Huawei Ascend G6 review

Huawei Ascend G6

The Ascend G6 focuses on low price, 4G and the selfie

Last year Huawei launched its flagship Ascend P6 smartphone, and now at MWC 2014 the Chinese firm has added to the range with the Huawei Ascend G6.

As you may have guessed the G6 isn't a replacement to the P6, rather it's a more affordable option which shares the same design ethos as its bigger brother.

The key facts about the Ascend G6 are its price and connectivity. While Huawei was unable to give me a firm price, I was told that it will come in at under £200.

Not bad for a handset which is sporting the latest version of 4G technology - CAT 4 - giving you a super speedy internet connection.

What else does the Ascend G6 provide? Well you get a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 4.5-inch qHD display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot and a sizeable 2000mAh battery.

The Ascend G6 comes running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box, which is acceptable considering its price tag and the fact Android 4.4 is the only set up it could possible make at this time.

Hauwei hasn't just left Android at its stock version though, feeling the need to slaver its Emotion UI 2.0 over the top - something which I haven't particularly enjoyed on previous handsets.

It still looks relatively childish and that detracts from the overall user experience as the Ascend G6 looks and feels like a toy.

The Emotion UI removes the application list that we're used to on all other Android handsets, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing as it means all your apps are in one place - no confusion for first users when they see the same app on a homescreen and in the app list.

Huawei's all-in-one widget which combines features such a gallery, weather and contacts into one, dominating block is present on the Ascend G6, but I'd recommend you delete it as its functionality is limited.

To aid the first time smartphone audience further Huawei has also enabled a Simple UI, which removes all the widgets and myriad of small app icons for a large, tile based interface. It's rather reminiscent of the Windows Phone homescreen setup.

While this mode won't interest power users, it has clear advantages for certain segments of the smartphone market.

Unsurprisingly for a phone which is going to come in at under £200 the Huawei Ascend G6 sports an all plastic construction, although it is solid and the thick, faux-metal band which runs round the circumference keeps everything together nicely.

The Ascend G6 sits well in the hand, the volume and power/lock keys are easy to hit and the rear cover provides a decent level of grip while also being removable.

This gives you access to the SIM and microSD slots, but the battery is sealed in so you won't be able to swap it out.

Front on the Ascend G6 is a little bezel heavy, with a rounded bump protruding below the navigation touch keys beneath the display.

The 960 x 540 4.5-inch display isn't going to win any awards, but it's perfectly acceptable on the Ascend G6 and everything is easily visible.

Huawei has avoided filling the Ascend G6 with bloatware, which probably helps it maintain its fluid performance as you move around the handset.

It's not blazingly fast, but we didn't experience any lag during our brief time with the Ascend G6.

Round the back of the Huawei Ascend G6 you'll find a 8MP camera with a single LED flash and the ability to record full HD video.

The camera app is passable, but features such as HDR are absent and the shutter speed isn't the fastest I've witnessed on handsets at this price range.

However from the handful of test shots I fired off the Ascend G6 appeared to perform well and it should be a decent little snapper.

That's just half the story though, as Huawei has also thrown in a 5MP front facing camera in an attempt to appeal to the growing selfie trend.

Coupled with the superfast 4G capabilities and quick access to social networks, Huawei is hoping the Ascend G6 will appeal to those dedicated to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

The keyboard also stands up pretty well, allowing you to type a witty comment to go with your latest snap with reasonable next word prediction and spell checking.

The Huawei Ascend G6 release date is set for April in the UK, and you'll be able to pick it up in either black or white.