Huawei Mate 7

[Connor13]

So while I am very happy with my Nexus 6 as my personal device ,my second line (which I use for work) was up for renewal and so I decided to try something a little different in the Huawei Mate 7 . I was considering a Samsung Note 4 or S6 , but thought for a change I would try something different after being so happy with my Nexus 6 .

Whilst Iv only had the device for a couple of days now I will say I am pleasantly surprised at what is a very nice device . The Huawei take on Android took a little getting used to ,but it's not bad (Still prefer the stock version on my Nexus though) . The build quality of the phone itself is also very good and feels very premium . Im happy to report that thus far the battery has also been outstanding and I am currently sitting on 8hrs 16min of on screen time with 20% still left on the battery .

The display is not bad , not as good as my Nexus but as 1080P displays go this one is not bad at all especially when comparing it next to my old Samsung Note 3 . Iv not had much time to play with the camera etc as yet but will do so over the weekend ,but one feature which is just great is the rear finger print scanner , what a pleasure to use and so much better than the one on the S5 . The really nice part is that it unlocks your phone with just a touch , no swiping or even pressing needed . It (finger print scanner) actually just makes sense because it is so easy to use and is very fast with no lag at all .

I got the Dual Sim Gold edition (3gb Ram and 32gb storage) ,so Im looking forward to giving the dual sim thing a go as Iv actually been considering going the route of purchasing a high end dual sim device instead of having to carry around 2 devices the whole time which can be a pain . I was also pleasantly surprised that it came fitted with a screen protector on already and it came with a very nice high quality S View type cover for the device which is great until I can go and get just a back cover for it as Im not fond of the flip types .

Overall a really nice device in a nice complete package . I actually wish more manufacturers would start bundling their devices with a screen protector and a cover in the box . Anyhow Ill try and get a bit of a review posted on this in the next week or so for anyone interested in these .

 

[Raithlin]

Thx for this. I've been eyeing this device for myself, but it is difficult to find a decent review for it.

 

[Raithlin]

Looking at the Cell C website shows the gold variant - where did you pick up your device, if I may ask? I fear the dual sim 3GB may not be the standard that the networks may provide..

 

[hj2k_x]

So while I am very happy with my Nexus 6 as my personal device ,my second line (which I use for work) was up for renewal and so I decided to try something a little different in the Huawei Mate 7 . I was considering a Samsung Note 4 or S6 , but thought for a change I would try something different after being so happy with my Nexus 6 .

Whilst Iv only had the device for a couple of days now I will say I am pleasantly surprised at what is a very nice device . The Huawei take on Android took a little getting used to ,but it's not bad (Still prefer the stock version on my Nexus though) . The build quality of the phone itself is also very good and feels very premium . Im happy to report that thus far the battery has also been outstanding and I am currently sitting on 8hrs 16min of on screen time with 20% still left on the battery .

The display is not bad , not as good as my Nexus but as 1080P displays go this one is not bad at all especially when comparing it next to my old Samsung Note 3 . Iv not had much time to play with the camera etc as yet but will do so over the weekend ,but one feature which is just great is the rear finger print scanner , what a pleasure to use and so much better than the one on the S5 . The really nice part is that it unlocks your phone with just a touch , no swiping or even pressing needed . It (finger print scanner) actually just makes sense because it is so easy to use and is very fast with no lag at all .

I got the Dual Sim Gold edition (3gb Ram and 32gb storage) ,so Im looking forward to giving the dual sim thing a go as Iv actually been considering going the route of purchasing a high end dual sim device instead of having to carry around 2 devices the whole time which can be a pain . I was also pleasantly surprised that it came fitted with a screen protector on already and it came with a very nice high quality S View type cover for the device which is great until I can go and get just a back cover for it as Im not fond of the flip types .

Overall a really nice device in a nice complete package . I actually wish more manufacturers would start bundling their devices with a screen protector and a cover in the box . Anyhow Ill try and get a bit of a review posted on this in the next week or so for anyone interested in these .

Thanks for this.

Keen to hear more when you've had some more time to test out all the features.

I wonder if Vodacom are going to stock the 3GB or 2GB RAM version...

 

[Connor13]

Looking at the Cell C website shows the gold variant - where did you pick up your device, if I may ask? I fear the dual sim 3GB may not be the standard that the networks may provide..

