its new product with the current flagships of these companies.

Still from the presentation - comparison of dimensions of Huawei P8 and iPhone 6/6 plus. Focus on screen diagonal

A shot from the presentation - a knock against competitors whose cameras protrude from the body

It’s worth noting here that Huawei products are also cheaper, and there’s no doubt about the quality of their build for a long time.

Appearance

Huawei designers did a good job on the appearance of the Huawei P8. And not only over the smartphone itself, but also over the box in which it is sold. See what unpacking a smartphone looks like:

Unboxing Huawei P8

Really original placement. And it’s not just a matter of originality - this way it’s much more convenient to take out the smartphone and there’s no risk of dropping it.

Huawei P8 smartphone

The back and sides are made of metal.

Huawei P8 smartphone

There are a minimum of buttons on the case, only the power/lock button and the volume rocker on the right side.

The right side of the Huawei P8 smartphone

By the way, there is also a slot for nano-SIM and MicroSD memory cards (there are Huawei P8 models with a combined MicroSD+nano-SIM slot).

The bottom end of the Huawei P8 smartphone

The micro-USB connector is located at the bottom, and the headphone/headset output is at the top.

The top end of the Huawei P8 smartphone

By the way, the phone comes with a good headset for its class.

Screen

It’s good that Huawei pulled out of the “megapixel race” on time - the 5.2-inch Full-HD IPS screen of the P8 smartphone looks great in every sense. Color rendition, clarity, viewing angles, responsiveness - there’s nothing to complain about. By the way, the smartphone comes from the factory with a film glued on, which is not so easy to notice. This saves users who are worried about the safety of the screen from having to buy and apply film.

Software

Huawei P8 out of the box runs on Android 5 Lollipop OS, and the user interface is proprietary EMUI 3.1.

Only the most necessary programs are preinstalled, nothing superfluous.

The interface supports various themes that change not only the desktop wallpaper, but also the icons of standard applications.

Desktop view with different themes

All default themes

Like most major Chinese brands, the interface from Huawei takes all the best from both iOS and Android - for example, placing shortcuts for all applications at once on the desktop panels, and, at the same time, a convenient quick access menu and notification list.

Of the pre-installed applications, the most unusual is “Director”. It allows you to create videos shot on several smartphones from different angles at once. Of course, you won’t be able to use this function alone - you’ll have to call several friends with Android smartphones.

Performance

Huawei P8 cannot be called a record holder in terms of performance. On the one hand, the company can be congratulated - for a long time they have been making smartphones using their own processors, which are practically not inferior to their competitors. This is beneficial for the company and, as a result, for the consumer.

System information about the smartphone

On the other hand, the system does not always behave predictably. The 3D Mark benchmark, for example, produced a different result each time it was launched, and the difference between the results is difficult to reduce to an error:

Of course, even modern 3D games still run without problems on the Huawei P8, but on competitors’ flagships, it feels like the FPS value is still higher.

Testing Huawei P8 in benchmarks

One way or another, the most important thing for a smartphone, in our opinion, is a smooth interface that works without lags. The Huawei P8 has everything right with this, but even more powerful competitors sometimes suffer from annoying minor stuttering when scrolling through lists and desktop panels.

Camera

An impressive part of Huawei's presentation was dedicated to the camera. Perhaps its most important characteristics (besides the actual image quality, which you can evaluate in the gallery below) are an optical image stabilizer, macro shooting from 4 cm, a separate processor for image processing (like cameras), and various interesting functions - for example, lighting graffiti.

Clicking on a thumbnail will open a full-size image.

The only complaint I can make about the camera is that sometimes there are problems with fast focusing in dark rooms.

Battery

The manufacturer claims that the Huawei P8 smartphone “lives” a little longer than the Apple iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6.

Still from the presentation - comparing the autonomy of Huawei P8, iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6

However, it is quite difficult to objectively verify this in practice (in comparison with competitors).

Battery testing in AnTuTu Tester and battery discharge graph in Android

Subjectively, Huawei P8, like other flagships, lasts a full day in average use mode.

Total

Huawei P8 is, first and foremost, a premium smartphone. With characteristics sufficient for a modern flagship and an excellent design, which, unlike its famous competitors, “doesn’t stick out anything.” Well, let's not forget that Huawei is a leading manufacturer of 3G/4G modems, and this is reflected in their smartphones - there are no complaints about the quality of reception and transmission.

