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Huawei Y6 2017 Smartphone Review

Low price - large battery. The Huawei Y6 (2017) features a large battery and is ambitious, yet quite low-priced. Can it bear up against the competition or did Huawei calculate too tightly? Find out more in our review
Huawei Y6 (2017)

For the original German review, see here.

The Huawei Y6 (2017) is a 5-inch smartphone, which belongs to the upper price range of entry-level devices with an RRP of just under 160 Euros (~$135). The Chinese manufacturer wants to attract prospective buyers with a large battery for this category, decent performance and a freely configurable button. This sounds like a good offer, but the Nokia 3Gigaset GS170Sony Xperia E5 or Samsung Galaxy J3 are similarly priced. Can the Huawei Y6 (2017) bear up against these good smartphones?

Huawei Y6 2017 (Y6 Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6737T 4 x 1.5 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 294 PPI, kapazitiver Touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 10.6 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3,5mm-Audioport, Card Reader: 3,5mm-Audioport, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: Beschleunigungssensor, Annäherungssensor, Kompass
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM (850/​900/​1800/​1900), UMTS (900/​1900/​2100), LTE (B1/​B3/​B7/​B8/​B20), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.85 x 143.8 x 72.2 ( = 0.35 x 5.66 x 2.84 in)
Battery
11.4 Wh, 3000 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix f/​2.0, Kontrast-AF, Dual-LED-Blitz
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix LED-Blitz
Additional features
Speakers: Mono-Lautsprecher an der Unterseite, Keyboard: virtuelles Keyboard, Ladegerät, USB-Kabel, Headset, HiCare, Telefonmanager, Designs, 24 Months Warranty, UKW-Radio, LTE Cat.4 (Download 150 Mbit/s, Upload 50 MBit/s), SAR-Wert: 0,42 W/kg (Kopf), 1,20 W/kg (Körper), fanless
Weight
150 g ( = 5.29 oz / 0.33 pounds), Power Supply: 48 g ( = 1.69 oz / 0.11 pounds)
Price
160 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The Huawei Y6 (2017) is available in three color options: white, gray, or gold. The gray model features a black front side; the others match colors front and back. The case is quite stable; it hardly twists or creaks. Only high pressure causes ripples on the liquid crystal display.

The size is on par with similarly expensive smartphones with the same display size. The case is several tenths of a millimeter higher than other devices', which might be caused by the high-capacity battery. The Y6 also weighs a few grams more. But, both differences are that small that they are acceptable in favor of a longer battery life. Thanks to curved edges, the smartphone sits comfortably in the hand.

The removable rear cover allows replacing SIM cards and microSD card, but the battery cannot be removed (that easily).

Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)
Huawei Y6 (2017)

Size Comparison

144 mm / 5.67 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 139 g0.3064 lbs143.8 mm / 5.66 inch 72.2 mm / 2.84 inch 8.85 mm / 0.3484 inch 150 g0.3307 lbs144 mm / 5.67 inch 69 mm / 2.72 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 147 g0.3241 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 71.4 mm / 2.81 inch 8.68 mm / 0.3417 inch 141 g0.3109 lbs143.2 mm / 5.64 inch 70.3 mm / 2.77 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 148 g0.3263 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

2 GB RAM and 16 GB of storage appear to be standard in this price category. The RAM capacity is sufficient for everyday tasks, but you should not work with too many apps, which are left open in the background. 10.6 GB of the storage space are free for your data and apps in delivery state. That is okay, but those who like to run games or install other large apps will run out of storage soon. In return, you can add up to 128 GB storage with a microSD card. There is a dedicated microSD slot. Hence, you do not have to give up one of the dual SIM slots. Apps can be installed on the memory card if the app allows you to do so.

right: volume control, stand-by button
right: volume control, stand-by button
left: freely configurable button
left: freely configurable button
top: 3.5mm audio jack
top: 3.5mm audio jack
bottom: microphone, USB port, speakers
bottom: microphone, USB port, speakers

Software

The Huawei Y6 (2017) is based on Android 6.0. At the time of the test, the security patches were already outdated and an update was not available. It is not to be expected that an update will be rolled out since not much effort is put into cheap devices. Huawei's EMUI over Android changes the appearance and adds features, but those familiar with Android will quickly get along with it.

