Nokia announced its first Android-app running smartphones - the Nokia X and Nokia X+. The phones pack a 4" LCD display and come with Nokia and Microsoft app preloaded.
Developing...
The ducks have arrived – now we get to find out if they are Android ducks or if they flew here from Redmond. We're, of course, alluding to the Nokia X A110, which has gained notoriety as the Android-powered Nokia phone, seemingly in defiance of the Microsoft acquisition.
It's worth noting that while the Microsoft/Nokia deal has been approved by all relevant parties, moving a huge division from one big company to another is no easy process and this is still the Nokia from 2013 that will be presenting.
Of course, we've seen leaks of the Lumia 630 – a successor of the Windows Phone-powered Lumia 620. There's a Lumia 930 in the works too, if the rumor mill is to be believed. That one is even more exciting as it's a GSM version of the Lumia 929 Icon, perhaps with a 4.5" 1080p screen.
There are plenty of unknowns here, despite all the teasers and allusions we've seen. Watch the unveiling with us to find out:
Qualcomm has announced its latest smartphone SoC (system on chip), the Snapdragon 801 processor, which brings a whole host of enhancements to power the next generation of handsets.
In terms of what the Snapdragon 801 - an enhanced version of the well known Snapdragon 800 - can offer, Qualcomm claims it'll provide up to a 45% faster camera sensor, 28% better graphics, 14% faster CPU, 18% faster DSP and 17% faster memory.
What does that mean for you and me? Well our smartphones are about to get a whole lot faster and the user experience is also going to benefit from larger cameras, better gaming and a general performance boost.
Battery life is also said to have been improved, with further development on power consumption making the Snapdragon 801 less demanding on power packs.
So when will we see the first Snapdragon 801 toting smartphone? Well Qualcomm wouldn't be drawn on any particular devices, but we were told it'll arrive "very, very soon" - perhaps even at MWC 2014? We'll be keeping our eyes peeled.
Unveiled at MWC 2014, Sony's Xperia M2 comes boasting hardcore processing power in a slim, impressive-looking package.
It's not up there with its twin, the Xperia Z2, but the M2 comes with a 4.8-inch qHD screen and 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor under the hood, at a price point that Sony describes as 'mid-range'.
Not to be sniffed at either is the 8MP camera - not exactly the 20.7MP sensor of its bigger brother, but it does come with Sony's Exmor RS for mobile and bespoke Xperia camera apps so you should still be able to eke some pretty decent shots out of it.
The device comes with 4G smarts which are par for the course on a smartphone at this level now, plus a 2300mAh battery which Sony describes as "ideal for long days of heavy usage".
Available in black, white and purple, Sony says that the 8.6mm-thin M2 is "the slimmest smartphone in its class".
Available from April, Sony's keeping schtum on exactly what the 'mid-range' price is at the moment, although it does say that the M2's "class" is defined as 4G smartphones that launch at less than €220 (that's around £180 / $300 / AU$340) so probably somewhere around that level.
Stay tuned for our official hands on Sony Xperia M2 review, coming straight outta Barcelona very soon.
Just because Lenovo recently acquired Motorola, doesn't mean it plans to stop pushing its in-house smartphones, something evidenced by the launch of three new handsets at MWC 2014.
The company has unveiled the S860, the S850 and S660 Android handsets, promising a little bit of something for all sectors of the market.
The S860 is the flagship device, with a 5.3-inch, as-yet-unspecified 'HD' screen, 2GB RAM and a MediaTek quad-core processor, but the real kicker is the promise of all true all day battery life.
The company doesn't mention the size of the cell in its news release, but claims it can hang for 24 hours of talk time, making it ideal for business users. Users will even be able to use the phone to charge other devices using the microUSB cable.
Second in line is the 5-inch S850 handset (main article photo). Its claim to fame is a unique all-glass design that could snare smartphone fashionistas.
The S850 also packs a 13-megapixel camera, a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper, and also has a MTK quad-core chip doing the donkey work.
Last, but not least, comes the S660, which the company is pitching as an "all rounder" for "value seekers." It has a brushed metal design and also has a quad core processor on board.
