Huawei Mate 8 review

The latest phablet from Huawei might well be its best yet

Huawei Mate 8
Huawei Mate 8

TechRadar Verdict

Huawei's Mate 8 might not be one of the best known phablets on the market, but it offers solid specs at a more affordable price than its competitors. It's not without faults, but the Mate 8 is one of the best choices if you want a larger Android phone.

Pros

  • +

    Great fingerprint sensor

  • +

    Gorgeous large display

  • +

    Strong battery life

Cons

  • -

    Emotion UI overlay

  • -

    Fast charging cable not in the box

  • -

    Ugly speaker grill

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Although Chinese manufacturer Huawei still can't claim much in the way of brand recognition, it's expanded its reputation in the US and UK with every release. That's down to the eternally appealing equation of more for less: the company offers high-end hardware at affordable prices.

The new Huawei Mate 8 is no exception. It offers the top-end spec you'd expect from a flagship phone, but at a lower price than the big competition like Samsung and Apple.

Following up on the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 that impressed us last year, the company has taken what it did right and eliminated a lot of the issues we had with that device. It's also wisely eliminated the Ascend name, so this time it's just called the Huawei Mate 8.

Huawei Mate 8

The Mate 8 launched in China at the end of last year, and Huawei announced at CES 2016 that both the UK and US will be getting the phone at the start of 2016.

The 32GB Huawei Mate 8 costs £429 (about $611, AU$876) in the UK and is so far the only version available in this market. That's even cheaper than Huawei's own Mate S.

Huawei hasn't updated us on the US or Australian release date or pricing yet.

Design

The Ascend Mate 7 excelled with its design, but a few little changes to for the Mate 8 formula has made it even better. It has a full metal uni-body design that comes in either gold, silver, grey or brown. We had the silver version for the review, but the gold looks particularly desirable.

The phone has a smooth back that looks like it could be slippery, but I had no issues at all in use. That's a surprise considering the size as well – it comes in at 157 x 80 x 7.9mm, so it's not a small phone. It has to fit in a 6-inch display, but the bezels have been trimmed down so far that the phone isn't that much larger than the screen itself.

Huawei Mate 8

I'm impressed with how little bezel there is intruding on the Huawei Mate 8, especially on the sides. There are slim bezels across the top and bottom of the display, but these are useful for gripping the phone at the bottom, while the top one contains the front-facing camera and earpiece.

At the bottom edge of the phone is a speaker grate, which is one of the worst looking elements of the phone. I prefer manufacturers to hide this stuff away.

It makes the bottom edge of the phone look like it has just gotten into steampunk, which is not something I want from my phone. That's then surrounded by open screws that remind me this has all been put together in a factory and didn't just issue perfectly formed into the world.

Huawei Mate 8

The camera protrudes a little from the phone but not as noticeably as on the iPhone 6S, and you only notice it after really studying the back. Below the camera sits the fingerprint sensor that this time is round (it was a strange square on the Mate 7) and slightly indented, much like on the Huawei-made Nexus 6P. It looks great and is a conversation starter whenever other people are checking out the phone.

Huawei Mate 8

Having a fingerprint sensor on the back rather than the front or side does cause issues when the phone is lying flat on a table. But it feels like a natural position for your finger when holding a larger phone – it just might take some time to get used to if you're switching from an iPhone or non-Huawei Android device.

James Peckham

James is the Editor-in-Chief at Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.

Latest in Huawei Phones
Holding the Huawei Mate XT in-hand
I thought the tri-folding Huawei Mate XT was a gimmick, but then I held it
The Huawei Mate X6 on a pink background
The Huawei Mate X6 looks like a huge step forward for foldable phone photography, and I’m annoyed that I probably won’t be able to get one
The Huawei Mate XT and PS5 Pro side-by-side
Huawei's tri-fold phone is so expensive you could buy four PS5 Pros for the same price
Huawei Mate XT
Huawei posts the first official image of the tri-fold Mate XT, and reveals storage options
Samsung's tri-folding display technology unveiled at the SID Display Week 2021 online event
Huawei finally confirms the name of its tri-fold smartphone in new teaser video
Samsung's tri-folding display technology unveiled at the SID Display Week 2021 online event
Huawei sets the date for its tri-foldable phone launch, with a 10-inch display and high price rumored
Latest in Reviews
Samsung Music Frame on a table beside some books and a vase
I spent six weeks listening to the Samsung Music Frame and it kept missing the beat
GlocalMe KeyTracker
When I tested this global tracker, it trounced the Apple AirTag in so many ways
An AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D on its retail packaging
I've reviewed three generations of 3D V-cache processors, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is the best there is
Mac Studio on a desk
Apple Mac Studio (M3 Ultra): the ultimate creative workstation
Apple iPad Air 11-inch M3 (2025) Review
I tested the 11-inch iPad Air with M3 for five days, and it stretches the value even further with more power for the same price
Moiraine using her magic in The Wheel of Time season 3
The Wheel of Time season 3 proves that Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show isn't the only high fantasy heavyweight worth watching on Prime Video