You have to accept several advertising apps and preinstalled Free2Play games, but there are not too many. In addition, Huawei installs many more or less useful tools, which you can uninstall if you do not like them. One of them simulates a mirror by means of the front camera and another one a torch. Many UI designs are available, but only one is preinstalled at the beginning. The phone manager helps to keep memory consumption low and keep an eye on power consumption. The settings are slightly pooled and advanced settings are hidden in a sub function. The notification center has also been slightly redesigned.

Software Huawei Y6 (2017)
Software Huawei Y6 (2017)
Software Huawei Y6 (2017)

Communication and GPS

Wi-Fi standards 802.11 b/g/n are usual in this price class and the Huawei Y6 (2017) provides it. Hence, it cannot access the less used 5 GHz band, but ensures fairly fast internet connections. Nevertheless, it does not exploit modern DSL rates: In our standardized Wi-Fi test, the smartphone remains under 50 MBit/s in sending and receiving and is the slowest model in our comparison group. In our real-world test, we check opening times of various web sites close to the router. While full reception is available in this scenario, loading images still takes a long time. We still had the full signal and high transmission rates at a distance of ten meters (~33 ft) to the router and through three walls in the home wireless network. Loading took similarly long as close to the router.

Huawei is a bit stingy in cellular networks with only five LTE bands. It covers all networks important for middle Europe however. Other smartphones offer more LTE bands, for example, the Nokia 3 has as much as nine LTE bands available. LTE Cat. 4 is the standard in this class, which is met by the Huawei Y6. The reception is decent: In the well-developed German D2 network, we had at least half the reception in the city, even in buildings.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Sony Xperia E5
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
78.7 MBit/s +62%
Nokia 3
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
76.6 MBit/s +57%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
Mali-T720 MP2, Exynos 7570, 16 GB eMMC Flash
53.5 MBit/s +10%
Gigaset GS170
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.9 MBit/s +2%
Huawei Y6 2017
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737T, 16 GB eMMC Flash
48.7 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Nokia 3
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
81.1 MBit/s +86%
Sony Xperia E5
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
79.9 MBit/s +83%
Gigaset GS170
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.4 MBit/s +13%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
Mali-T720 MP2, Exynos 7570, 16 GB eMMC Flash
46.9 MBit/s +8%
Huawei Y6 2017
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737T, 16 GB eMMC Flash
43.6 MBit/s
GPS test indoor
GPS test indoor
GPS test outdoor
GPS test outdoor

The GPS module of the Huawei Y6 (2017) is not able to geolocate indoors. Outdoors, geolocation takes some time, the accuracy increases slowly and finally reaches a good value of 4 meters (~13 ft).

For more real-world relevance of our tests, we took the Huawei Y6 and the Garmin Edge 500, a professional navigation device, on a bike tour. The course is about 200 meters (~656 ft) shorter than what the reference navigation device reports when measured by the Y6. This difference is just acceptable for a course of about 6.5 km (~4 miles). The Y6 sometimes lost contact to the satellites for a long time and drew straight lines between remote measuring points. This can be seen in the Runtastic app, which we use to evaluate the data. Nevertheless, the Huawei Y6 is able to track the course sufficiently accurately most of the time. Hence, you can easily use the smartphone as a free time navigation device.

GPS Garmin Edge 500 – total
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – total
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – crossroads
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – crossroads
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – wood
GPS Garmin Edge 500 – wood
GPS Huawei Y6 – total
GPS Huawei Y6 – total
GPS Huawei Y6 – crossroads
GPS Huawei Y6 – crossroads
GPS Huawei Y6 – wood
GPS Huawei Y6 – wood

Telephone and Call Quality

Huawei changed the telephone app, but stuck to the basic concept of the Google's standard app: A number field and a call list are displayed first. You can directly access contacts and favorites via tabs on the top. Spam filter and call rejection via SMS are available, too. Overall, the app is well arranged and it is logical how to use it.

The call quality is decent: The conversation partner sounds clear, but not especially loud, while our own voices sounded loud to the conversation partner; even when we spoke softly. Those with loud voices might face problems since the microphone is quickly overdriven. Those who want to use hands-free equipment, have to get along with the squawking speaker, which distorts the voice of the conversation partner and generates disturbing noise. Our voice is transmitted with significant noise and sounds strangely distant.