	Huawei P8	Apple iPhone 6	Huawei Honor 6 Plus
Main screen	TFT IPS, 5.2’’ 1080x1920 pixels	TFT IPS, 4.7’’ 750x1334 pixels	TFT IPS 5.5’’ 1080x1920 pixels
CPU	HiSilicon Kirin 930 4x 2 GHz (A57) + 4x 1.5 GHz (A53)	Apple A8, 2x 1.38 GHz	HiSilicon Kirin 925 4x 1.8 GHz (A15) + 4x 1.3 GHz (A7)
Video processor	Mali-T628MP4	PowerVR GX6450MP4	Mali-T628
SIM card type	nano-SIM	nano-SIM	nano-SIM + micro-SIM
RAM	3 GB	1 GB	3 GB
Built-in memory	16 GB	16/64/128 GB	16/32 GB
Memory cards	MicroSD	No	MicroSD
WiFi	802.11 a/b/g/n	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac	802.11 a/b/g/n
Bluetooth	4.1	4.0	4.0
Geolocation	GPS+GLONASS	GPS+GLONASS	GPS+GLONASS
Rear camera	13 MP	8 MP	2x 8 MP
Front-camera	8 MP	1.2 MP	8 MP
Dimensions	72.1 x 144.9 x 6.4 mm	67x138.1x6.9 mm	75.9x150.5x7.5 mm
Weight	144 g	129 g	165 g
Additionally	optical stabilization	NFC (Apple Pay), Lightning (USB 3.0), fingerprint sensor
Price	from 500 euros	from i 49 000	from i 26 000

The next flagship of the premium family of Huawei mobile devices, a smartphone called Huawei P8, presented at the end of last spring in London, has finally reached Russia. Compared to its predecessor, the P7 model, a lot has changed in the new flagship: more practical case materials have been used, a more powerful hardware platform has been installed, the amount of RAM has been increased, and the communication part has been redesigned. Of course, the developers did not ignore the issue of shooting with a camera: the latest Sony module was installed in the Huawei P8, and the software for working with the camera was further improved, and new shooting modes were added. At the same time, the main thing has been preserved: the flagships of the Huawei P series have always been and remain one of the most compact, thin and light expensive fashion models on the market among the top smartphones of our time. The new Huawei flagship looks like a very balanced device in most aspects, and we will look at more specific details in this review.

First, let's take a look at the characteristics of the smartphone; the hardware is impressive.

Key Features of Huawei P8 (UL00)

	Huawei P8	LG G4	HTC One M9	Samsung Galaxy S6	Meizu MX5
Screen	5.2″, IPS	5.5″, IPS	5″, S-LCD 3	5.1″, Super AMOLED	5.5″, Super AMOLED
Permission	1920×1080, 424 ppi	2560×1440, 538 ppi	1920×1080, 441 ppi	2560×1440, 577 ppi	1920×1080, 401 ppi
SoC	HiSilicon Kirin 930 (8 cores ARM Cortex-A53) @2+1.5 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (2x Cortex-A57 @1.8GHz + 4x [email protected])	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz)	Exynos 7420 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.1 GHz and 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz)	Mediatek MT6795T Octa-core (8 Cortex-A53 cores @2.2 GHz)
GPU	Mali-T624	Adreno 418	Adreno 430	Mali-T760	PowerVR G6200
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	32 GB	32 GB	32/64/128 GB	16/32/64 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	—	—
operating system	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0
Battery	non-removable, 2680 mAh	removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 2840 mAh	non-removable, 2550 mAh	non-removable, 3150 mAh
Cameras	main (13 MP; video 1080p), front (8 MP)	main (16 MP; 4K video), front (8 MP)	main (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (4 MP)	main (16 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)	main (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)
Dimensions and weight	145×72×6.4 mm, 145 g	149×76×9.8 mm, 155 g	145×70×9.6 mm, 157 g	143×70×6.8 mm, 138 g	150×75×7.6 mm, 149 g
average price	T-12435227	T-12466715	T-12259334	T-12259333	T-12675734
Huawei P8 offers	L-12435227-10

• SoC HiSilicon Kirin 930, 1.5 + 2.0 GHz, 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53
• GPU Mali-T624
• Operating system Android 5.0, EMUI 3.1
• Touch display IPS, 5.2″, 1920×1080, 424 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• microSD card support
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• 2G communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 3G Communication: WCDMA
• Data transmission FDD LTE (Cat4, up to 150 Mbps) Band 1, 3, 4, 7
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1
• USB 2.0, OTG
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass
• 13 MP camera, autofocus, optical stabilizer, LED flash
• Camera 8 MP (front), fixed. focus
• Proximity, direction, lighting, accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass
• Non-removable battery 2680 mAh
• Dimensions 145×72×6.4 mm
• Weight 145 g

Contents of delivery

Huawei P8 is sold in a box that is completely unusual in appearance and unusual in structure. It is immediately clear that the designers worked closely on this topic, completely reconsidering their vision of what the packaging of an image model of a modern smartphone should be. All accessories, arranged in boxes, along with the smartphone itself, are inserted vertically into it, like books on a bookshelf (if you lay it on its side). On the outside, all this is also covered with a varnished plastic panel with a golden inscription on a black background, and when assembled, the box looks fresh and incredibly stylish, immediately setting you up for further acquaintance with the contents.

The equipment is standard: the smartphone comes with a not very powerful charger (output current 5 V 1 A), a Micro-USB connecting cable, wired headphones, as well as a metal key for removing SIM cards and thin paper instructions.

Appearance and ease of use

The company's developers have always paid maximum attention to the appearance of smartphones from the flagship Huawei P line, because from the first days this line was positioned, first of all, as an image line. Some of the previous representatives of the series (P1 and P6) were at one time record holders for [minimum] thickness, and even now the new products of this family remain among the thinnest fashion models on the mobile device market. The new Huawei P8 does not disappoint in this regard: the thickness of its all-metal body is only 6.4 mm, which makes the smartphone one of the thinnest modern flagships.

