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Huawei Ascend G7 Smartphone Review

The gentle giant. Huawei's Ascend G7 towers over many other smartphones with its 5.5-inch screen. In our tests we will clarify whether its performance and build are also outstanding in view of the affordable 299 Euros (~$372).
In review: Huawei Ascend G7. Review sample courtesy of Huawei Germany.

For the original German article, see here.

Huawei's Ascend G7 is the third smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen that we have tested in the past few months. There was the Ascend G730, followed by the Ascend G750, and now we have the Ascend G7. What are the differences? One is certainly the Ascend G7's metal casing; another is the LTE module that is installed in the Ascend G7. The current price difference between the Ascend G7 and Ascend G750 is just under 70 Euros (~$87). We will clarify whether the Ascend G7 is a real bargain in this report.

Other comparison devices are the Sony Xperia T3HTC Desire 816LG G Pro Lite Dual D686, and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo.

Case

The casing is available in three different colors.
The casing is available in three different colors.

The metal casing of Huawei's Ascend G7 is truly a unique selling point in this price range. Plastic prevails among the comparison devices; even in the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo, where polycarbonate is the tradition. Only Sony's Xperia T3 has metal parts to offer. The Ascend G7 feels rock-solid despite its large casing, and cannot be warped. On the other hand, it does not cope quite as well with pressure from the back or on the screen. This is visible in the screen's liquid crystals.

Huawei's Ascend G7 is the slimmest device among the competitors at 7.6 millimeters (~0.3 inches). Sony's Xperia T3 is right on its heels with only 0.1 millimeter more. LG's G Pro Lite Dual D686 is the bulkiest, with 9.64 millimeters (~0.38 inches). Huawei speaks of an "unbelievable body/screen ratio", i.e. the screen is framed by a very thin bezel. However, many other devices undercut that, such as Sony's Xperia T3 with a lower height and width.

Overall, Huawei has designed a good, yet not exactly lightweight casing at 165 grams (~5.8 ounces). Once again, Sony's Xperia T3 is the lightest at 148 grams (~5.2 ounces).

156.6 mm / 6.17 inch 78.7 mm / 3.1 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs153.5 mm / 6.04 inch 77.3 mm / 3.04 inch 7.6 mm / 0.2992 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs151.5 mm / 5.96 inch 78.3 mm / 3.08 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 187 g0.4123 lbs150.25 mm / 5.92 inch 76.94 mm / 3.03 inch 9.43 mm / 0.3713 inch 163 g0.3594 lbs150 mm / 5.91 inch 77 mm / 3.03 inch 9 mm / 0.3543 inch 162 g0.3571 lbs151 mm / 5.94 inch 77 mm / 3.03 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 148 g0.3263 lbs148.4 mm / 5.84 inch 77.4 mm / 3.05 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 162 g0.3571 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Only Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 Neo also has a 16 GB flash storage among the comparison devices, otherwise 8 GB is the standard. Not every competitor is equipped with an LTE Wi-Fi module either, and at a first glance, the cameras seem to have a fairly high-resolution with 13 megapixels on the rear and 5 megapixels on the front. The near field communication standard (NFC) and wireless display support are not installed.

The physical interfaces are smartphone standard, with a micro-USB 2.0 port and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack.

Good: the used working memory is displayed for opened apps
Good: the used working memory is displayed for opened apps

Software

Android 4.4.4 is the foundation for the software. Huawei covers it with its Emotion UI 3.0. This additional interface actually provides some useful extensions and innovations. For example, there is a quick access bar on the lock screen with a design that resembles Apple's iOS 8. It allows selecting another lock screen picture or to freeze it. Four apps can also be accessed directly.

The notification center has been completely revamped, and displays messages in a stylish yet not always very clearly arranged timeline. App logos are displayed with rounded corners, the user can choose designs, and there are some other minor modifications. Basically, every Android-veteran will find their way around quickly.