Cameras

front camera shot
front camera shot

13 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera: This is how typical mid-range phones are equipped nowadays. The Huawei Y6 (2017) also uses this combination. As small advantage compared to other models, the rear camera features a dual LED flash, which ensures the right flash color in different scenarios. The front camera also features an LED flash.

The 5 MP front camera shoots quite sharp images with decent colors in good distance. Moreover, the dynamic is decent in dark parts, while bright parts are slightly overexposed.

The main camera on the rear side shoots images with quite cool colors. Details and larger color fields appear pixelated at a closer look. Bright parts get quickly overexposed and the dynamic is not ideal in dark parts. Images could be sharper. The video quality is 1080p at 30 fps. Colors appear decent in videos, details are quite sharp. The exposure also adjusts quite quickly to the situation. However, you sometimes have to correct the autofocus, since it does not always select the correct sharpness. You can use several filters during recording of photos and videos. Moreover, the software includes a beautification mode, which lets skin blemishes disappear. The fast-motion mode records a video, which is simply played faster. You do not have any options here. The image suddenly blurred during our test and we could not correct the focus.

The camera is okay for occasional use. Those who expect more than snapshots from a smartphone camera can also find a suitable model in this price class: The Galaxy J3 creates significantly sharper recordings.

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

The main camera gets another chance: We shot images of our reference card under fixed lighting conditions in our lab. The images are very blurry. Hence, we cannot say much about the quality of details and text on colored background. We could detect inaccurate edges and stained color fields when we checked the colors. Colors are slightly too pale in general.

photo of the reference card
photo of the reference card
detail of the reference card
detail of the reference card
ColorChecker: the target color is displayed in the lower half of each field.
ColorChecker: the target color is displayed in the lower half of each field.

Accessories and Warranty

Apart from a charging adapter and a USB cable, Huawei also includes an in-ear headset, which is sufficient for occasional telephone calls or as replacement headphones. Currently, Huawei does not offer specific accessories in its shop.

The warranty for the device is 12 months, 6 months for the battery, and 3 months for the headphones. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling

The virtual keyboard from Huawei stems from the manufacturer Nuance and is called Swype. It is also available for all other smartphones in the Google Play Store. The keys are quite small in portrait mode. In return, there are small gaps between the letters. Nevertheless, we found it more difficult to hit the right keys than with Google's standard keyboard. It is easy to change the keyboard app or download a new app from the Play Store and install it.

There is a freely configurable button, the so-called Easy Key, on the left side of the Huawei Y6 (2017)'s case. Upon first press, the related app is opened, and you can assign actions or apps to short, long, or double press. This is easy and the number of options is exemplary.

The menu buttons of Android are only displayed on the screen. Thanks to the comfortable touchscreen surface, which is also very sensitive at the edges, they are easy to use.

keyboard portrait mode
keyboard portrait mode
keyboard landscape mode
keyboard landscape mode

Display

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The 5-inch display offers the usual resolution for this price class with 1280x720 pixels. It is not particularly bright with an average of 432.1 cd/m² however. Several models in our comparison group including the Xperia E5 and Galaxy J3 have significantly brighter displays. The brightness distribution is quite even with 90%. As a result, even larger color fields look evenly lit.

412
cd/m²
433
cd/m²
447
cd/m²
411
cd/m²
438
cd/m²
435
cd/m²
417
cd/m²
438
cd/m²
458
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 458 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 432.1 cd/m² Minimum: 4.51 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 438 cd/m²
Contrast: 3369:1 (Black: 0.13 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
95.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.23
Huawei Y6 2017
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Nokia 3
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Gigaset GS170
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Sony Xperia E5
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
PLS, 1280x720, 5.00
Screen
-45%
-93%
-27%
-18%
Brightness middle
438
481
10%
418
-5%
538
23%
502
15%
Brightness
432
469
9%
418
-3%
534
24%
494
14%
Brightness Distribution
90
84
-7%
92
2%
96
7%
89
-1%
Black Level *
0.13
0.22
-69%
0.45
-246%
0.33
-154%
0.35
-169%
Contrast
3369
2186
-35%
929
-72%
1630
-52%
1434
-57%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.8
8.1
-69%
9.7
-102%
5.7
-19%
4.6
4%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
11.4
15.4
-35%
18.9
-66%
11
4%
8
30%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.2
8.5
-166%
11.3
-253%
4.7
-47%
2.5
22%
Gamma
2.23 99%
2.16 102%
2.27 97%
2.51 88%
2.29 96%
CCT
7090 92%
9014 72%
10414 62%
7264 89%
6351 102%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17903 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Although the brightness of the display is relatively low, the Huawei Y6 (2017) achieves a great contrast of 3369:1. Hence, the black value has to be very good, since the contrast is calculated from black value and brightness. 0.13 cd/m2 actually is a very good value for the brightness of black fields. Colors still do not appear vibrant.