As for the design itself, there is nothing particularly to admire here: we have before us a completely ordinary rectangular block with no frills. The corners are perhaps too sharp, and the side edges themselves are neither this nor that. That is, either they had to be made completely straight, or they had to be fully rounded, like the iPhone 6. Here, there is some kind of incompleteness: the edges were rounded quite a bit, and then for some reason they were additionally chamfered. As a result, the case looks peculiar, and this rather wide, heavy and very thin metal plate constantly tends to slip out of your hands. This, by the way, oddly enough, is facilitated by the fact that the metal surfaces here were given a dullness and slight roughness - ordinary smooth metal would be held even more reliably in the hands.

The smartphone has no removable parts, the case is non-separable, so the appropriate method for installing cards is used. The side edge on the right is equipped with two slot-like connectors into which metal slides with cards are inserted, and they are removed using the supplied paperclip key. It should be noted that one of the slots can be used either for a memory card or for a second SIM card, but not at the same time, which is depressing: the smartphone does not have so much of its own built-in memory that it is easy to refuse to use a memory card. As a result, the user faces a dilemma - it would be nice to have both.

The camera module on the back of the smartphone does not protrude beyond the rear surface at all. It is combined in a single unit with a two-section multi-colored LED flash mounted in a mirrored non-metallic strip embedded in the body. If necessary, the flash can be used as a flashlight, which can be quickly turned on from a panel that slides out from the bottom of the screen, which Huawei at one time borrowed from the Apple iPhone.

The same iPhone ultimately contributed to the fact that most self-respecting manufacturers finally stopped placing the speaker on the back of the smartphone - where the output sound is constantly blocked by the surface of the table and directed in the opposite direction from the user - and finally moved the speakers to the bottom end. The situation is the same in the case of Huawei P8: two rows of holes are made in the lower end of the metal case, but the sound, as usual, comes out only through one grille, the second one is installed only for symmetry. Perhaps there is a conversational microphone hidden behind it, but the sound of the speaker definitely does not pass through it (this is easy to verify by covering the holes one by one with your finger).

In the middle, between the two grilles, there is a Micro-USB connector, which, unlike the same grilles, for some reason was not centered relative to the central axis. This looks a little annoying: it’s unclear why designers miss such little things in their work. Just look at the same iPhone: you won’t find a single element placed crookedly there; everything is thought out to the smallest detail, and that’s what captivates.

The same can be said about mechanical buttons - more precisely, one button, the main one, used for locking. It is clear that it is copied from Sony Z series smartphones, but even there this “find” does not look very organic, to put it mildly. And so all the elements placed on the edges, including the covers of the card slots and the volume key, have a uniform appearance here, and only this button for some reason is made almost square, and is also recessed into some kind of shapeless recess cut out in the metal, which Other elements do not. All this looks completely out of place and goes out of the general style. The buttons themselves have an elastic, but too short stroke; they are not ideal, but you can get used to them.

At the top end, the same picture is observed: the exactly cut hole for the audio connector looks quite organic, but right next to it, they again missed the central axis with the hole for the second, auxiliary microphone. Apparently, the designer in his work was guided by something else, but not by the concept of symmetry.

The front panel is completely covered with flat, edgeless protective glass. In its upper part, in addition to sensors and a front camera, there is such a useful element as an LED event indicator. The function of blinking this small dot in the right corner when receiving new notifications can be disabled independently in the screen settings menu section.

There are no hardware buttons at the bottom under the screen; all the buttons are virtual, so their set and relative position can be changed to your taste in the corresponding section of the settings menu.

According to information gleaned from the Huawei branded online store, the smartphone will be presented in Russian retail in two color options: dark gray, as in our photographs, and champagne color with a white front panel, although corporate photographs show images of Huawei P8 , whose front panel is painted in this very light brown shade. Obviously, such a modification will either not go to the Russian market or will become available later.

Screen

The Huawei P8 smartphone is equipped with an IPS sensor matrix produced using in-cell technology. The screen dimensions are 65x115 mm, diagonal - 5.2 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. The pixel density is 424 ppi. The width of the frame from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body on the sides is about 3.5 mm, and on the top and bottom - about 15 mm.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or automatic adjustment can be enabled based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Operating the screen with gloves is supported, but double tapping in this case does not activate the screen, although such functionality has previously been found in Huawei smartphones. Perhaps it's all just a matter of the firmware of the test sample.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Huawei P8, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Huawei P8 is even a little darker (brightness according to photographs is 105 versus 112 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Huawei P8 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (slightly worse in effectiveness than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 440 cd/m², the minimum was 10 cd/m². The maximum brightness is quite high, which means, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is 100%, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 120 cd/m² (too much), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 300 cd/m² (it could have been lower), in very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more), the brightness increases to 440 cd/m² (to the maximum - this is how it should be); if the adjustment is approximately 50%, then the values ​​are as follows: 10, 115 and 440 cd/m² (ideal combination), the regulator at 0% is 10, 30 and 220 cd/m² (the last two values ​​are slightly underestimated, which is logical). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately and allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Huawei P8 and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Huawei P8 screen are oversaturated and the color balance is slightly different. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Huawei P8 the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong highlighting of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle of the screens has decreased (by at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the screen of the Huawei P8 is still lighter (brightness according to photographs is 240 versus 235 for the Nexus 7). When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a reddish tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is not ideal, since closer to the edge the black is lightened in places:

And with a different arrangement of on-screen buttons:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1400:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 22 ms (12 ms on + 10 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 34 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.17, which is close to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve almost does not deviate from the power-law dependence:

This device has some kind of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) may not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - (however, as always) when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. It should be noted that in this case, the brightness correction is weakly expressed and has a not entirely obvious dependence on the image, but it would be better not to have it at all.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are atypical, but we have already seen them in the case of, for example, Sony Xperia Z2. Sony indicates that these screens use LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Most likely, this statement is true in the case of Huawei P8. For a consumer device, a wide color gamut is not an advantage, but a significant disadvantage, since as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the tint warmer or cooler.

The curves in the graphs above Without corr. correspond to the results without any color balance correction, and the curves Corr.— data obtained after moving the correction slider to the “warm” side all the way. It can be seen that the change in balance corresponds to the expected result, since the color temperature approached the standard value, but ΔE, unfortunately, increased noticeably and reached a critical value of 10 units. Perhaps it doesn't make much sense to make the correction.

Let's summarize: the screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. Also, the advantages of the screen include the presence of an oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, high contrast, and a color balance close to standard. The disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane and an excessively wide color gamut. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics specifically for this class of devices, the quality of the screen can be considered high, although you should be prepared for strange and not entirely natural shades.

Sound

The Huawei P8, despite its extremely thin body, sounds very high quality. There is only one external speaker, but the device produces high-quality sound both through it and through headphones for comfortable listening. This is not at the level of Oppo or HTC; the smartphone does not abound in deep bass, but in terms of volume, Huawei P8 is definitely not inferior to anyone. The sound is very loud, but the sound is clear, without wheezing or distortion, bright, rich, low frequencies are also partly present, although not to the full extent. In conversational dynamics, the interlocutor’s speech, timbre and intonation remain recognizable. There are no manual settings to control the sound quality in the proprietary player; there is only the ability to turn on or off the DTS sound enhancement technology, and then only for headphones.

There is an FM radio in the smartphone; it only works with connected headphones.

Camera

Huawei P8 is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 13 and 8 megapixels. For front shooting, an 8-megapixel module with a lens with an f/2.4 aperture is used, without autofocus and its own flash. Among the settings, there is the ability to track a smile, as well as shooting using the hardware volume key, including when the screen is locked (to do this, you need to double-click on volume down, but shooting will be done with the main camera located on the back of the smartphone). For the front camera, there are also manual settings where you can independently set the exposure, contrast, and brightness. Also here we can mention the special “Perfect Selfie” mode with the ability to save personal data in memory, in which you can apply additional effects to photos (enlarge your eyes, whiten your skin, etc.).

The main camera uses Sony's new 13-megapixel sensor with a four-color RGBW sensor and its own image processor. According to the developers, the RGBW sensor reduces brightness by 32% in high-contrast lighting and increases by 78% in low-light conditions, and the DSLR camera's independent image processor allows it to suppress noise and evaluate shooting conditions, identifying high-contrast and low-light parts of the frame. The camera also features an f/2.0 lens with improved optical stabilization technology (compensates for shifts up to 1.2°) and tracking autofocus. The LED flash has two multi-colored sectors.

The design of the proprietary camera settings menu is the same as in previous models in the series, but several additional shooting modes have been added. Most of the menu functions are collected in a single vertical scroll, and additional shooting modes are selected by pressing the button in the upper right corner. In addition to the automatic shooting mode, there are several specific modes, such as Successful photos, Decoration, Panorama, HDR etc. Using a separate mode, you can play around and adjust the focus on different areas of an already captured photograph. Also, someone may find the new entertainment mode interesting Drawing with light. This mode uses manual control of the camera's shutter to capture various lighting effects. The developers suggest using this mode when shooting at night to capture the light pattern created by moving flashlights. According to their plan, users can create their own light paintings using the smartphone as a source of illumination in the dark.

The camera can shoot video with a resolution of up to 1080p; when shooting, you can use tracking autofocus; it is also possible to use optical and electronic stabilization, and at the same time. As a result, the shooting turns out to be very smooth indeed, but the image quality itself leaves much to be desired. It's a pity that there is no shooting mode at 60 fps or at least in 4K resolution. An example of a test video is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (19 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)

	The camera copes well with indoor shooting.
	Sometimes the noise reduction work looks really subtle and pleasant.
	The camera is not afraid of long exposures: apparently, the stabilizer helps out.
	Good sharpness over almost the entire field of the frame.
	With the removal of the plan, the image becomes soapy.
	An example of very good sharpness according to plans.
	In the middle and long shots, the soapiness is again felt.
	The license plates of nearby cars are distinguishable.
	Good sharpness across the field and plans.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	With the removal of the plan, the foliage merges quite smoothly.