A few handy apps are preloaded, for example the phone manager that can free storage capacity, detect security risks, and block messages and calls from annoying people. There is a mirror app that utlizies the front-facing camera, and the screen can even be made "misty" when the user blows into the microphone. Fortunately, there is barely any bloatware on the smartphone.

GPS located us quite fast and accurately outdoors.
GPS located us quite fast and accurately outdoors.

Communication & GPS 

It is helpful that the Ascend G7 features LTE support. It enables setting up high-speed Internet connections when the network and the user's mobile service plan permit. Five different frequency bands are supported. In addition, the smartphone communicates with LTE Cat. 4, which makes maximum download speeds of 15 Mbit per second and 50 Mbit per second in upload possible. We had a good signal in the poorly developed E-Plus UMTS network in an urban area during our test.

Wi-Fi supports the most common 802.11 b/g/n standards. The reception at a distance of 10 meters (~33 ft) from the router, and through three walls was very good. Full signal was displayed and websites loaded very quickly.

The GPS module also supports the Russian GLONASS network. We did not have any reception with it indoors, but we were tracked with an accuracy of four meters (~13 ft) after a short time in the outdoors.

Telephone and Voice Quality

The phone app's looks have been modified slightly, but still largely corresponds to the standard Android app. It is possible to create groups and select favorites, write short messages directly from the phone app, or to filter displayed contacts. It is also possible to access the settings directly, and for example, create blacklists for unwanted callers.

The voice quality is compelling. The contact occasionally sounded somewhat tinny, but was otherwise very clear and close. We were also clearly perceptible to our contact, though the lack of background noise suppression was criticized because we did not sound quite as close. 

Cameras and Multimedia

Huawei's Ascend G7 stands out from the masses with its 13-megapixel rear-facing,  and 5-megapixel front-facing cameras. Only HTC's Desire 816 can keep up with this. However, we complained about its lack of focus and image dynamics. This cannot be said about the Ascend G7. The pictures even look razor-sharp, and the colors are reproduced very accurately. However, bright areas tend to overexpose. The iPhone 6 does a considerably better job in this respect. Pictures shot without flash quickly start to develop noise, but the camera still does a satisfactory job overall.

The 5-megapixel front-facing camera is clearly aimed at selfie fans among smartphone buyers, and produces decent pictures. They are absolutely suitable for social media and Internet purposes, and even provides enough details for printing standard-sized pictures.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Input Devices and Controls

Handwritten inputs are also possible with the keyboard.
Handwritten inputs are also possible with the keyboard.

The keyboard comes from the maker of the popular "Swype" keyboard app, and thus has also been dubbed "Swype for Huawei". Subjectively, we like the standard Android keyboard better because it is more clearly arranged and does not look quite as cluttered. In addition, the keys are somewhat narrow in portrait mode. On the other hand, it must be noted that Swype offers a multitude of settings. Almost everything, starting with keyboard's height on the screen up to the font size of suggested words, can be set. It is also possible to make voice dictations or handwritten inputs by swiping over the keyboard. Users who do not like the keyboard anyway can simply switch back to the standard keyboard, or search for an alternative in the Play Store.

Making inputs on the Ascend G7 is very pleasant too. The touchscreen is sensitive up to its edges and responds accurately. There are extensive options for movement control, and it is even possible to use the touchscreen with thin gloves. Users with small hands can enable "single-hand control", which moves the controls to either the right or left edge of the screen for easier accessibility.

Display

You would actually think that a Full HD resolution should be standard for a 5.5-inch screen size. However, the device's low price comes into play, which only allows a resolution of 1280x720 pixels in most comparison devices. The Ascend G7 also competes with this resolution. Even LG's G Pro Lite Dual D686  has only 960x540 pixels.

The brightness of the screens in the comparison range is generally quite high, and the screen in Huawei's Ascend G7 also has a relatively high brightness with an average of 451 cd/m². The fairly high black level of 0.73 cd/m² is not as good, and causes black areas to look dark-gray. However, the illumination of 91% is very even.