The color temperature can be adjusted continuously, but you can also select one of three presets: standard, cold, and warm. We checked the color representation of all three settings with the CalMAN software and the spectrophotometer. The color shift compared to the reference color space is big; especially for blue colors. The average color shift of all colors is acceptable however. The mode "warm" delivers the best results. Hence, it can be suspected that the image is quite bluish with standard settings. This is actually very evident in the gray scales in standard and cold mode.

color accuracy: standard
color accuracy: standard
color accuracy: warm
color accuracy: warm
color accuracy: cold
color accuracy: cold
color space: standard
color space: standard
color space: warm
color space: warm
color space: cold
color space: cold
saturation: standard
saturation: standard
saturation: warm
saturation: warm
saturation: cold
saturation: cold
grayscales: standard
grayscales: standard
grayscales: warm
grayscales: warm
grayscales: cold
grayscales: cold

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
24 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 11 ms rise
↘ 13 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 48 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
50 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 27 ms rise
↘ 23 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms).

The Huawei Y6 (2017) can be used outdoors and even the built-in brightness sensor works reliably there. However, the glossy display becomes a problem under direct sunlight. Hence, the smartphone is more suitable for use in the shade.

The viewing angles are good. A small brightness loss is notable when inclining to top or bottom. However, it is relatively low.

Outdoor use: minimal
Outdoor use: minimal
Outdoor use: medium
Outdoor use: medium
Outdoor use: maximum
Outdoor use: maximum
Outdoor use: brightness sensor
Outdoor use: brightness sensor
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

Huawei usually uses SoCs from its own manufacturer HiSilicon in its smartphones. However, the Chinese follow a different strategy here: A Mediatek MT6737T is used. It features four cores and clocks at up to 1.5 GHz. With it, the Huawei Y6 delivers slightly higher performance than usual in this class and can take the lead in almost all benchmarks. Depending on the competitor, the Huawei is up to 30% faster. You can notice this in everyday use since navigation through the operating system does not stutter and demanding apps run smoothly.

