Home Gaming Huawei reveals Ascend P8, coming to SA in June

Huawei reveals Ascend P8, coming to SA in June

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Huawei ascend p8

There was a time when choosing a smartphone consisted of deciding between an iPhone or a Samsung. In the last few years we’ve seen the likes of Lumia, Sony, HTC and LG throw their hats into the ring and produce phones that compete with the two gadget giants. In the last few weeks we’ve seen a new Samsung enter the fray, an HTC One M9 launched and in the next few weeks a the rumoured LG G4 will make her appearance.

Chinese manufacturer Huawei has been knocking at the door for some time, releasing phones with similar specs to compete with the bigger brands while beating them on price points (got to love those Chinese imports).

Today in London, Huawei announced their latest flagship, the Huawei Ascend P8. It’s super skinny at 6.4mm. Huawei’s biggest downfall in the past was that the aesthetics of their phones were, well, cheap and plastic. They’ve upped the game a bit with the P8 using premium materials with an aluminium unibody and offering up a very similar look to that of the iPhone 6. However the phone manufacturer says this won’t effect the pricing we’ve come to expect from Huawei. I’m presuming they took a knock in profit margins to try compete with the big boys then? There’s a 5.2″ display with 78.3% screen-to-body ratio… they’d like you to know that that is industry leading, by the way. I’m not sure it matters.

The specs are pretty decent. A 13MP rear camera, 8MP front facing camera and, just for Matty, a host of “selfie” features that include being able to get great architecture shots in low light (for those selfie backgrounds) and a selfie fix that will remove all the things about your face you might not like. The phone brags a 2680 mAh battery (with quick charge!) which should give you a day of heavy usage and if you don’t choose to Instagram all of your food you’ll likely get a day and a half out of it. They’ve added lots of bells and whistles, some fun features and, for the most part, it’s a really impressive phone. This is mainly because Huawei have costed it at around the R7000-R8000 mark.

Sam huawei

But in true “we’ll do what those other (Apple) guys did” form, Huawei didn’t only announce the P8 but also the P8 Max. Smartphone manufacturers seem to feel rather strongly that bigger is better. The P8 Max’s biggest selling point is the battery. It’s a 4360 mAh battery and the marketing folk assure me you can actually watch downloaded video for over 10 consecutive hours… but until I’ve done it, the jury’s out. It has a 6.2″ screen so you can toss out your tablet. The screen is an HD JDI screen which makes it the largest in-cell FHD screen in the world. It’s a beast, utilising the same DX19 high thermal conductivity alloy found in some luxury automobiles to avoid overheating. Again, I’m not sure this is a really big deal but it’s a fun fact to throw out at dinner parties while you look ridiculous with your giant phone bulging out your pocket.

For the most part I like what Huawei has done here. Their P8 presentation consisted of a lot of “this is better than the S6 and iPhone 6” graphics and I like their ballsy nature. They had more than 700 media at the P8’s London launch. Clearly they want a slice of the Apple and Samsung Pie.

Expect the phones to land on SA Shores around mid June, just a few weeks after the HTC One M9 becomes available to the local crowd. The true question is, would the Apple loyal leave their beloved brand for this Chinese (not really but sort of) copy?

Last Updated: April 16, 2015

59 Comments

  1. Captain JJ the flash noob

    April 16, 2015 at 09:05

    I hate when I switch on my camera and the front facing one is on.
    My face; O_o

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      April 16, 2015 at 09:13

      SAME! scares the bejeezus out of me.

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:13

        Haha!

        Reply

    • Admiral Chief asked for this

      April 16, 2015 at 09:15

      I’d get the fright of my life if my reflection looks like yours as well!

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:17

        Hey!
        Wait. You have a point.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief asked for this

          April 16, 2015 at 09:18

          Could have been worse, you could have had Rince’s reflection!

          Reply

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 09:19

            Well, looking into a “mirror” and seeing someone else is pretty terrifying. No matter who it is. When I’m drunk I see Terminator, so that’s okay.

          • Admiral Chief asked for this

            April 16, 2015 at 09:19

            Come with yourself if you want to live

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 09:20

            LOL
            That, uhm, sounds wrong.

          • RinceThis

            April 16, 2015 at 09:33

            Um 0_O

          • RinceThis

            April 16, 2015 at 09:33

            Um 0_O

          • Hammersteyn

            April 16, 2015 at 09:19

            He has a reflection? oh wait, he’s not a vampire. He’s something worse.

          • Admiral Chief asked for this

            April 16, 2015 at 09:20

            The soulless have reflections

          • RinceThis

            April 16, 2015 at 09:33

            No we bloody well don’t!

          • RinceThis

            April 16, 2015 at 09:33

            No we bloody well don’t!

    • Hammersteyn

      April 16, 2015 at 09:16

      Same here, I’m so ugly I brush my teeth in the kitchen just so that I can avoid the mirror.

