Here is my review of the Huawei Y7p, the latest midrange smartphone from Huawei that's priced under Php10K mark. Read more here.
If you missed my unboxing and initial hands-on review of this Huawei Y7p
smartphone, you can
check it out here, but in this article I will be sharing with you my more in-depth review of the
said phone, the Y7p that was released in the Philippines in mid February of this
year. So I have been using this device for close to a month now while being
stuck at home during the on-going Enhanced Community Quarantine that is being
implemented in the entire Luzon.
On the inside, there is a quite powerful Kirin 710F octa-core chipset. This is an octa-core processor with four Cortex-A73 at 2.2GHz and another four Cortex-A53 at 1.7GHz and is accompanied by a Mali G51-MP4 GPU co-processor. As for its RAM and storage, the phone is equipped with 4GB of RAM and a default 64GB onboard storage. It does support microSD card through its dedicated slot up to 256GB in size, that's in addition to two SIM card slots that supports 4G LTE connectivity. The phone holds a large 4000mAh battery.
Its build is pretty solid as well. Its got rounded corners while its back has a flat surface. As you can probably notice, the Y7p seems to sport a glass back panel that adds more beauty to it. But in fact, it's made of polycarbonate material that was manufactured this way making the phone more durable and lightweight at the same time. Even when the jelly case is slapped on the device, that feel does not go away.
The Huawei Y7p, as I have already mentioned, sports a 720p display. This may not attract you at first glance, but upon turning the device on for the very first time and setting it up, I noticed that the display on this one is much brighter and sharper compared to other HD+ smartphones that I have used. Unless you have a very good pair of eyes for differentiating the resolutions on smartphones, you will easily mistake it for a Full HD+ device. Plus, that punch-hole notch situated at the upper left corner added more premium look to the Y7p. It does not bother much when watching videos or playing games on the phone compared to other cutout implementations on other smartphones. Then it becomes even much less of a distraction when using the phone on landscape more as the punch-hole becomes located at the lower left corner of the screen which is the least busiest part of a smartphone screen.
Its default 64GB internal storage is a delight as well. With this huge of a storage for a reasonably-priced smartphone like this, users can store a lot of files such as music, videos, and even games without running out of space quite fast. And if they will need extra storage, the third microSD card slot is available anytime that can hold up to 256GB.
On the back, camera modes include Night, Portrait, Slow-mo, Panorama, HDR, Timelapse, Light Painting, and Moving Pictures. There is also the Aperture mode which allows users to adjust the focus and blur in an image even after the photo is taken. As for videos, the rear cameras can record up to 1080p at 60fps while the front only up to 30fps at 1080p video resolution.
The camera is equipped with AI technology which according to Huawei can recognize up to more than 500 scenes and 21 categories in real time. Once a scene or subject, such as beach, clouds, food, plant, etc, is detected or recognized, the phone will intelligently adjust color composition to provide the best possible photo quality.
Unfortunately, though, due to ongoing ECQ in my area, I am unable to go out and take photos and videos using this smartphone to provide sample shots. The implementing officers around are quite strict and also at the same time, I don't want to take risk. So that being said, I don't have sample photos or videos for now. But don't worry, once the quarantine is over or relaxed and I still have this review unit with me, I will update this post with photos and video clips as soon as I can.
But based on my initial impressions of the cameras, I would say they perform really well especially if there are ample lights around when taking photos or recording videos. I personally like the Aperture mode in photo and the 1080p at 60fps recording feature.
What about other apps that are not available in the AppGallery yet such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix and others? There are two options that enable me to utilize these apps - sideload APK versions of these apps via the APK Pure website or just use the mobile browser version of the apps and bookmark them for quick access (I mostly do this for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). Though for Facebook, you can download the mobile app from the company's own website when you search for it in the AppGallery.
Quick key specs and features rundown
Upfront, the Huawei Y7p sports a 6.4-inch HD+ IPS display with punch-hole cutout on the upper left corner of the screen and 1560 x 720 display resolution. Also the display boasts a 90.15% screen-to-body ratio which equates to more immersive viewing and gaming experience. There is no mention though of what kind of screen protection this one has but its good to know that the screen comes with a plastic screen protector already installed with.On the inside, there is a quite powerful Kirin 710F octa-core chipset. This is an octa-core processor with four Cortex-A73 at 2.2GHz and another four Cortex-A53 at 1.7GHz and is accompanied by a Mali G51-MP4 GPU co-processor. As for its RAM and storage, the phone is equipped with 4GB of RAM and a default 64GB onboard storage. It does support microSD card through its dedicated slot up to 256GB in size, that's in addition to two SIM card slots that supports 4G LTE connectivity. The phone holds a large 4000mAh battery.
Design and Build
The phone's overall design is one of the things I like the most about the Huawei Y7p, most especially the Aurora Purple color variant which is the one I got for this review. There is another color option called the Midnight Black. Though I have not seen the black version yet, I think I am still going to like this blue one more than the other. What's so special about the Aurora Purple is that it does not just sport a straightaway gradient finish on its back. Its color reflections vary in complexity depending on the amount and direction of light that hits it, just like the Aurora.
Its build is pretty solid as well. Its got rounded corners while its back has a flat surface. As you can probably notice, the Y7p seems to sport a glass back panel that adds more beauty to it. But in fact, it's made of polycarbonate material that was manufactured this way making the phone more durable and lightweight at the same time. Even when the jelly case is slapped on the device, that feel does not go away.