451
cd/m²
462
cd/m²
479
cd/m²
435
cd/m²
446
cd/m²
462
cd/m²
437
cd/m²
445
cd/m²
442
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 479 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 451 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 91 %
Center on Battery: 446 cd/m²
Contrast: 611:1 (Black: 0.73 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.72 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.16 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.19
Huawei Ascend G7
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei Ascend G730
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 4 GB Flash
Huawei Ascend G750
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 8 GB SSD
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
Mali-T624, 5260 Hexa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Sony Xperia T3
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 8 GB SSD
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
SGX531, MT6577, 8 GB SSD
HTC Desire 816
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 8 GB SSD
Screen
8%
1%
-4%
3%
21%
10%
Brightness middle
446
565
27%
412
-8%
351
-21%
521
17%
409
-8%
431
-3%
Brightness
451
522
16%
384
-15%
357
-21%
504
12%
360
-20%
423
-6%
Brightness Distribution
91
85
-7%
85
-7%
88
-3%
89
-2%
79
-13%
87
-4%
Black Level *
0.73
0.71
3%
0.52
29%
0.77
-5%
0.32
56%
0.55
25%
Contrast
611
796
30%
792
30%
677
11%
1278
109%
784
28%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.72
6.47
-13%
6.71
-17%
5.43
5%
5.73
-0%
5.13
10%
5.66
1%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.16
6.02
2%
6.6
-7%
4.84
21%
6.83
-11%
5.16
16%
4.23
31%
Gamma
2.19 100%
2.28 96%
2.62 84%
2.42 91%
3.46 64%
2.34 94%
2.31 95%
CCT
7699 84%
7905 82%
8169 80%
7762 84%
8370 78%
7090 92%
7120 91%

* ... smaller is better

Despite the relatively large screen and the comparatively low resolution of 720p, images look quite sharp on the screen of Huawei's Ascend G7. However, the colors could be slightly brighter. Huawei at least offers the option of adapting the color temperature to personal preferences. The cool color impression is due to the low contrast in the comparison field of 611:1, and the bluish cast that the screen exhibits.

We discovered this while analyzing the screen with the CalMAN software and a special measuring device. The bluish cast becomes visible even to the naked eye, particularly in the grayscale. Here, primarily the light gray colors and pure white are affected. This does not have such an impact on bold colors; they cover fairly accurately the reference rates of the sRGB color space. The bluish cast can be reduced even further via the manual color temperature control.

CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Color Management
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN ColorChecker
CalMAN ColorChecker

The screen's high brightness contributes to the legibility of contents, even on sunny days. However, this is no longer possible in direct sunlight due to the glossy surface. There are no problems recognizing anything on the screen indoors or in the shade.

The viewing angles are very good owing to the IPS screen. The content can still be recognized even from very acute angles.

Outdoors
Outdoors
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 from Qualcomm has a 64-bit processor architecture, clocks with 1.2 GHz, and features four cores. It is allegedly both more energy-efficient, and stronger than the older Snapdragon 400 models that are, for example, installed in Sony's Xperia T3 and HTC's Desire 816. In fact, the comparison devices clearly lag behind in the synthetic benchmarks. Only Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 Neo and Huawei's Ascend G750 can keep up.

The Adreno 306 graphics solution is used. It achieves average results in the synthetic benchmarks, and is not noticeably faster than the former Adreno 305 in Sony's Xperia T3 and HTC's Desire 816. According to our synthetic benchmarks, the Ascend G7 belongs to the slower models when browsing on the Internet, but we hardly noticed that in practice.

The storage is also somewhat slower in general than in the comparison devices. The Ascend G7 can only prevail in random write access. Overall, the buyer gets a decent processor and graphics performance that, however, cannot really stand out from the comparison devices.

Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
476 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
352 Points -26%
Huawei Ascend G750
445 Points -7%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
884 Points +86%
Sony Xperia T3
401 Points -16%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
314 Points -34%
HTC Desire 816
338 Points -29%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
1411 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
1160 Points -18%
Huawei Ascend G750
2454 Points +74%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
2156 Points +53%
Sony Xperia T3
1345 Points -5%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
575 Points -59%
HTC Desire 816
1109 Points -21%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
4465 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
2897 Points -35%
Huawei Ascend G750
6929 Points +55%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
9345 Points +109%
Sony Xperia T3
4778 Points +7%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
662 Points -85%
HTC Desire 816
4699 Points +5%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
3896 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
2454 Points -37%
Huawei Ascend G750
6250 Points +60%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
9931 Points +155%
Sony Xperia T3
4216 Points +8%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
536 Points -86%
HTC Desire 816
4210 Points +8%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
9137 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
7858 Points -14%
Huawei Ascend G750
11185 Points +22%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
7745 Points -15%
Sony Xperia T3
8960 Points -2%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
3683 Points -60%
HTC Desire 816
7913 Points -13%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
4.1 fps
Huawei Ascend G730
0 fps -100%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
4.6 fps +12%
Sony Xperia T3
4.2 fps +2%
HTC Desire 816
3.9 fps -5%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
1.8 fps
Huawei Ascend G730
0 fps -100%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
3.6 fps +100%
Sony Xperia T3
1.2 fps -33%
HTC Desire 816
1.6 fps -11%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
9.8 fps
Huawei Ascend G730
8.6 fps -12%
Huawei Ascend G750
13.4 fps +37%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
24.4 fps +149%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
5.3 fps
Huawei Ascend G730
3.7 fps -30%
Huawei Ascend G750
10.3 fps +94%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
14.2 fps +168%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
1513 ms *
Huawei Ascend G730
1381 ms * +9%
Huawei Ascend G750
1490 ms * +2%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
999 ms * +34%
Sony Xperia T3
1333 ms * +12%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
1345 ms * +11%
HTC Desire 816
1476 ms * +2%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
1839 Points
Huawei Ascend G730
894 Points -51%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
4316 Points +135%
Sony Xperia T3
2242 Points +22%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
1993 Points +8%
HTC Desire 816
1894 Points +3%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
16248 ms *
Huawei Ascend G730
28996 ms * -78%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
7104 ms * +56%
Sony Xperia T3
14507 ms * +11%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
18522 ms * -14%
HTC Desire 816
15968 ms * +2%
AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
84 MB/s
Huawei Ascend G730
43.56 MB/s -48%
Huawei Ascend G750
58.3 MB/s -31%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
97 MB/s +15%
Sony Xperia T3
123.7 MB/s +47%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
30.49 MB/s -64%
HTC Desire 816
57.7 MB/s -31%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
23 MB/s
Huawei Ascend G730
5.64 MB/s -75%
Huawei Ascend G750
15.29 MB/s -34%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
13.93 MB/s -39%
Sony Xperia T3
11.26 MB/s -51%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
13.93 MB/s -39%
HTC Desire 816
8.79 MB/s -62%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
7 MB/s
Huawei Ascend G730
11.12 MB/s +59%
Huawei Ascend G750
12.06 MB/s +72%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
10.25 MB/s +46%
Sony Xperia T3
14.18 MB/s +103%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
9.38 MB/s +34%
HTC Desire 816
8.65 MB/s +24%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Huawei Ascend G7
1 MB/s
Huawei Ascend G730
0.27 MB/s -73%
Huawei Ascend G750
0.9 MB/s -10%
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
1.21 MB/s +21%
Sony Xperia T3
0.62 MB/s -38%
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
0.78 MB/s -22%
HTC Desire 816
0.78 MB/s -22%

Legend

 
Huawei Ascend G7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Huawei Ascend G730 Mediatek MT6582, ARM Mali-400 MP2, 4 GB Flash
 
Huawei Ascend G750 Mediatek MT6592, ARM Mali-450 MP4, 8 GB SSD
 
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505 Samsung Exynos 5260 Hexa, ARM Mali-T624, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia T3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD
 
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686 MediaTek MT6577, PowerVR SGX531, 8 GB SSD
 
HTC Desire 816 Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 8 GB SSD

* ... smaller is better

Games

Huawei's Ascend G7 did not have any problems presenting "Asphalt 8almost lag-free even when the graphic settings were set to "high". Although the image is not quite as brilliant as in smartphones with a 1080p resolution, the game still looks very good - particularly when racing through Tokyo at night in the rain. The Ascend G7 can confidently be called gaming suitable because the controls via touchscreen and position sensor function quite well, and the smartphone did not have problems with other games from the Play Store. However, some games do not always run absolutely smoothly in ultra-high details.