Lenovo, in its media release, hasn't divulged everything we'd like to know about these phones. The spec sheets have a lot of gaps that need to be filled, such as Android versions and screen resolutions, but TechRadar has a strong presence in Barcelona this week, so we'll aim to get to the bottom of it.
When out browsing for a new mobile device chances are you've stumbled across Sony's Xperia range; you can't fail to miss the Xperia Z Ultra stretching across 6.44 inches of phone shop wall.
In a Samsung like bid to take on the market in all its shapes and sizes, Sony has created an Xperia line up featuring the leviathan Z Ultra, the more moderately sized flagship Xperia Z1 and the baby of the bunch, the Xperia Z1 Compact.
If you're struggling to decide which of these well designed handsets is best for you, you've come to the right place as we take a look at how they all compare.
When looking at the three handsets it is clear that the biggest difference in design is the sheer size of the varying screens.
The biggest of the three is the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, measuring in at a whopping 179.4 x 92.2mm yet manages to measure only 6.5 mm deep.
This makes it a lot larger than the Xperia Z1 with its 144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5mm frame and the much smaller 127 x 64.9 x 9.5mm Xperia Z1 Compact.
Elsewhere the Sony hansets all follow the same design DNA with a large black glass front surrounded by a coloured metal band and matching coloured all glass back.
All of the Xperia phones here come in black and white, with the larger Xperia Z Ultra and Z1 also coming in a fetching purple hue.
Owners of the Xperia Z1 Compact are treated to a slightly wider range with purple being omitted for a choice between lime green or pink. If choosing a phone based on colour is vitally important, you might be a little limited.
Sony has managed to pull off a very industrial theme throughout its range; big black glass rectangles with sharp edges contrasting well with the metal chassis.
This sleek design is particularly impressive on the Z Ultra as it comes in exceptionally thin making it deceptively easy to hold, in two hands that is.
That extra size on the Xperia Z Ultra does come at a cost though with it sitting awkwardly in one hand, though we'd recommend the use of a Bluetooth headset.
Not only does it make calling easier, it also means you won't look ridiculous when making that all important phone call.
The smaller sizing of the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact lend themselves to easier one handed use, but even the Xperia Z1 sits a little uncomfortably in a single hand.
This does mean you can use the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact more inconspicuously, with fewer eyes drawn to their smaller stature.
Those with smaller hands (or smaller pockets) may find themselves best suited to the more diminutive Xperia Z1 Compact.
One of Sony's biggest design successes is the way that it has covered the microSD and SIM trays, whilst at the same time waterproofing the external speakers and headphone port; all three devices have IP58 dust and waterproof certification.
If anyone is in doubt as to what the Xperia Z Ultra is for, the positioning of the headphone jack should be enough to highlight that it's best used in landscape mode for watching movies.
The top mounted jack on the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact lends itself more to music whilst your phone is sat in your pocket.
All that talk of headphone placement might make you think the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z1 Compact are unsuitable for watching movies, but that's far from the case.
With its 6.44-inch screen, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra manages to tower over nigh on every handset on the market let alone the 5-inch Xperia Z1 and the 4.3-inch Xperia Z1 Compact making it far more comfortable for watching movies on.
It even comes in as a full HD 1080 x 1920 pixel display meaning a iPhone beating pixel density of 344ppi making watching movies a dream, although lacking the razor sharp picture quality that a full HD 5-inch screen packs.
The Xperia Z1 comes with the same 1080 x 1920 resolution, but it's packed in much tighter giving an impressive 441ppi. This adds the benefit of making images seem much clearer and text far crisper.
A little disappointingly, Sony hasn't kept the full HD screen on the Xperia Z1 Compact, but then again that would have been wishful thinking.
Instead Sony has fitted a HD 720p (720 x 1280) screen giving a ppi of 342. That's almost identical to the Xperia Z Ultra.
One area that the Xperia Z1 Compact excels in the screen department is the ability to use the screen while wearing gloves. Although this presents a rather annoying circle on screen, this is a feature that we can see being really important for those that live in less sunnier climes.
The more diminutive stature also means that typing on the Xperia Z1 Compact's screen is a lot easier one or two handed; certainly more than wide enough to cope with the larger digits.