The Huawei Y7p, as I have already mentioned, sports a 720p display. This may not attract you at first glance, but upon turning the device on for the very first time and setting it up, I noticed that the display on this one is much brighter and sharper compared to other HD+ smartphones that I have used. Unless you have a very good pair of eyes for differentiating the resolutions on smartphones, you will easily mistake it for a Full HD+ device. Plus, that punch-hole notch situated at the upper left corner added more premium look to the Y7p. It does not bother much when watching videos or playing games on the phone compared to other cutout implementations on other smartphones. Then it becomes even much less of a distraction when using the phone on landscape more as the punch-hole becomes located at the lower left corner of the screen which is the least busiest part of a smartphone screen.
Software and performance
Now let's talk about the software and the overall performance of the Huawei Y7p. This phone is running on Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1 on top. If you have used a Huawei smartphone before with this same OS version, the expectation or experience is more or less the same, of course minus the presence of Google Mobile Services on this device, which is lacking (there is a workaround and alternative to this, discussed below). Based on my personal experience, the interface is fast and buttery smooth all the time. So far I have not experienced any lag or sudden shutting down of apps while being used, also launching and closing of mobile applications are really fast as well, thanks to its quite roomy 4GB of RAM and a pretty capable Kirin 710F processor.Its default 64GB internal storage is a delight as well. With this huge of a storage for a reasonably-priced smartphone like this, users can store a lot of files such as music, videos, and even games without running out of space quite fast. And if they will need extra storage, the third microSD card slot is available anytime that can hold up to 256GB.
Camera
The camera is one of this phone's highlighted features. It is probably one of the most affordable smartphones out there with 48MP triple rear camera. That primary shooter has f/1.8 aperture which is large and allows more light to come in when taking photos. So even if you take pictures of subjects in low light conditions, that should be enough to product much better photos or even videos. The secondary camera offers 8MP with ultrawide angle lens and f/2.0 and a third 2MP camera with depth sensor and f/2.4 aperture. And then of course an LED flash.
On the back, camera modes include Night, Portrait, Slow-mo, Panorama, HDR, Timelapse, Light Painting, and Moving Pictures. There is also the Aperture mode which allows users to adjust the focus and blur in an image even after the photo is taken. As for videos, the rear cameras can record up to 1080p at 60fps while the front only up to 30fps at 1080p video resolution.
The camera is equipped with AI technology which according to Huawei can recognize up to more than 500 scenes and 21 categories in real time. Once a scene or subject, such as beach, clouds, food, plant, etc, is detected or recognized, the phone will intelligently adjust color composition to provide the best possible photo quality.
Unfortunately, though, due to ongoing ECQ in my area, I am unable to go out and take photos and videos using this smartphone to provide sample shots. The implementing officers around are quite strict and also at the same time, I don't want to take risk. So that being said, I don't have sample photos or videos for now. But don't worry, once the quarantine is over or relaxed and I still have this review unit with me, I will update this post with photos and video clips as soon as I can.
But based on my initial impressions of the cameras, I would say they perform really well especially if there are ample lights around when taking photos or recording videos. I personally like the Aperture mode in photo and the 1080p at 60fps recording feature.
Battery
Now for the battery, the Huawei Y7p is equipped with 4000mAh battery pack. There is no fast charge feature, but there's a 10W charger that it comes with in the box. I can say that in terms of charging, it is quite faster than I was expecting. From zero percent to 100%, the phone was able to get fully charged in just a little over two hours. And then, the battery life was able to last me more than a day of moderate to heavy use.Final thoughts
After using the Huawei Y7p for a couple or weeks while at home adhering to the ECQ, my final thoughts about this phone remains the same as I mentioned in my initial impressions post. The device is still one of the great lower-midrange or upper-entry level smartphones (depending on how you look at it) around. For its Php9,990 price tag, the phone offers a good deal to budget-conscious users who are looking for smartphones that provide better cameras, performance and with a design and build that are pleasing to the eyes. Of course, that's talking without factoring in the lack of Google Mobile Services on this device. But wait, there is still a solution.
Enter Huawei AppGallery
Thank goodness though, Huawei has worked and has been working hard on its very own AppGallery. The AppGallery is now the world's third largest app store, according to the company. What's nice about the AppGallery is it still keep on getting bigger in terms of available apps and security that it provides to consumers. That said, we can now download many of the apps that we use on a daily basis directly from the AppGalley such as Viber, Lazada, Shopee, PayMaya, UnionBank, BDO, TikTok is now also available there and many more.What about other apps that are not available in the AppGallery yet such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Netflix and others? There are two options that enable me to utilize these apps - sideload APK versions of these apps via the APK Pure website or just use the mobile browser version of the apps and bookmark them for quick access (I mostly do this for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). Though for Facebook, you can download the mobile app from the company's own website when you search for it in the AppGallery.
Huawei Y7p specs:
- 6.4-inch HD+ IPS Display
- 1560 x 720 resolution
- Octa-core Kirin 710F processor
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- Supports microSD card up to 256GB
- 48MP + 8MP + 2MP triple rear cameras with AI, ultrawide, and depth sensors
- 8MP front camera
- EMUI 9.1 based on Android 9 Pie
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
- Dual SIM
- 4G LTE
- Fingerprint scanner
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Midnight Black, Aurora Blue
- 10W charger
- 4000mAh battery
- Php9,990