It’s worth noting right away that the camera copes well with shooting in low light, much better than most smartphones. The remaining minority reaches this level quite well, but the good coordinated work of the stabilizer and noise reduction is really noticeable here. Otherwise, the camera has no superpowers. She works out the details well, but often gets soapy. There are also small areas of blur; sharpness is not always uniform across the frame and across the shots. Nevertheless, the camera is well suited for documentary and sometimes artistic photography.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone operates in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth generation LTE Cat4 networks, up to 150 Mbit/s (FDD LTE Band 1, 3, 4, 7). The most commonly used frequency in Russia, 2600 MHz, is also supported. In practice, with SIM cards from domestic operators Megafon and Beeline, the smartphone is registered and works in LTE networks.

The remaining network capabilities of the smartphone are as follows: there is support for Bluetooth 4.1, but only one Wi-Fi band is supported (2.4 GHz) and no NFC. There is Wi-Fi Direct, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The Micro-USB 2.0 connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. The developers also claim that the smartphone uses a new dual antenna design of its own, Signal+, which, in combination with fast switching technology, allows the smartphone to select the optimal communication mode and improves the quality of the connection even while moving at high speed, for example, if the user is talking while in a high-speed train.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, you can immediately search for contacts. The settings provide a continuous input method such as Swype. For ease of operation with one hand, it is possible to change the size of the virtual keyboards or even the entire working area of ​​the screen.

The smartphone supports dual SIM cards. All work with them in the menu is conveniently organized on one page, the settings are conveniently combined into groups, you just need to check a couple of boxes - and the choice is made. Everything is clear and intuitive. Perhaps this menu for managing work with two SIM cards is the most convenient of all the options we have previously encountered.

Any of the SIM cards can be designated as the main one for organizing voice calls, transferring data and sending SMS messages; When dialing a number, you can also select the desired card using the corresponding buttons. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G/4G networks, but only one of them can function in this mode at a time. To change the assignment of slots, cards do not need to be swapped - this can be done directly from the phone menu. Work with two SIM cards is organized according to the Dual SIM Dual Active standard, when both cards can work in parallel and at the same time, that is, the smartphone uses two separate radio modules - this is a very rare and, of course, very user-friendly option.

The proprietary interface traditionally modifies the design and entire internal arrangement of the standard system so much that there is little left of the original Android design. There is no separate application menu here, the original notification shade with a timeline and its own menu of recent open programs look completely different, and in general, traces of Material Design are almost invisible here. There is not very wide support for basic gestures; there is also a special software control button that calls up a pop-up menu for quick access to some frequently used applications. The bottom row of virtual control buttons can be reassigned at your discretion, and it is also possible to reduce the entire working area of ​​the screen.

There are not many additional pre-installed programs; useful ones include a file manager, as well as a set of system utilities, including the Dispatcher program, which includes functions of energy saving, memory cleaning, protection against virus threats, and traffic monitoring.

Performance

The Huawei P8 hardware platform is based on the eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 single-chip system (SoC), which, along with the Kirin 935, is currently one of the most powerful 64-bit platforms used by Huawei in its serial products. The configuration of this solution includes two clusters of four Cortex-A53 processor cores with a frequency of 1.5 to 2.0 GHz and a Mali-T624 GPU. That is, the Kirin 930 competes with top-tier SoCs such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and MediaTek MT6795.

The smartphone's RAM capacity is 3 GB. The device has 16 GB of flash memory, of which 10.5 GB is available for the user’s needs. The memory capacity can be increased using microSD cards, but then, according to the established bad tradition, you will have to remove the second SIM card, which is extremely inconvenient. On the market you can find many solutions that perfectly combine support for two SIM cards and a memory card at the same time, there is nothing supernatural about it. Why Huawei decided to stick with the version with reduced functionality is unclear.

According to the test results, the Kirin 930 platform showed itself to be quite worthy of the title of a top-end SoC platform of the highest level. More specifically, in comprehensive benchmarks its performance is equivalent to that of competing platforms Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 and MediaTek MT6795 (in AnTuTu it is more than 45K in 32-bit and about 50K in 64-bit testing modes).

As for specialized tests, both in graphics and even in browser benchmarks the platform is noticeably inferior to its competitors, and of course, in all respects it is far from the currently leading Exynos 7420, used in the most powerful modern devices Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge .

In any case, Huawei P8 is currently among the most powerful and advanced modern smartphones in terms of performance; its hardware capabilities will be enough to perform any tasks for a long time.

Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Huawei P8 (Hisilicon Kirin 930)	LG G4 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808)	HTC One M9 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	Samsung Galaxy S6 (Exynos 7420)	Meizu MX5 (Mediatek MT6795T)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	6556	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	11909	18372	20538	21204	16390
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	18 fps	25 fps	37 fps	30 fps	27 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	13 fps	35 fps	36 fps	46 fps	27 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	3333 (48 fps)	3340 (48 fps)	4092 (58 fps)	4185 (60 fps)	3966 (57 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface (the top of the image is on the right), obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is slightly more localized approximately at the center and closer to the right edge of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 35 degrees, which is relatively little. Apparently, the metal body of the device helps to delocalize the heating area.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the testing results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are necessary for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3		The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The standard player does not have this setting

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

720/30p Great No 720/25p Great No 720/24p Great No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades of gray do not differ in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

Huawei P8 has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 2680 mAh that is far from the maximum for modern smartphones. As a result, the smartphone did not show any records for battery life; everything was within the normal range for flagships with a large display.