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:17

        Haha. Learn from me and stay away from the sink, that thing is reflective also.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          April 16, 2015 at 09:19

          Nah, it’s filled with last weeks dishes.

          Reply

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 09:20

            LOL

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      April 16, 2015 at 09:29

      Now you know how everyone else feels. ;P

      Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      April 16, 2015 at 09:29

      Now you know how everyone else feels. ;P

      Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      April 16, 2015 at 09:29

      Now you know how everyone else feels. ;P

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:30

        Haha. It’s like that one moment when you see yourself how other people see you. And it’s scary.

        Reply

    • RinceThis

      April 16, 2015 at 09:32

      Can’t blame you with a face like yours *RUNS SCREAMING

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:33

        You’re always so pleasant to hear from. 😉

        Reply

        • RinceThis

          April 16, 2015 at 09:53

          Oh shush. I get as much abuse as you so we are in this together!

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief asked for this

            April 16, 2015 at 09:55

            Rince and JJ….sitting it a tree…..

            Man, you must be heartbroken hearing JJ is getting hitched

          • RinceThis

            April 16, 2015 at 09:57

            Is he? IS HE?! It’s all a cover!

          • Dutch Matrix

            April 16, 2015 at 10:03

            Russian Mail Order Bride?
            Kidnapped 18 year old Brunette yankee girl? Ooooohhhh. Liam Neeson is going to murder him in very delicious ways…

          • Admiral Chief asked for this

            April 16, 2015 at 10:05

            Crazy Stockholm kicking….

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 10:11

            Sucker for punishment

          • Blood Emperor Trevor

            April 16, 2015 at 10:00

            Note to self: be nicer to JJ

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 10:04

            Shortly before losing the note 😉

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 10:04

            Haha. True.

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:33

        You’re always so pleasant to hear from. 😉

        Reply

    • RinceThis

      April 16, 2015 at 09:32

      Can’t blame you with a face like yours *RUNS SCREAMING

      Reply

  2. Brandon van Reenen

    April 16, 2015 at 09:11

    I don’t own a Huawei, but I’ve managed to play around with a few of them and they’re fantastic. Heck, even those HiSense phones are pretty decent for what they cost.

    Reply

    • Geoffrey Tim

      April 16, 2015 at 09:19

      Huawei stuff is actually really, really good. The Chinese manufacturers are mostly done creating knock offs, and are ready to affect the market in a big, big way.

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        April 16, 2015 at 09:20

        They’ve had lots of practice with those knock-offs

        Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:20

        They really have stepped up their game, I must agree.

        Reply

      • Gavin Mannion

        April 16, 2015 at 09:34

        They also place snooping devices in all their equipment to steal your porn password #Fact.. #Maybenot

        Reply

        • FoxOneZA

          May 7, 2015 at 13:51

          So does the American Tech companies due to NSA requests :p

          Reply

      • Ross Woofels Mason

        April 16, 2015 at 13:05

        I haven’t used their phones but on both their mobile routers, as well as adsl routers haven been fantastic.

        Reply

  3. Admiral Chief asked for this

    April 16, 2015 at 09:14

    Nice write-up Sam

    Reply

  4. Hammersteyn

    April 16, 2015 at 09:17

    I don’t like purchasing brands who’s name I can’t pronounce.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief asked for this

      April 16, 2015 at 09:18

      Hoo a way

      Reply

      • Captain JJ the flash noob

        April 16, 2015 at 09:21

        GO A WAY

        Reply

      • Geoffrey Tim

        April 16, 2015 at 09:21

        Easier, and more correct: Wah-Way.

        Reply

        • Captain JJ the flash noob

          April 16, 2015 at 09:22

          “more correct”
          Geoff, the master of politics 😀

          Reply

        • Admiral Chief asked for this

          April 16, 2015 at 09:22

          Wah wah wah WiiiiU

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            April 16, 2015 at 09:23

            HAI!

          • Captain JJ the flash noob

            April 16, 2015 at 09:23

            So it begins….
            Hai!

        • Hammersteyn

          April 16, 2015 at 09:22

          I thought it’s How-weigh? Ugh, I don’t want to argue the pronunciation in the pub again.

          Reply

        • RinceThis

          April 16, 2015 at 10:07

          Ben dan ren…

          Reply

  5. Admiral Chief asked for this

    April 16, 2015 at 09:19

    I heard that Huawei are showing significant growth currently (33% if I remember correctly)

    Reply

  6. justlikemo

    April 16, 2015 at 09:37

    huawei
    hu r u

    Reply

  7. Sageville

    April 16, 2015 at 10:09

    Sam looks so sad, the phone must be horrible!

    Reply

    • Tech Girl

      April 17, 2015 at 11:21

      It’s just resting bitch face. My go to for selfies.

      Reply

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