With its execution on the Google Nexus 6P, Huawei has again proven itself much more than competent in putting together a high quality phablet. For those who needed more evidence, Huawei just launched its 6-inch Mate 8 phablet at Ces 2016 in Las Vegas and the big-faced phone looks like it has the right stuff to take on the likes of the iPhone 6s Plus.
Huawei claims the Mate 8 is the "ultimate high-end smartphone," as it strikes that perfect balance between long battery life and high performance.
"With the Mate 8, we have delivered a device that meets the needs of a new style of business," says Kevin Ho, president of Handset Business for Huawei Consumer BG. "With this fast, impeccably designed smartphone, users can work more efficiently and free up valuable time to spend with friends, family and on personal pursuits."
Arriving much later than the iPhone 6s Plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, one would expect the Mate 8 to beat out the two in at least a few categories. Here's how the Mate 8 stacks up against its Apple and Samsung peers.
Look And Feel
Given that the Mate 8, and many other smartphones, uses colors and arguably builds made popular by Apple with its iPhone series, it's hard to give the Mate 8 a ribbon for looks. Plus, looks are often so subjective.
One thing that isn't subjective about the Mate 8 is its bar-setting 83 percent screen-to-body ratio. The Galaxy Note 5's screen-to-body ratio is at about 75 percent, while the iPhone 6s Plus' is somewhere around 67 percent.
But as far as feel is concerned, the sturdy yet lightweight Mate 8 just might have the edge here. Tech Times's own Brian Heater, for one, was impressed by both the look and feel of the Mate 8.
"The M8 is a 6-inch that's big and bright, but feels surprisingly light in the hand, fitting nicely, thanks in part to that curved metal backing, an ergonomic touch few companies offer aside from Huawei and Motorola, instead preferring to focus on just keeping the handset as slim as possible," writes Heater in his review of the phablet.
Power And Performance
The world will have a better idea about the power of the Mate 8 soon, as more benchmarks of the phone are released. But going by its pre-launch benchmarks, the phone packs more raw power than the Galaxy Note 5. And the Galaxy Note 5 beats the iPhone 6s Plus in multi-core benchmarks, though the Apple smartphone performs better than the Samsung device in single-core operations.
As rumored, the Mate 8 is driven by the Kirin 950 chipset and is the first phone to run it. That updated chipset delivers 100 percent more CPU performance and 125 percent more GPU power when compared to the Kirin 925 chipset. The octa-core processing unit is composed of four A72 2.3 GHz processors and four A53 1.8 GHz processors.
As for the cells to fuel all that power, the Mate 8 rocks a 4,000 mAh high-density battery. Thanks to its rapid charging tech, the phone can get a day's worth of power from a mere 30 minutes of time at a power outlet. The battery can even last for 2.36 days for regular users without charging, while it can last for 1.65 days for heavy users, according to Huawei.
Camera And Displays
Huawei is playing Apple's game when it comes to cameras, focusing more on image processing technologies than pixel count.
With 16-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front shooters, the Mate 8 beats out the iPhone 6s Plus in raw resolution. But until some side-by-side comparisons begin to emerge, there's nothing else that suggests the Mate 8 is packing a better camera than the latest iSight.
The Mate 8 has the same resolution as the iPhone 6s Plus at 1,080 x 1,920, both behind the Note 5 at 1,440 x 2,560, but Huawei's display is the biggest of the three. We'll need to know more specifics on those candelas and contrast ratios before declaring a winner in this department.
