Huawei Ascend Mate 8 Thread

simdan

It's arrived and I'm extremely pleased

1. Superfast with no lag at all so far
2. It is the L29 International Version, google play is installed and the phone was updated to the latest version already, factory sealed. - Eglobal Central
3. The S-View style case is included as expected, It has a more premium feel than the Note 3 S-View and actually has a magnet which gives a satisfying close which also makes a click sound to confirm it's locked. Nice touch.
4. The UK/Ireland Fast Charger was included in the sealed Huawei Box - I thought this was unusual as it came from Hong Kong.
5. The EMUI Rom takes a little getting used to, but runs really well, I'm coping without an app drawer and haven't had to install Nova(Yet!) Settings are simple to understand and there are tons of optons to mess around with. Think I need to watch some YouTube clips for tips.
6.The screen is gorgeous, most of my colleagues are asking if its a QHD display and the viewing angles are excellent. So chuffed.
7. Build Quality - Excellent, It's a beautifully crafted piece of kit.
8. I'm picking up better signal than on my LG G Flex 2 - I get 4G in places I didn't before.
9. The fingerprint reader is perfectly placed and is the best I've ever used. Impressed!
10. I put the phone side by side with a Note 4, its surprising similar in size. The screen seems much larger and with the beautiful build, makes the Note 4 look like a toy.
11. I may have missed lots of things due to the excitement

The cam looks great in well lit areas, it seems similar to my G Flex 2, but haven't had a chance to really test it out. The cam was not a priority for me anyway as I'm not going to be taking pics in low lit areas.

I will be messing around with the phone over the next few days and will update you all with Pics and reviews shortly.. Cheers

Mourinho

Actually yes for all the talk of being a 6" phone it's the same size at the previous Nexus 6.

Also just thinking there surely if you purchased the international version you would be covered to get it repaired in any centre?

youcancallmeal

Sounds like exact same model that I have, wish I had ordered with eglobalcentral after all! Is your build number NXT-L29C636B103?
Hong Kong have the UK 3 pin plugs so thats why it comes with that plug, very handy for us! I'm not sure if the supplied charger is indeed a fast charger though, must test it out?
This is mostly useful but some filler tips in there too.
Do post some pics!

simdan

Mourinho wrote:

Also just thinking there surely if you purchased the international version you would be covered to get it repaired in any centre?

I'm not sure. I think the warranty is based in the country of origin. Best to check with Huawei I think though..

simdan

youcancallmeal wrote:

Sounds like exact same model that I have, wish I had ordered with eglobalcentral after all! Is your build number NXT-L29C636B103? Hong Kong have the UK 3 pin plugs so thats why it comes with that plug, very handy for us! I'm not sure if the supplied charger is indeed a fast charger though, must test it out?

Yes, it's the same build! If only eglobal had better pre sales knowledge. It's definitely the fast charger that's supplied with mine. It's white, rectangular shaped and is about one and a half times the length of my old Samsung charger.

youcancallmeal wrote:

is mostly useful but some filler tips in there too. Do post some pics!

Excellent I shall take a read!

Mourinho

simdan wrote: »

I'm not sure. I think the warranty is based in the country of origin. Best to check with Huawei I think though..

I dunno I emailed them there now to see anyway

Hi

If I import the international version of the Huawei Ascend Mate 8 phone from Asia, will my warranty be valid for support in Europe?

Regards

thomasj

simdan wrote:

It's arrived and I'm extremely pleased

Yeah have to say huawei have really upped their game. I got the GX8 and it's a brilliant phone. Finally got a phone with decent battery life!

Mourinho

Mourinho wrote: »

I dunno I emailed them there now to see anyway

Not good news.

Dear User,
Thank you for contacting Huawei Device.
According to our aftersales policy, your phone is only under warranty in the country where you bought your phone
Once again thank you for contacting Huawei device.
Best Regards,
Huawei Device Customer Care Team (3207)

simdan

Mourinho wrote:

Not good news.

Nope.. But it could be an excuse to visit Hong Kong though

Ste-

simdan wrote: »

I get 4G in places I didn't before.

What network are you on ?
Was tempted by this or the Mi5 but band supported is putting me off a bit on either phone.

thomasj

Ste- wrote:

What network are you on ? Was tempted by this or the Mi5 but band supported is putting me off a bit on either phone.

I have the huawei GX8 and I get 4G on the meteor network in places I never got 4G when I had the OnePlus one

simdan

Ste- wrote:

What network are you on ? Was tempted by this or the Mi5 but band supported is putting me off a bit on either phone.

I'm on 3 currently. Will be moving away on Friday Can't wait!

You really need to check which bands the phone supports for 3 & 4g before purchasing. Luckily the Mate 8 supports nearly every network worldwide..

Borisgem8

I was looking at some options on Gear Best, is this where you got the phone? I have never purchased anything through them but I have been considering a phone. So many on there out rank the mainstream phones we company see people using (Galaxy, iPhone, ect).

CantGetNoSleep

Borisgem8 wrote: »

I was looking at some options on Gear Best, is this where you got the phone? I have never purchased anything through them but I have been considering a phone. So many on there out rank the mainstream phones we company see people using (Galaxy, iPhone, ect).