Our test model uses the same graphic solution as many models in the comparison group: The dual-core ARM Mali-T720 MP2 with a clock rate of up to 650 MHz. The higher CPU performance also has an impact on the graphic benchmarks. The Huawei Y6 (2017) always comes out top here, too.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
40981 Points
Nokia 3
27703 Points -32%
Gigaset GS170
30144 Points -26%
Sony Xperia E5
32477 Points -21%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
35669 Points -13%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
4607 Points
Nokia 3
3439 Points -25%
Gigaset GS170
3344 Points -27%
Sony Xperia E5
3817 Points -17%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
3487 Points
Nokia 3
2568 Points -26%
Gigaset GS170
2600 Points -25%
Sony Xperia E5
2785 Points -20%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
3436 Points -1%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
839 Points
Nokia 3
551 Points -34%
Gigaset GS170
538 Points -36%
Sony Xperia E5
567 Points -32%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
704 Points -16%
System (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
1354 Points
Nokia 3
1081 Points -20%
Gigaset GS170
1170 Points -14%
Sony Xperia E5
1091 Points -19%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
1395 Points +3%
Memory (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
1288 Points
Nokia 3
703 Points -45%
Gigaset GS170
610 Points -53%
Sony Xperia E5
552 Points -57%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
1055 Points -18%
Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
386 Points
Nokia 3
211 Points -45%
Gigaset GS170
210 Points -46%
Sony Xperia E5
280 Points -27%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
252 Points -35%
Web (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
734 Points
Nokia 3
575 Points -22%
Gigaset GS170
558 Points -24%
Sony Xperia E5
639 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
662 Points -10%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
680 Points
Nokia 3
556 Points -18%
Gigaset GS170
581 Points -15%
Sony Xperia E5
556 Points -18%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
634 Points -7%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
1903 Points
Nokia 3
1520 Points -20%
Gigaset GS170
1595 Points -16%
Sony Xperia E5
1527 Points -20%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
1858 Points -2%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
1238 Points
Nokia 3
1045 Points -16%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
1135 Points -8%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
6858 Points
Nokia 3
3665 Points -47%
Gigaset GS170
3666 Points -47%
Sony Xperia E5
5200 Points -24%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
4381 Points -36%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
6184 Points
Nokia 3
3177 Points -49%
Gigaset GS170
3167 Points -49%
Sony Xperia E5
4615 Points -25%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
3725 Points -40%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
11088 Points
Nokia 3
7925 Points -29%
Gigaset GS170
8178 Points -26%
Sony Xperia E5
9349 Points -16%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
11426 Points +3%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
267 Points
Nokia 3
152 Points -43%
Gigaset GS170
152 Points -43%
Sony Xperia E5
212 Points -21%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
115 Points -57%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
221 Points
Nokia 3
124 Points -44%
Gigaset GS170
227 Points +3%
Sony Xperia E5
175 Points -21%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
92 Points -58%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
967 Points
Nokia 3
745 Points -23%
Gigaset GS170
781 Points -19%
Sony Xperia E5
817 Points -16%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
925 Points -4%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
176 Points
Nokia 3
106 Points -40%
Gigaset GS170
93 Points -47%
Sony Xperia E5
124 Points -30%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
79 Points -55%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
143 Points
Nokia 3
85 Points -41%
Gigaset GS170
74 Points -48%
Sony Xperia E5
100 Points -30%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
63 Points -56%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
971 Points
Nokia 3
686 Points -29%
Gigaset GS170
772 Points -20%
Sony Xperia E5
835 Points -14%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
923 Points -5%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
17 fps
Nokia 3
10 fps -41%
Gigaset GS170
11 fps -35%
Sony Xperia E5
15 fps -12%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
11 fps -35%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
11 fps
Nokia 3
6 fps -45%
Gigaset GS170
6 fps -45%
Sony Xperia E5
8.4 fps -24%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
6.8 fps -38%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
8.1 fps
Nokia 3
4.5 fps -44%
Gigaset GS170
4.8 fps -41%
Sony Xperia E5
6 fps -26%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
5.4 fps -33%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
3.9 fps
Nokia 3
2.2 fps -44%
Gigaset GS170
2.2 fps -44%
Sony Xperia E5
3 fps -23%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
2.6 fps -33%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
6 fps
Nokia 3
3.2 fps -47%
Gigaset GS170
3.4 fps -43%
Sony Xperia E5
3.4 fps -43%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
3.8 fps -37%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Huawei Y6 2017
2.5 fps
Nokia 3
1.4 fps -44%
Gigaset GS170
1.4 fps -44%
Sony Xperia E5
1.9 fps -24%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
1.7 fps -32%

Legend

 
Huawei Y6 2017 Mediatek MT6737T, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 3 Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Gigaset GS170 Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia E5 Mediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 Samsung Exynos 7570 Quad, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash

The Huawei Y6 (2017) is also slightly faster than similarly priced competitors in browsing performance. Navigation through web sites is quite smooth, yet still not comparable with high-end smartphones. Our test model can also quite smoothly run the demanding HTML5 game under letsplay.ouigo.com.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Sony Xperia E5 (Chrome Version 58)
17.89 Points +1%
Huawei Y6 2017 (Chrome 60)
17.64 Points
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 (Chrome 59)
17.17 Points -3%
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
14.34 Points -19%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
13.97 Points -21%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Huawei Y6 2017 (Chrome 60)
3092 Points
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 (Chrome 59)
2921 Points -6%
Sony Xperia E5 (Chrome Version 58)
2910 Points -6%
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
2284 Points -26%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
2269 Points -27%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
16759 ms * -37%
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
16723 ms * -36%
Sony Xperia E5 (Chrome Version 58)
13232 ms * -8%
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 (Chrome 59)
12791 ms * -4%
Huawei Y6 2017 (Chrome 60)
12255 ms *
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Huawei Y6 2017 (Chrome 60)
65 Points
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 (Chrome 59)
60 Points -8%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
49 Points -25%

* ... smaller is better

Access to our reference memory card, the Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, is quite slow. All other devices in our comparison group perform better here. Access to the internal storage device is fast and the Huawei Y6 ranks at the top here. It can certainly not keep up with UFS-2.1 storage in current high-end smartphones however. Nevertheless, apps and games are opened fairly fast.