The line I use for work was a cell C line , so got the Huawei Mate 7 from Cell C . To my knowledge they are the only ones who offer the 3gb Ram 32gb memory version (that comes with dual sim) as the Vodacom version only comes with 2gb Ram and 16gb memory . Its the main reason I went for the gold version from Cell C as I wanted the 3gb Ram as well as wanting to try out the dual sim thing . So far its working like a charm and I am seriously considering going down to just one device (with both my personal and work lines in the Mate 7) in stead of having to carry around 2 devices during the week which can become irritating .

 

[Connor13]

Thanks for this.

Keen to hear more when you've had some more time to test out all the features.

I wonder if Vodacom are going to stock the 3GB or 2GB RAM version...

When I asked Vodacom and Cellular City they told me they will be getting the 2gb version as the 3gb version is the dual sim version which they do not stock . So it looks like the Gold Dual Sim 3gb version is only with Cell C currently .

Ill post a bit of a review in a couple of days or so with some pics , things are just a bit hectic currently so have not really had the time to go into and detail with stuff like the camera etc . So far though I am loving it (especially the dual sim function) , its a very well built device and the battery life I am getting is just crazy good at the moment .

 

[jacques is hier]

Hi , Connor13 how does the dual sim work? Do you have to manually switch to your data sim or does it automatically use one sim for voice and the other for data?

 

[Connor13]

Hi , Connor13 how does the dual sim work? Do you have to manually switch to your data sim or does it automatically use one sim for voice and the other for data?

Hi there , both sims are active at the same time for calls (ie you can receive calls on both sims and make out going calls/sms on both sims) . You choose a which sim you want to use for data (you can only have one sim active for data use at a time) , but you can change the selected data sim (from your 2 in the device) at anytime by just going to the menu . Both sim slots allow for 4G data speeds (service providing of course) this is great as my brother in law has a different dual sim device and on his only one of the slots offer 3G/4G and the other slot Edge . This means that one has to manually change the sims around in the device if you are wanting to use the second sim on the 3G/4G data speeds (if that makes sense) .

Its a very easy system to get used to , for example I have my Nano Vodacom sim and my micro Cell C sim in the Mate 7 currently and I use my Vodacom for the data (as Vodacom offer LTE whilst Cell C does not) and I have both sims active for voice/sms calls .Its also a well designed setup because if someone calls me on my cell C line it clearly indicates that the call is coming through to the cell C line and the same with the Vodacom . You can also name the individual slots if you so wish (Personal and Work for example).

Hope that answers your question
Thanks

 

[Raithlin]

I'm considering getting either this, or an iPhone 6 plus. Would you get this above the iPhone?

 

[Connor13]

I'm considering getting either this, or an iPhone 6 plus. Would you get this above the iPhone?

Im not a big iPhone fan so I am not the best person to be asking between the two

That being said , I think you get a whole lot more from the Huawei Mate 7 . After using the dual sim thing now for a bit I must be honest its a huge plus and I can see myself going down from having to carry 2 phones (work and personal) to just one in the Mate 7 with both my lines being active still but in one handset .

The finger print scanner on the Mate 7 is something special . After using the S5 for a while I might have used the finger print scanner on it for maybe a whole 2 days before turning it off as it was more an irritation than anything else when using it to unlock the screen ,but the Mate 7 is something completely different . Its so simple , all you need do is just place your finger at the back on the sensor (which is positioned really well especially when holding the phone)and that's it , it unlocks the phone . No swiping or pressing and it is very accurate . Iv used it now for 5 days and out of the 5 days its missed twice and I suspect that was due to me misplacing my finger . Its just really good and is a pleasure to use both from a security point of view and ease of use .

Im not too sure what the battery life is like on the iPhone ,but the Mate 7 I have found to have really great battery life thus far . Just glancing at my device currently im sitting on 6Hrs 31min on screen time and I still have 52% left on my battery !

Overall I am enjoying the device and I am impressed with the build quality and the performance thus far has been good . Ill go into more detail in the review ,but so far Im happy with the Mate 7 and I have asked Huawei SA earlier today on Facebook re the lollipop update for the Mate 7 and they said it would be getting the update ,so thats more good news .

If you do decide on a Mate 7 just make sure to get the Gold edition (that's if going to Cell C) as that is the only one which is dual sim and comes with 3gb Ram and 32gb storage vs the vodacom ones which has 2gb Ram 16gb storage and is the single sim version . There is only one down side of the dual sim version and that is that you have to decide on either using the second sim slot for a sim or a SD card (you cant use both) . Personally I opted to use the extra slot for the dual sim as with the device already having 32gb of storage I was more than happy with the amount of storage on board as I dont usually store a large amount of data on my phones anyway's .