Do not buy something of this price from Gearbest - it is just not worth it

youcancallmeal

Do not buy from gearbest, they are more expensive than eglobalcentral and more importantly they are selling a version of the phone that is locked to a Chinese carrier, DL00 (They claim it is unlocked but I wouldn't believe them)

simdan

Borisgem8 wrote:

I was looking at some options on Gear Best, is this where you got the phone? I have never purchased anything through them but I have been considering a phone. So many on there out rank the mainstream phones we company see people using (Galaxy, iPhone, ect).

CantGetNoSleep wrote:

Do not buy something of this price from Gearbest - it is just not worth it

They are barred from boards too. Avoid!

youcancallmeal

So how are you getting on with your phone so far? I have a few small niggles but for the most part I am quite happy with it.
Small issues I have is that battery is draining around 10% overnight and fingerprint reader seems to have gotten slower to unlock the phone. Still waiting on an OTA update, I've heard that fixes standby battery drain.

simdan

youcancallmeal wrote:

So how are you getting on with your phone so far? I have a few small niggles but for the most part I am quite happy with it. Small issues I have is that battery is draining around 10% overnight and fingerprint reader seems to have gotten slower to unlock the phone. Still waiting on an OTA update, I've heard that fixes standby battery drain.

Yeah, loving it. Haven't noticed any delay in the fingerprint reader, its superfast on mine. Maybe remove your fingerprints and replace them in the settings. I get about 5% drain overnight and Bluetooth & Wi-Fi are always on.

I'm extremely impressed with the phone. The cam takes a little getting used to, but overall does the job. The battery life is almost 2 days with my best result being 44 hours of everyday use, sleeps included of course. The permissions can get annoying.. ie. "Allow access" requests.

Overall love it though, I would prefer not to use the case as it's so premium without it but I'm just too worried about scratches while it's so new

Hellrazer

Any networks over here planning on stocking this?

simdan

Hellrazer wrote:

Any networks over here planning on stocking this?

I'm not sure, its not released in the UK or Ireland yet. I hope so though, its a fantastic phone

simdan

I've noticed I am losing 8-10% battery overnight. Unsure if this is normal or not?

youcancallmeal

simdan wrote: »

I've noticed I am losing 8-10% battery overnight. Unsure if this is normal or not?

I'm the same, apparently there is a software update(B170) to fix this but there seems to be some delay in getting it OTA for us? Someone has posted the update file for download on xda but some have reported trouble installing it?

njcarey

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I'm the same, apparently there is a software update(B170) to fix this but there seems to be some delay in getting it OTA for us? Someone has posted the update file for download on xda but some have reported trouble installing it?

Well Ive been researching the phone for a while now and saw this thread and decided to follow your lead and give wondamobile a try, (have ordered from geekbuying/aliexpress/1989deal before but shipping takes an age) it got collected by local courier on friday so Im hoping it comes this week. So excited to check it out, and thanks to you and simdans posts for providing a bit of insight! hashtag goodbye note 4

simdan

youcancallmeal wrote:

I'm the same, apparently there is a software update(B170) to fix this but there seems to be some delay in getting it OTA for us? Someone has posted the update file for download on xda but some have reported trouble installing it?

Yeah, I don't want to brick the phone at this stage. I want to wait a bit longer until the phone becomes more popular and then will install a custom Rom. It's not a huge problem for me anyway.

simdan

I have 59% battery left since I last charged almost 24 hours ago.. Impressive on a phone with this size and performance. Made 4 or 5 two minute calls and general use, youtube, boards etc.. Here's a pic

njcarey

simdan wrote: »

I have 59% battery left since I last charged almost 24 hours ago.. Impressive on a phone with this size and performance. Made 4 or 5 two minute calls and general use, youtube, boards etc.. Here's a pic

Hey! Im so excited to get this phone! I made an account purely to join the thread lol. Have you guys owned any imported phones previous to this? I had a few and my friends were always taking the piss out of "nicks chinese phones" lol, but honestly, iocean, thl and meizu gave me a way better android experience than my current note 4...

youcancallmeal

njcarey wrote: »

Hey! Im so excited to get this phone! I made an account purely to join the thread lol. Have you guys owned any imported phones previous to this? I had a few and my friends were always taking the piss out of "nicks chinese phones" lol, but honestly, iocean, thl and meizu gave me a way better android experience than my current note 4...

This is the first chinese phone I've used and I wouldn't say Android skin on it is any better or worse than the likes of Samsung or LG. Huawei is probably the most well known Chinese brand in western markets since it built the Nexus 6P. I'd say if you've used other Chinese phones before like meizu then you'll know exactly what to expect.

njcarey

youcancallmeal wrote: »

This is the first chinese phone I've used and I wouldn't say Android skin on it is any better or worse than the likes of Samsung or LG. Huawei is probably the most well known Chinese brand in western markets since it built the Nexus 6P. I'd say if you've used other Chinese phones before like meizu then you'll know exactly what to expect.

Yeah I had the motorola nexus 6 myself, the first mainstream phone to catch my interest, big into rooting/flashing so Im handy enough with the android platform - I don't really mind the skin here as Ive had a play around with the Mate S in the 3 store and it didn't annoy me.

simdan

Just got 48 hours on a single charge. Seriously impressive with one of the best performing phones on the market. Get one!

Here are some screenshots..

youcancallmeal

I finally got sick of waiting on the OTA update to come for my Mate 8 so I downloaded the latest update on xda here. If your model is not C636 you can still use this update but it will stop you from getting any future OTA updates. Install instructions here.

The battery is unreal with this update, easily getting 2 days and sometimes 3 days use out of the phone now. It supposedly fixes notifications issues but I didn't really have any problems with that before hand