It is a bit of a simplification to say that all smart phones are the same but it isn’t too dramatic of a statement to say that most high end smart phones sold at any particular time are quite close in features and specifications.
Sure, someone might have a thinner phone or a bigger screen but most of the cell phones sold today are running one of two different operating systems. Each release of IOS probably is more similar than different to the previous version and this is also most likely true for Android as well.
I needed a new phone and for a lot of different reasons didn’t go with Samsung. Oddly enough it wasn’t due to their recent battery problems but more on price, and the previous version didn’t support adding an sdcard.
One thing led to another and I happened to find myself owning the Mate S from Hauwai. I am not going to do a blow by blow account of every feature, there are professional magazines, advertising companies and real dedicated hardware types for that. I am going to briefly list a few of the highlights based on my experiences so far. The phone is still pretty new so there may be a follow up if anything unexpected occurs.
The good
The camera and the screen are really nice. If you want to snap off a few photos of that special person you are stalking your new girlfriend or pet. The camera takes clear photos and does offer a lot of special filters just in case you really like seeing everything in black and white.
I was completely take by surprise not long after having this phone when I received an update. I am not so familiar with Huawai that I can say if this is novel or normal. I was just happy as I know that a lot of smart phones from many manufacturers don’t see many if any upgrades.
The phone came with apps installed including some that I would never install in this lifetime. Yet I was surprised to see that it was possible to simply uninstall some but not all of those offending apps. I didn’t have to root the phone nor do a lot of strange maneuvers I just dragged the app to the garbage can. This is the smartest smart phone I have owned. I am tired of being the victim of the added crap value apps that the manufacturer decides to provide based on the biggest fee they receive when bundling an app.
That last sentence is a lie. I really don’t care what crappy applications they install, what bothers me is that normally you cannot uninstall those apps.
The less good
I don’t know if this had more to do with Android or the the image that Huawai was using. After my upgrade I did have a small problem as the sdcard went from a name (i think it was sdard1) to the actual name of the card which was 8 digits. This was a problem because some of my apps were now looking in the wrong place for their data files.
Despite the phone having a Android GUI everything did seem a bit unfamiliar when compared to the previous version I was using. This is probably just a case of grumpy old man syndrome as it was not that different and within a short time I was using the phone without any difficulty.
The bad
There is really not too much negative to talk about for this phone but I did realize one thing. You cannot change the battery. This means that in a few years if my battery life isn’t good enough I will have to purchase a new phone rather than to extend the life of the phone with a new battery.
“I will have to purchase a new phone rather than to insert a new battery into this phone.”
It is a simple statement but not 100% accurate. It is actually possible to replace the battery if you are willing to go through a fair amount of effort. I did discover a you tube video that does describe this process.
From watching the video, the phone appears to be built in a manner that does allow for small parts to be replaced if necessary. However, just the tool list will probably scare away all but the bravest DIY’er.
Not totally pleased with the battery situation but it does guarantee that I move on with newer technology at some point in the future.
This might require a change in thinking. Who knows, perhaps I will even get rid of my rotary phone one day.