Huawei Y6 2017Nokia 3Gigaset GS170Sony Xperia E5Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
AndroBench 3-5
1%
-26%
14%
12%
Sequential Read 256KB
202.6
181
-11%
197.9
-2%
209.7
4%
177.7
-12%
Sequential Write 256KB
66.9
34
-49%
44.79
-33%
83.1
24%
51
-24%
Random Read 4KB
25.93
17.7
-32%
18.34
-29%
26.04
0%
24
-7%
Random Write 4KB
20.54
5.5
-73%
10.45
-49%
9.84
-52%
9.5
-54%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
48.4
64.3
33%
37.41 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-23%
65 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
34%
70.3
45%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
26.4
62.9
138%
21.34 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-19%
45.56 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
73%
59.6
126%

Games

Gaming is possible with the Huawei Y6 (2017), but you might need to reduce the detail settings in demanding games. For example, Asphalt 8 cannot maintain 24 fps set to high details. However, it achieves a playable 30 fps at low details. The zombie shooter Trigger 2 is slightly less demanding and also reaches playable frame rates. Simpler games such as Clash of Clans or Angry Birds run without problems.

Control via touchscreen and position sensor works smoothly.

Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8
Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high24 fps
 very low30 fps
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high30 fps

Emissions

Temperature

GFXBench battery test
GFXBench battery test

The case of the Huawei Y6 (2017) does not get too hot. We measured a maximum of 36.3 °C (~97 °F) under load. You will only notice a small temperature increase. In idle mode, the temperature does not exceed 33.5 °C (~92 °F). The device can be carried in trousers pockets without problems.

Nevertheless, the SoC can keep up its full performance under load and does not throttle. We determined this with the Manhattan battery test in the GFXBench, which renders the same sequence 30 times in a loop and records the calculated frames for each run. Since the results of the runs at the beginning and the end do not differ much, throttling is not to be expected.

Max. Load
 34.3 °C
94 F
33.3 °C
92 F
33.9 °C
93 F
 
 35.3 °C
96 F
33.8 °C
93 F
36.3 °C
97 F
 
 36.2 °C
97 F
34 °C
93 F
35.5 °C
96 F
 
Maximum: 36.3 °C = 97 F
Average: 34.7 °C = 94 F
32.8 °C
91 F
34.3 °C
94 F
33.5 °C
92 F
31.8 °C
89 F
34.8 °C
95 F
35.1 °C
95 F
31.8 °C
89 F
34.7 °C
94 F
35.5 °C
96 F
Maximum: 35.5 °C = 96 F
Average: 33.8 °C = 93 F
Power Supply (max.)  38.7 °C = 102 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.7 °C / 94 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 36.3 °C / 97 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 35.5 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speaker

Speaker test: pink noise
Speaker test: pink noise

It is good that manufacturers almost always place the speaker on the bottom edge, since it cannot be dampened so easily by, for example, placing it on a soft surface or holding the smartphone in the hand. The small mono speaker of the Huawei Y6 (2017) is quite loud with 83.4 dB(A), has audible lower mid-tones but no bass. The high-tones are slightly sharp, especially at high volume. They are actually very pronounced in our measurement diagram. The speaker can be used for occasional YouTube videos or short music pieces, but more demanding people should connect speakers or headphones. This can be done via Bluetooth or 3.5 mm audio jack. Both options work fast and deliver clear sound.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2029.629.929.62527.928.927.93128.83028.84036.647.836.65030.534.230.56325.726.325.78024.528.524.510028.131.728.112538.536.238.516030.423.430.420036.121.736.12504020.74031543.919.643.940047.52147.550053.820.253.863059.818.759.880064.718.864.7100065.717.665.7125067.117.667.1160069.516.869.5200070.116.370.1250072.816.472.8315073.916.173.9400075.916.275.9500073.81673.8630070.315.970.3800070.216.170.21000073.61673.61250068.815.868.81600053.815.953.8SPL83.429.983.4N52.11.452.1median 65.7median 17.6median 65.7Delta11.52.811.528.231.128.230.330.130.329.329.929.333.634.433.62834.62827.229.327.229.232.229.231.934.131.939.836.939.836.423.836.448.421.548.451.720.951.757.121.357.159.819.759.865.820.165.867.618.567.667.719.367.769.517.869.567.817.467.867.516.467.567.616.467.667.916.667.97116.17174.716.174.77116.17161166158.716.158.758.916.158.951.31651.339.81639.880.930.180.947.91.447.9median 61median 17.4median 618.82.98.8hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseHuawei Y6 2017Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
Huawei Y6 2017 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.8% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.2% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (26.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 63% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 31% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 79% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy J3 2017 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 66% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 27% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes can be checked or unchecked!)