"Asphalt 8" even runs smoothly in ultra-settings
"Asphalt 8" even runs smoothly in ultra-settings
We did not have problems with other games either
We did not have problems with other games either

Emissions

Temperature

The temperature development is pleasingly low. Huawei's Ascend G7 barely heats up with 35.1 degrees (~95 °F) maximum in load. The temperatures are even considerably lower while idling so that the device can be called very cool.

Max. Load
 34 °C
93 F
33.9 °C
93 F
34.6 °C
94 F
 
 33 °C
91 F
33.5 °C
92 F
35.1 °C
95 F
 
 32.1 °C
90 F
32 °C
90 F
33.1 °C
92 F
 
Maximum: 35.1 °C = 95 F
Average: 33.5 °C = 92 F
33.5 °C
92 F
34.6 °C
94 F
34.1 °C
93 F
32.6 °C
91 F
34.2 °C
94 F
33.6 °C
92 F
33 °C
91 F
33.7 °C
93 F
32.6 °C
91 F
Maximum: 34.6 °C = 94 F
Average: 33.5 °C = 92 F
Room Temperature 22.9 °C = 73 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 33.5 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.1 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.6 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.6 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

The speaker in the back's lower area gives a slightly overburdened impression when rendering rich sounds, such as multiple instruments playing simultaneously. The sound then quickly loses accuracy. Bass is non-existent, and trebles sound somewhat overemphasized. At least the speaker does not hum in maximum volume, and it is quite adequate for the audio playback of occasional Internet videos. Users who want a higher sound quality should use the 3.5 mm audio jack.

Energy Management

The battery capacity of Huawei's Ascend G7 is rather average with 11.1 Wh. However, Huawei manages to retrieve quite decent runtimes from that, and even outperforms most comparison devices. It is possible to browse on the Internet via Wi-Fi for 11:43 hours before the Ascend G7's battery is drained. Only Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 Neo achieved a longer time in the Wi-Fi test owing to its economic OLED screen.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Surfing
11h 43min
Load (maximum brightness)
5h 26min
Huawei Ascend G7
Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Huawei Ascend G730
Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 4 GB Flash
Huawei Ascend G750
Mali-450 MP4, MT6592, 8 GB SSD
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo N7505
Mali-T624, 5260 Hexa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
Sony Xperia T3
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 8 GB SSD
LG Optimus G Pro Lite Dual D686
SGX531, MT6577, 8 GB SSD
HTC Desire 816
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 8 GB SSD
Battery Runtime
-19%
-9%
-4%
-37%
-13%
-9%
WiFi
703
620
-12%
638
-9%
806
15%
634
-10%
695
-1%
686
-2%
Load
326
240
-26%
253
-22%
118
-64%
245
-25%
273
-16%

Verdict

In review: Huawei Ascend G7. Review sample courtesy of Huawei Germany.
In review: Huawei Ascend G7. Review sample courtesy of Huawei Germany.

The metal casing of Huawei's Ascend G7 lets it stand out from the masses of not-quite-phablet smartphones for below 300 Euros (~$372). The build fits, the device is slim, and the communication modules have a good reception performance. The decent software with a multitude of options and the good cameras are also very convincing. Huawei's Ascend G7 does not have any real shortcomings in terms of screen, performance or battery life.

The value for money is just right in any case, even if the screen's black level could be higher, and the speaker's quality has room for improvement. However, real weaknesses will not be discovered in the Ascend G7 when considering the category standards. Consequently, the buyer will get a rock-solid mid-range device in the best sense.