 

[Raithlin]

Awesome, thanks for that. I currently use the Lumia 730, which is also dual sim, so I already know that joy.

Shame about the sim/sd story, but you are right - 32GB should be enough. I had a LG G2 with 16GB, and lived with that too.

The Mate is half the price of the iPhone, and I think I have convinced myself to stay with Android.

 

[jacques is hier]

Hi there , both sims are active at the same time for calls (ie you can receive calls on both sims and make out going calls/sms on both sims) . You choose a which sim you want to use for data (you can only have one sim active for data use at a time) , but you can change the selected data sim (from your 2 in the device) at anytime by just going to the menu . Both sim slots allow for 4G data speeds (service providing of course) this is great as my brother in law has a different dual sim device and on his only one of the slots offer 3G/4G and the other slot Edge . This means that one has to manually change the sims around in the device if you are wanting to use the second sim on the 3G/4G data speeds (if that makes sense) .

Its a very easy system to get used to , for example I have my Nano Vodacom sim and my micro Cell C sim in the Mate 7 currently and I use my Vodacom for the data (as Vodacom offer LTE whilst Cell C does not) and I have both sims active for voice/sms calls .Its also a well designed setup because if someone calls me on my cell C line it clearly indicates that the call is coming through to the cell C line and the same with the Vodacom . You can also name the individual slots if you so wish (Personal and Work for example).

Hope that answers your question
Thanks

Looks like a great phone.

 

[Fox1]

How much is the dual sim version at Cell C?

 

[Connor13]

Been really happy with the battery life thus far , even using the dual sim function have a look at this for some impressive on screen time and I still have 15% left on the battery !

 

[ahoudet]

Been really happy with the battery life thus far , even using the dual sim function have a look at this for some impressive on screen time and I still have 15% left on the battery !

View attachment 202394

That's amazing!

 

[Connor13]

And the battery life got even better !
Really enjoying the device thus far ,best on screen time iv ever had from any smart phone.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Would be great to see the Overview of your Battery Use, the Stats and that Graph to get an idea of your usage. AndreiLux once posted a Screen On Time of ludicrous numbers (like 24hours) from a Galaxy S4, he was making the example that Screen On Time alone doesn't tell the full story.

By the way congrats on your new phone, sounds like you're thoroughly enjoying it.

 

[Connor13]

Would be great to see the Overview of your Battery Use, the Stats and that Graph to get an idea of your usage. AndreiLux once posted a Screen On Time of ludicrous numbers (like 24hours) from a Galaxy S4, he was making the example that Screen On Time alone doesn't tell the full story.

By the way congrats on your new phone, sounds like you're thoroughly enjoying it.

Happy to post the full battery use when I do the review as iv charged it up now . Having said that , while screen on time might not be the be all and end all it is a fair indication to me anyways as I have the device set up as I have had all my previous devices (S3 ,S4,S5 , note 3 , LG G3 ,Nexus 6) with the same apps and settings etc .Bottom line is that it has out done all my previous devices in the battery department . That being said it also has a larger battery than my previous devices but I did not expect such a large jump in on screen time .

What I have come to realise with the huawei is that while the new displays on the LG G3 , Note 4,Nexus 6 are really nice and great to look at there is a rather large trade off in battery life with these displays . Iv also realised that it is really not necessary to have these power sapping displays as personally for every day usage I've not been disappointed with the Mate 7 display and it is a trade off I'm more than happy with in order to get the better battery life.

 

[Raithlin]

Picking my very own up this afternoon/tomorrow morning (depends on if I get to the store on time).

 

[Connor13]

Picking my very own up this afternoon/tomorrow morning (depends on if I get to the store on time).

Enjoy , are you getting the Dual Sim 3gb Ram version ?
Must admit I am enjoying mine , hope to use the camera etc a bit over the weekend , also need to look for a nice e mail app as I am not fond of the Huawei one as it does not give me the option to only download headers (well not that I could find anyways) .

You might have a software update waiting for you when you get yours as there was one with mine , it was around 70mb or so .

I want to go and look for a decent back cover for it , but from what I've seen there are no covers etc available as yet (well that's what I've been told in stores - they expecting in 2 weeks time) . It does come with a nice S View type cover in the box ,but I am not fond of the flip type covers , I find that they get in the way when wanting to take pics etc .