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Unfortunately, our measurement instrument does not deliver useful data about Huawei Y6 (2017)'s power consumption.

Battery Life

The Huawei Y6 (2017)'s battery proves to have high stamina. This is not surprising since the battery has a very high capacity for a 5-inch device in its price class with 3000 mAh (11.4 Wh). Wi-Fi Surfing is possible for almost 11 hours and the device lasts above 5 hours under full load. The smartphone can even last two workdays if it is not continuously used. However, our test model cannot keep up with the excellent energy management of the Samsung Galaxy J3: Samsung manages even longer battery runtimes with a much smaller battery.

2:30 hours are required for recharging via the included power adapter. Unfortunately, fast charging is not supported.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
25h 22min
WiFi Websurfing
10h 54min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
11h 33min
Load (maximum brightness)
5h 02min
Huawei Y6 2017
3000 mAh
Nokia 3
2630 mAh
Gigaset GS170
2500 mAh
Sony Xperia E5
2300 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J3 2017
2400 mAh
Battery Runtime
-12%
-32%
-35%
6%
Reader / Idle
1522
1258
-17%
1425
-6%
H.264
693
628
-9%
819
18%
WiFi v1.3
654
552
-16%
442
-32%
422
-35%
722
10%
Load
302
283
-6%
305
1%

Pros

+ sturdy case
+ hardly gets warmer
+ good battery life
+ high system performance
+ fast memory access
+ screen with high contrast
+ freely configurable hardware button
+ dedicated microSD slot

Cons

- slow Wi-Fi
- few LTE bands
- serveral advertising apps are pre-installed
- Modest voice quality during hands-free calls
- Camera shots are often blurry
- slow access to microSD

Verdict

In review:: Huawei Y6. Test model provided by Huawei Germany.
In review:: Huawei Y6. Test model provided by Huawei Germany.

Huawei has recently announced that they no longer want to produce entry-level smartphones due to too low margins. This is understandable, yet a bit sad in view of the well-made Huawei Y6 (2017). The device offers more performance than usual in its price class and a big battery, which makes decent battery runtimes possible. Unfortunately, the battery can no longer be replaced, which is a trend in current devices.

The device is well equipped with microSD slot and dual SIM support. The case is hardly heavier and bigger than comparable devices despite the bigger battery. Design-wise, the Y6 is nothing special, but build quality and stability of the chassis are decent.

Complaints are the slow Wi-Fi and the few LTE bands, the squawking hands-free equipment via speaker and the overly sensitive microphone. The camera quality is rather modest and the display is slightly darker than many competitors'.

The Huawei Y6 (2017) combines great system performance and long battery life. The camera is the weakness of the device, which offers a good price performance ratio otherwise.

To summarize, the Huawei Y6 (2017) is a recommendation for all who want high performance and good battery runtimes for little money, but do not consider the image quality of the camera too important.

Huawei Y6 2017 - 08/28/2017 v6(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
79%
Keyboard
65 / 75 → 87%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
29 / 60 → 49%
Weight
92%
Battery
93%
Display
86%
Games Performance
11 / 63 → 17%
Application Performance
41 / 70 → 59%
Temperature
91%
Noise
100%
Audio
48 / 91 → 53%
Camera
62%
Average
68%
80%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Florian Wimmer, 2017-08-30 (Update: 2019-04- 5)