It is also worth noting that the testing was carried out without using any energy-saving functions, and with them the smartphone is obviously able to last longer. As usual, in the settings of the proprietary energy-saving mode, Huawei smartphones have three different levels, from normal to maximum economical.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Huawei P8	2680 mAh	13:00	9:00 a.m.	3 hours 10 minutes
LG G4	3000 mAh	17:00	9:00 a.m.	3:00 am
Nexus 6	3220 mAh	18:00	10:30 a.m.	3 hours 40 minutes
HTC One M9	2840 mAh	11:00 am	8 a.m. 20 p.m.	3 hours 50 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S6	2550 mAh	20:00	12:00 pm	4:00 am
Meizu MX5	3150 mAh	15:00	11:00 am	4 hours 10 minutes
LeTV One	3000 mAh	10:30 a.m.	8 a.m. 20 p.m.	3 hours 50 minutes
Lenovo Vibe X2	2300 mAh	13:00	6:00 am	3 hours 15 minutes
Meizu MX4	3100 mAh	12:00 pm	8 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 45 minutes

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme, without auto-scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness at the beginning of the test was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted 13 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous viewing of high-quality videos ( 720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted 9 hours. In game mode, the smartphone functioned for just over 3 hours. Full charging time is just under 3 hours.

Bottom line

Huawei has already announced the imminent start of sales of Huawei P8 in Russia, the official price of a certified device will be almost 30 thousand rubles, the start of online sales is scheduled for July 24. An uncertified device can already be purchased in online stores at a price of 27 thousand rubles. Considering the current realities of the market, this is a very reasonable price for a fashionable flagship smartphone with a metal body, a high-quality large screen, excellent sound, a powerful hardware platform, a good camera and decent battery life.

Alternative namesGRA_L09
GRA_UL00
GRA-L09
GRA-UL00LM-G710
G710

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz	GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
UMTS	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz UMTS 800 MHz (GRA_L09) UMTS 1700/2100 MHz (GRA_L09)	UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 900 MHz UMTS 1700/2100 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz
LTE	LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) (GRA_UL00) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) (GRA_UL00) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38) (GRA_UL00) LTE 1900 MHz (GRA_L09) LTE 850 MHz (GRA_L09) LTE 900 MHz (GRA_L09) LTE 700 MHz (B12) (GRA_L09) LTE 700 MHz Class 17 (GRA_L09) LTE 800 MHz (GRA_L09)	LTE 700 MHz Class 13 LTE 700 MHz Class 17 LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 900 MHz LTE 1700/2100 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38) LTE 700 MHz (B12) LTE 700 MHz (B28)

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

SoC (System on Chip)	Huawei HiSilicon KIRIN 930	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Technological process	16 nm	10 nm
Processor (CPU)	4x 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A53e, 4x 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A53	4x 2.8 GHz Kryo 385, 4x 1.8 GHz Kryo 385
Processor size	64 bit	64 bit
Instruction Set Architecture	ARMv8-A	ARMv8-A
Level 1 cache (L1)	-	32 kB + 32 kB
Level 2 cache (L2)	-	1536 kB 1.5 MB
Level 3 cache (L3)	-	2048 kB 2 MB
Number of processor cores	8	8
CPU clock speed	2000 MHz	2800 MHz
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)	ARM Mali-T628 MP4+i3	Qualcomm Adreno 630
Number of GPU cores	4	-
GPU clock speed	680 MHz	710 MHz
Amount of random access memory (RAM)	3 GB	4 GB
Type of random access memory (RAM)	LPDDR3	LPDDR4X
Number of RAM channels	Dual channel	Dual channel
RAM frequency	1600 MHz	1866 MHz

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology	IPS	RGBW IPS
Diagonal	5.2in 132.08 mm 13.21 cm	6.1in 154.94 mm 15.49 cm
Width	2.55in 64.75 mm 6.48 cm	2.56in 64.93 mm 6.49 cm
Height	4.53in 115.12 mm 11.51 cm	5.54in 140.68 mm 14.07 cm
Aspect Ratio	1.778:1 16:9	2.167:1
Permission	1080 x 1920 pixels	1440 x 3120 pixels
Pixel Density	424 ppi 166 ppcm	563 ppi 221 ppcm
Color depth	24 bit 16777216 flowers	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area	71.58 %	83.19 %
Other characteristics	Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance	Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance
	Corning Gorilla Glass 3 OGS (One Glass Solution)	Corning Gorilla Glass 5 1000 cd/m² 100% DCI-P3 Always-On Display Dolby Vision HDR10

