Huawei is offering another entry-level handset called the Huawei Y7. We have the latest color variant for our review unit - the Aurora Purple. It's a striking color gradient of Purple-ish Red and Violet which ups Huawei's aesthetics a notch higher than its previous release. The Huawei Y7 is priced at PHP 6,990 with 4GB RAM and 64GB configuration. From the looks of it, it is a very promising entry-level offering which packs the Snapdragon 450 octa-core chipset and 4 gigs of RAM.
Huawei Y7 Review
Review Summary:
Pros
- Good quality IPS display
- Dual SIM with dedicated microSD slot
- Snappy processor (despite being entry-level)
- Solid and sturdy build
- Catchy Color Gradient
- Impressive battery life
Cons
- Fingerprint magnet
- Still on Android 8.1 Oreo
I love the previously-released Huawei Y6s due to its two-tone backing, but I think the Huawei Y7 is such a visually appealing device. If you're toying with the idea of buying this handset, you should read our Huawei Y7 review. But before that, you can also check our video unboxing.
Design
The Huawei Y7 aurora purple is such a treat to the eyes. I have never seen a combination of red-purple and violet gradient before; in fact I have not seen Huawei use this combination in the past releases here in the Philippines. However, this implementation is clearly hitting the mark. The handset is entirely made of polycarbonate material with synthetic ceramic mixture - it's a fancy way of telling you that it's made plastic.
The back panel comes off with a glossy finish. This means that it is a fingerprint magnet. I definitely wipe it too often to preserve the shiny exterior.
The front panel houses the 8MP front f/2.2 camera, the receiver, and the LED notifications indicator. I am also surprised that Huawei crammed a discreet soft flash LED on the upper right portion of the front panel. You can use this in taking selfies in dark environments.
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| Soft Light LED Flash in the Front Panel |
The back comes with a dual-rear camera module top-billed by the 13MP sensor, AI Camera branding, and LED flash. Down below, there's also a vertically printed Huawei branding. Lastly, the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is positioned where it should be.
The left side has the SIM tray which offers a dedicated slot for the microSD card. The tray also sport a pinkish tone on it. The bottom side is a home to the speaker grill, the microUSB port, and the microphone. The right has the power button and the volume rocker, while the top has the 3.5-mm audio jack and the secondary microphone. It is quite subtle but if you look closely, the power button has a texture on it.
Display
Upfront, you'll have the 6.26-inch display. Compared to the previously-released Huawei Y6s, this is more expansive. It also features an HD+ resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. Bezels are quite thin except for the sizable chin which houses the "Huawei" branding. The dewdrop display gives the handset a modern look.
With 269 ppi pixel density, the panel is decent enough for indoor and outdoor use; just avoid using it under direct sunlight. The screen is bright and clear. Color reproduction is almost close to perfect.
The touchscreen supports 10-point multitouch display. Throughout my usage, it is precise in detecting touches and swipe gestures. There are also multiple ways to unlock the device. You can settle with the basic pin or pattern, and you can also opt for the fingerprint or 2D face unlock. The fingerprint sensor is quite zippy, it recognizes up to 5 fingerprints. On top of that, this dimpled back-mounted sensor has gesture support which is configurable in the settings. This means you can use it as a camera shutter, or in accessing the notification shade with a slight swipe down gesture.
Huawei also includes several software tweaks in tuning the display according to user's preference. For example, you can adjust the color temperature from warm to cool. Viewing angles are also fine, but I notice a slight change in color and brightness upon a certain shift in angle. All in all, the screen is quite capable.
Performance
The Huawei Y7 is a very promising entry-level offering which packs the Snapdragon 450 octa-core chipset and 4 gigs of RAM. For a day to day use, the phone is a decent worker. Scrolling thru its interface is quite smooth, we rarely experience lags and stutters while navigating through some apps. Opening multiple apps could give a heavy load on the handset but for the most part, I am quite impressed with its speed.
In our Antutu Benchmark test, the Huawei Y7 captured a decent score of 91052; it is over 6000 short compared to its cousin, the Huawei Y6s (Huawei Y6s Review) which got 97967 in our test.
