Gauntlet: iPhone 6 Plus vs. Huawei Ascend Mate 7

The iPhone 6 is an impressive handset, but Apple has pushed the boundaries even more with the iPhone 6 Plus. The size alone puts it in the phablet class, and it seems like other brands have also the same “bigger is better” philosophy in mind. The new crop of phones rounding out 2014 are certainly no one-handers, and with the iPhone 6 Plus, the phablet is definitely here to stay.

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There are many advantages to a phablet, just because of its larger display real estate. And while the iPhone 6 Plus is a gorgeous device, the price tag is somewhat a dealbreaker, given our budgets. Given the market diversity when it comes to smartphones, there may be a handset that will come close to the 6 Plus’ performance without breaking the bank. In this installment of our head-to-head, we check out the Huawei Ascend Mate 7.

Size

These phones are big for a reason: to take advantage of a larger screen size. That said, the iPhone 6 Plus stands taller by a millimeter and is noticeably shorter across by four millimeters. The 6 Plus is slightly thinner and weighs a lot lighter. However, keep in mind that phone size is not display size and for that, we have to give props to Huawei. The Mate 7 managed to maximize the front of the phone with six inches worth of screen versus the 6 Plus’ 5.5 inches.

Performance

Both Huawei and Apple have homegrown hardware in their phones. The Mate 7 has two quad-core chipsets, one clocking at 1.8 GHz, the other at 1.3 GHz. This gives the phone a total of eight cores to play with, and really improves performance across the board. Apple’s A8 is dual core, but thanks to everything built in-house, the performance really sets its own standard for speed, fluidity, and reliability.

User Interface

Thanks to its hardware, fiddling around Huawei’s Emotion UI skin is a breeze. Multitasking and gaming is as buttery smooth as it gets, thanks to two quad-core processors. On the Apple side, iOS has always been a reliable system to maximize interaction with the 6 Plus. What we think tips the favor to Huawei’s side is the placement of the recessed fingerprint scanner. Instead of having it at the front like most flagships, the Ascend Mate 7 has the scanner at the back, just below the rear camera. It feels natural, given you will use your index finger to support the top portion of the phone when holding it.

Image Quality

When it comes down to numbers, the Ascend Mate 7 has the iPhone 6 Plus trumped. Its 13MP rear and 5.5MP front-facing shooters trump the 8MP and 1.2MP cameras Apple has on their phablet. iPhones have enjoyed a reputation of having better shots overall, but the Mate 7 may have more mileage when photos are transferred to another viewing platform like a computer monitor, thanks to its higher megapixel count.

Durability

Both phones are made of metallic compounds, so barring an unfortunate bump or fall, we think that both the Mate 7 and 6 Plus stand on equal durability footing. However, we need to mention the need for extra care when handling these handsets. The Mate 7 is protected from scratches thanks to Gorilla Glass 3, while the 6 Plus’ display is shatterproof. It’s one or the other (scratching versus cracking), and we recommend getting added protection via bumper cases and screen protectors for these babies.

Price

The Huawei costs around P17,000. As will all non-Apple gadgets, the Huawei wins against the iPhone 6 Plus in terms of price. The iPhone 6 Plus starts at P44,500.

Verdict

The Huawei is an impressive piece of work. With eight cores, 3 GB of RAM, a memory that’s expandable to 128 GB, and a more powerful camera, the warrior from the Android side has all the right tools to conquer the Apple giant.