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor model	Sony IMX278 Exmor RS	-
Sensor type	-	CMOS
Sensor size	4.71 x 3.49 mm 0.23in	-
Pixel size	1.133 µm 0.001133 mm	-
Crop factor	7.37	-
ISO (light sensitivity)	100 - 1600	-
Diaphragm	f/2	f/1.6
Focal length	3.92 mm 28.91 mm *(35 mm / full frame)	-
Flash type	Double LED	Double LED
Image Resolution	4160 x 3120 pixels 12.98 MP	4608 x 3456 pixels 15.93 MP
Video resolution	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP	3840 x 2160 pixels 8.29 MP
Video - frame rate/frames per second.	30fps	30fps
Characteristics	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Optical image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode
	Sensor type - RGBW	Phase detection Laser autofocus Contrast autofocus 1080p @ 60 fps 720p@120fps Angle of view - 71° Secondary rear camera - 16 MP Aperture size - f/1.9 (#2) Angle of view - 107° (#2)

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

On April 15, Huawei presented two new devices in London - Huawei P8 and Huawei P8 MAX. The main focus of the presentation was on the P8 - this device replaces the Ascend P7 and should become one of the company's bestsellers, the product by which the brand is recognized and largely judged. It was all the more interesting to look at the device before the presentation and then find out some details during the announcement process. The company decided to rely not on further increases in dimensions, megapixels and other characteristics that are easily promoted in advertising, but on details and improvement of already implemented ideas.

Specifications Huawei P8

• Form factor: monoblock
• Case materials: metal, glass
• Operating system: Android 5.0 Lollipop, Huawei EMUI 3.x shell
• Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE Cat 6, dual SIM cards
• Platform: Hisilicon Kirin 930
• Processor: Octa-core: Quad-core 1.5 GHz (Cortex-A53) and Quad-core 2 GHz (Cortex-A53e), big.LITTLE
• RAM: 3 GB
• Memory for data storage: 16 GB/64 GB (premium version), microSD memory card slot combined with a SIM card slot (128 GB cards are supported)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP, aptX, LE), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset, HDMI (via microUSB), DLNA , NFC, IR port
• Screen: IPS LCD, 5.2’’, capacitive, 1920x1080 pixels (FullHD), automatic backlight level adjustment, Gorilla Glass 3
• Main camera: 13 MP, dual LED flash (works as a flashlight)
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS (A-GPS support)
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, barometer
• Battery: non-removable, Li-Pol, capacity 2600 mAh
• Dimensions: 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4 mm
• Weight: 144 grams

Design, case materials, assembly

The main design idea in Huawei Ascend P7 was the combination of a metal frame and glass panels on the front and back sides. Yes, it's impressive, but from a practical point of view, this solution has problems. The first is that the glass gets dirty, and it’s noticeable. Secondly, if the smartphone falls on any hard surface (asphalt, tiles, etc.), there is a high chance of getting the case, that is, the glass, cracked at the front or back.

In the P8 we see an all-aluminum body, with the exception of the panel in the upper area near the camera where the antennas are located, as well as the screen. Perhaps the P8 will not look as impressive on a shelf in a store or in your hand, but logic tells me that a solution with a metal body is better. The device still looks impressive, but it has become more practical than the previous model: marks and prints on the metal “back” are almost invisible, and there is less chance of damaging the smartphone if it falls. In my opinion, in terms of materials used, the new P8 is a step forward.

The build quality is excellent, and I draw this conclusion not from one sample, but from several devices: I looked at the first P8 at the company’s office, and then examined the smartphone again at the presentation. The trays for SIM cards are adjusted as precisely as possible to the plane of the edge, you can swipe your finger and feel the flat surface, the buttons “sit” securely in their places, nothing plays or dangles.

The smartphone will be available for sale in four color options – two per version. The basic version with 16 GB of internal memory will be available in “titanium gray” and “mystic champagne” colors, the premium version with 64 GB of memory will be “carbon black” and “prestige gold”.

Controls

In terms of handling, the new P8 is no different from last year's model. In the lower area of ​​the display there are on-screen touch keys, the left edge is empty, on the right from top to bottom there are volume buttons, an interestingly shaped power key, as well as two slots for SIM cards, one of them can also be used for a microSD memory card, both SIM cards support 4G.

At the top end there is a 3.5 mm mini-jack, at the bottom there is a microUSB connector and stereo speaker holes; this is perhaps one of the few differences in terms of elements between the P8 and P7. In the latter, the speaker was located on the back of the case, in the lower area, and there was only one.

Dimensions

Small frames to the left and right of the screen, minimal body thickness and reasonable margins at the top and bottom with a screen diagonal of 5.2"" make Huawei P8 one of the most compact smartphones in the category of five-inch models. It is also important that the device is not just compact, but also ergonomic - due to the small bevels of the body at the transition points of the planes, the P8 does not crash into the palm, but fits comfortably into it. Holding and using a smartphone is a pleasure. Compared to models with screens of 5.5" or larger, the device from Huawei seems incredibly convenient, and compared to many models with a 5" display, the P8 looks more compact and more convenient, to be honest. In fact, this is a standard modern smartphone in terms of size: not too big, but not small either.