The Huawei Y7 also packs an adequate power for gaming. There’s an Adreno 506 GPU which could definitely handle fair to moderate gaming. This means Mobile Legends, Plants vs Zombies 3, Clash Royale, and Clash of Clans run smoothly. Overall, in my experience, the handset does not emit heat even when doing computationally heavy tasks.
For streaming content, the phone is pretty nice. Speakers on the bottom side do not distort even in maximum volume. The screen is also very welcoming for wide-format content found in YouTube or even Netflix.
Call quality is also great. Calls are good sounding in both earpiece and speakers. By default, you’ll have the stock phone app with a simple dialer and contacts browsing.
Camera
The Huawei Y7 features a dual-rear camera which highlights the 13MP main sensor with f/1.8 aperture. This is coupled by a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor for Bokeh effects. The smartphone has a great pair of cameras for a sub PHP-7K device.
In daylight, shots have good quality in terms of contrast and color reproduction. It can produce good detail; plus, did I mention that it's quick to capture photos too? However, some photos come with overexposed colors.
The selfie camera is an 8MP affair. From the phone's design, you can spot the front facing camera in the Dewdrop area. Selfies are decent, I've seen better outputs from other phones in this price point. But for social media use, I think these are still okay. You can also crank your selfies using the camera's beautification app. AI stickers and filters are also great addition to the front camera's feature suite. You can set gestures to trigger the shutter, or even say "cheese" for that matter. Check out our sample photos below.
Software
The Huawei Y7 boots with Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.2 on top, this means that it is supported by Google Mobile Services. There's a minimal number of bloatwares and system apps that come preinstalled. Those users of older Huawei devices, you'll be very familiar with the EMUI 8.2. It's quite different from stock Android but it's also very easy to get used to - icons are simple, notification shade is well laid out, and homescreen interface is minimalist.
There's no word yet if the handset will be updated to a newer version of EMUI, but I am crossing my fingers that Huawei could give the handset atleast EMUI 9.
It's also a breathe of fresh air to know that this version of EMUI is supported by the newly revamped Huawei AppGallery. For starters, the Huawei App Gallery works like Google Play store only streamlined to Huawei devices. Today, it's the third biggest mobile app distribution platform. There are quite some useful apps that you can't find in Play Store but are downloadable in the Huawei App Gallery. The Antutu Benchmark is one good example.
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| Huawei App Gallery |
Battery
The Huawei Y7 is exceptional in power management. With 4000 mAh battery, the handset could last a day in fair to moderate use. In fact, it can even last until the next day.
For real time usage, my battery dropped from 100% to 25% at the end of the day with the following activities: occasional messaging, an hour of Spotify music streaming, 1.5 hour of Youtube and Netflix, two dozen of shots using the main camera and selfie camera, one hour gaming, 20-minute calls, and one hour social media and web browsing.
Verdict: Should You Buy The Huawei Y7?
For an entry-level handset, the Huawei Y7 gives a great value - capable display, snappy Snapdragon 450 chip with 4GB RAM, and decent camera. Its latest Aurora Purple color variant is visually appealing and could take a good amount of attention. It is also a dependable gaming handset for popular apps like Mobile Legends.
Of course, it has an amazing battery life that could last a day. For a sub PHP 7K smartphone, I think the Huawei Y7 is something you can consider.
Key Specifications:
- 6.26-inch HD+ IPS LCD Dewdrop display, 19:9, 269 ppi
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC
- 8x Cortex-A53 (1.8GHz)
- Adreno 506 GPU
- 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM
- Dual rear cameras: 13MP f/1.8 + 2MP f/2.4 Bokeh
- 8MP f/2.0 front camera
- 4G LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS
- microUSB 2.0
- EMUI 8.2, based on Android 8.1 Oreo
- 158.92 x 76.91 x 8.1mm, 168 grams
- 4000 mAh battery
- Aurora Purple, Midnight Black
- Php 6,990