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In Review: Huawei Ascend G7. Review sample courtesy of Huawei Germany.
In Review: Huawei Ascend G7. Review sample courtesy of Huawei Germany.

Specifications

Huawei Ascend G7 (Ascend Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 4 x 1.2 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 11.27 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm combo audio jack, Card Reader: micro-SDHC slot (max. 32GB), Sensors: motion sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor, compass, FM radio, A-GPS, Glonass, OTG, DLNA, micro-SIM
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900), UMTS dual-band (900/2100), LTE-Pentaband (800/900/1800/2100/2600), SAR-rate: 0.50 W/kg
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.6 x 153.5 x 77.3 ( = 0.3 x 6.04 x 3.04 in)
Battery
11 Wh Lithium-Polymer, 3000 mAh
Operating System
Android 4.4 KitKat
Camera
Webcam: camera: 13.0 MP, AF, LED flash, videos @1080p (rear); 5.0 MP (front)
Additional features
Speakers: speaker on the lower edge, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, power supply, USB cable, stereo headphones, quick start guide, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
165 g ( = 5.82 oz / 0.36 pounds), Power Supply: 40 g ( = 1.41 oz / 0.09 pounds)
Price
300 Euro

 

The Ascend G7 is already available in white and black.
The Ascend G7 is already available in white and black.
The design is sooner basic.
The design is sooner basic.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the gold version will find its way to Europe.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the gold version will find its way to Europe.
A real metal casing is very rare in this price range.
A real metal casing is very rare in this price range.
The casing's stiffness is also very satisfactory.
The casing's stiffness is also very satisfactory.
The casing is slim.
The casing is slim.
The 5.5-inch screen of Huawei's Ascend G7 is quite big. Good that there is a single-hand mode where the controls are moved to one side.
The 5.5-inch screen of Huawei's Ascend G7 is quite big. Good that there is a single-hand mode where the controls are moved to one side.
The build quality is very good.
The build quality is very good.
The casing also always stays cool.
The casing also always stays cool.
Huawei's Emotion UI extends Android sensibly and provides many options.
Huawei's Emotion UI extends Android sensibly and provides many options.
The screen is pleasing although the black level could be slightly lower.
The screen is pleasing although the black level could be slightly lower.
The viewing angles are also good owing to IPS.
The viewing angles are also good owing to IPS.
The camera shoots very detailed pictures.
The camera shoots very detailed pictures.
A 5-megapixel front-facing camera is available for selfies and videoconferencing.
A 5-megapixel front-facing camera is available for selfies and videoconferencing.
A round bundle without major shortcomings.
A round bundle without major shortcomings.
Huawei's Ascend G7 is a good mid-range device that will barely disappoint anyone.
Huawei's Ascend G7 is a good mid-range device that will barely disappoint anyone.

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Pros

+Rigid metal casing
+Slim build
+LTE module
+Good software
+Decent voice quality
+High-detail photos
+Sharp screen
+Decent performance rates
+Cool casing
+Useful battery life
 

Cons

-Heavier than comparable devices
-Screen's light bluish cast
-High black level
-Speaker's sound could be better

Shortcut

What we like

Huawei's Ascend G7 is a rock-solid mid-range phone that will barely disappoint anyone.

What we'd like to see

The speakers could sound better, and the screen's black level should be lower. Otherwise, there are hardly any real shortcomings when the price is considered.

What surprises us

That Huawei can offer a solid metal casing in this price range.

The compeition

Huawei Ascend G730, Huawei Ascend G750, Sony Xperia T3, HTC Desire 816, LG G Pro Lite Dual D686, and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo

Rating

Huawei Ascend G7 - 11/03/2014 v4(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
83%
Keyboard
62 / 75 → 83%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
45 / 60 → 75%
Weight
91%
Battery
93%
Display
82%
Games Performance
54 / 63 → 86%
Application Performance
25 / 70 → 36%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
48 / 91 → 53%
Camera
77%
Average
72%
82%
Smartphone - Weighted Average
Florian Wimmer, 2014-11-17 (Update: 2018-05-15)