In terms of ease of use, Ascend P8 can be compared with Xiaomi Mi4, and this is one of the most balanced five-inch devices in terms of size, along with P7. And it’s not for nothing that I pay such close attention to the dimensions of the device at first glance. It seems to me that balanced dimensions in 2015-2016 will become one of the most important advantages of smartphones. When every second device is equipped with 3-4 GB of RAM, a high-quality FullHD screen has become the norm, and chipset manufacturers compete in the frequency of eight-core processors, the overall ease of use of a smartphone comes to the fore. And in this regard, the new P8 looks even better than the new flagship from Samsung - the Galaxy S6, which is also a compact and neat device in terms of size.

Compared to other smartphones

Screen

The P8 has a 5.2’’ screen (IPS matrix) with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The display has become better in its characteristics than it was in the P7 - viewing angles (by eye) are now maximum, the picture is not distorted at all, and the brightness margin has also increased. Color rendition is close to natural, but if you wish, you can change it in the screen settings by changing the position of the color temperature slider within a wide range.

Yes, someone will probably say that for the flagship the company should have used a screen with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, but personally I think FullHD is the optimal resolution for diagonals from 4 to 5.5 inches. It is clear that all this is at the level of sensations, but I am sure that only a true “Eagle Eye” can see QHD in 5 inches.

Camera

At the presentation, the cameras received the most attention. At the same time, the resolutions for the main and front modules remained exactly the same as in the Ascend P7 - 13 MP for the main camera and 8 MP for the front one. The main emphasis was on improving cameras and introducing new technologies. Firstly, optical stabilization has appeared for the main camera. Secondly, as Huawei claims, the P8 smartphone is the world’s first device with a camera based on a four-color RGBW sensor. What it gives in practice, in addition to better brightness in conditions of high contrast lighting, we will find out in the review. Thirdly, an independent ISP processor (Image Signal Processor), which ensures high quality images. Again, these are just the specifications for now and we’ll find out how good the camera is in reality after testing the smartphone.

An interesting feature of the camera is the ability to shoot video simultaneously on several smartphones and then stitch the video together on the P8 using different angles.

And, of course, the presentation was not without teasing the competitors. Specifically, in the conversation about the camera, it was noted that the P8, unlike the iPhone 6 Plus or Galaxy S6, for example, is equipped with a camera module located flush with the body.

Front-camera:

Main camera:

Platform and memory

Like all other current models of the company, the new Huawei Ascend P8 is built on a proprietary chip - HiSilicon Kirin 930 with an eight-core processor. The chip uses a combination of two sets of Cortex-A53, a quad-core with a frequency of 1.5 GHz and a quad-core overclocked to 2 GHz.

The device has 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB/64 GB of built-in flash memory for storing user data; there is also a microSD card slot combined with a SIM card slot (you can install either a memory card or a SIM card).

It’s too early to talk about the device’s performance, but what I saw at the presentation and when I studied the device at the company’s office allows me to expect operating speeds typical of flagships—smooth in every sense. Details, as usual, will be in the review.

EMUI 3.x

The Huawei proprietary interface has not changed much compared to what was on the Ascend P7; it runs on Android 5.0, and I will tell you about all the features and features of the shell in a detailed review of the device.

Conclusion

What was the main problem with Ascend P7? In my opinion, in positioning. A fancy smartphone from a company named “hu a wei” - you must agree, it is still difficult to accept and understand. Oddly enough, the P8 will be positioned in approximately the same way, and this again may become a problem, the first and, perhaps, the only one. I won’t talk about the price of the new product now, because the current situation with exchange rate fluctuations even puts the companies themselves into an easily noticeable shock. Let's talk about something else.

With the release of Huawei P8, the company takes another step towards a strong position in the segment of expensive and high-quality smartphones. At the same time, I do not specifically mention the word “flagship”. P8 is not a flagship in the sense in which we are accustomed to apply this definition to top-end smartphones from Samsung, LG, Sony or HTC, for example. And this concerns not so much the slightly simpler (compared to the devices of the brands listed above) characteristics and lower cost. No, it's something else. Huawei, it seems to me, has chosen the right path - why try to get into the most competitive and, at the same time, far from the most profitable flagship market, when you can occupy a niche exactly below it? Not every user needs a smartphone with a camera with a resolution of 20-30 megapixels, a screen of 2560x1440 pixels or higher, as well as a dozen “innovative” technologies that make every aspect of the device “better.” But at the same time, almost every user wants to get a reliable smartphone: convenient, fast, trouble-free and, preferably, cheaper than flagships. This is exactly what the Huawei P8 looks like, at least according to first impressions.

I won’t lie, the price issue for Huawei is very acute (the new P8 will probably cost about 40,000 rubles), the company is at the stage where Samsung once was, many years ago - remember the flip phones of some Korean company and the chuckle that accompanied their discussion and especially the comparison with “normal handsets” from Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Then Samsung was taken at a price. This stage exists for growing companies, and the main thing is to pass it successfully. Judging by the dynamics that Huawei demonstrates with each new year, the moment when the brand will stand on par with market leaders not only in sales volumes, but also in general perception, is close. And Huawei Ascend P8 is a serious step towards this.

P.S. Together with P8, Huawei introduced the P8 max version with a 6.8’’ diagonal screen and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The main camera in this model is identical to the one used in the P8, the front one is a little simpler - 5 MP. There is no information yet about when the smartphone will appear in Russia and at what price.