For those looking to play mobile games downloaded off the Play Store or from PlayStation Mobile, all three handsets will connect (via a separately purchased) USB cable to a DualShock 3 controller that is found with the Sony PlayStation 3.
This means that you won't have to fork out for a separate Bluetooth controller, although is a little harder to use given that there is no dock to sit your phone in.
Streaming via screen mirroring to a smart enabled TV or monitor makes the whole premise seem a little less ridiculous, and the full HD displays of the Z Ultra and Z1 come in really handy here.
You heard that right. Spreadtrum and Mozilla are planning on releasing a smartphone that retails for $25.
Spreadtrum is a cell phone manufacturer that isn't exactly known around the world, but it shares the same vision as Mozilla does: delivering smartphones to consumers at the lowest possible prices.
What helps to keep the cost down is a Cortex A5 chipset: the SC6821. The chip doesn't have support for LTE, just WCDMA and EDGE. The chip does include support for WiFi, Bluetooth, cameras, and FM Radios, but it will top out at powering 3.5” screens.
With these features and specs, no one's going to be tossing out their Galaxies, iPhones, or Lumias, however, if Mozilla can create a smartphone that works reasonably well for $25, then feature phones will get much closer to being completely phased out in emerging markets.
For $25, would you buy one of these bad boys as your back-up smartphone? Or maybe use them as party favors for a geek get-together?
Big is beautiful, or at least that appears to be the case in the smartphone market as every manufacturer seems to be pushing supersized devices on us at a rate of knots, and the LG G Pro 2 is no exception.
The main feature on the G Pro 2 is its 5.9-inch full HD display, making it bigger than the phablet of choice, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but smaller than HTC One Max and the huge Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
There's currently no word on price (spoiler: it won't be cheap) or whether the G Pro 2 will actually make it out of Asia, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that it will considering the success of Samsung's Note series.
As well as the big screen the G Pro 2 also has some other decent specs, including the 2.26GHz quad-core processor it's borrowed from the LG G2, 3GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage and the latest version of Google's mobile platform, Android 4.4 KitKat.
LG has stuck its own overlay on top of KitKat, but it's a relatively inoffensive offering adding some useful extra features to the handset.
The main addition is Mini View - a feature which sees the phone's screen shrink and shift to one side of the display, making it easier to use the G Pro 2 with one hand.
A quick swipe either left or right across the navigation bar and the screen minimises into a smaller area, allowing your thumb to reach all areas - you can even adjust the size of the Mini View window to suit your digits.
You can still see the faded full size operating system running in the area of the screen which isn't taken up by Mini View.
Impressively there was no lag experienced during my play with Mini View, which is surprising as the G Pro 2 was rendering the same thing twice - once in Mini View and once in the full size faded area.
I can see this being a very useful feature and it trumps other phablets which may provide a keyboard floated left or right, but none shrink the whole user interface like the G Pro 2.
That said, those with smaller hands will still struggle with the G Pro 2 as there's no getting away from the fact that it's a big handset and more often than not you'll probably want to use both mitts to steady the ship.
As with the G2 Mini, the G Pro 2 has inherited the rear volume and power/lock keys from the G2, and they are still pretty tricky to hit, especially here as you need to shuffle the phone slightly to get your fingers in the right place.
LG does offer a solution to this issue with its Knockon screen wake function, allowing you to wake up and lock the handset with a double tap of the screen (or notification bar if you want to lock it).
The G Pro 2 takes things a step further though with Knockcode, allowing you to not only wake the screen by tapping it, but also unlock the handset in just a few finger presses.
Knockcode requires you to tap out a pattern of between 2 and 8 knocks in length, reducing your reliance on the rear keys while also improving security on your device.
I did find that the G Pro 2 didn't always register my knocks, which forced me at times to have two or three attempts at unlocking the smartphone.
These errors could well fade with time as you adapt to the new functionality, or the system may be a little flawed. You'll have to wait until the in-depth LG G Pro 2 review to find out the answer to that one.
Even though the LG G Pro 2 is all plastic it still has a premium look and feel to it, although it's never going to match the all metal body of the One Max.
The metal mesh pattern applied to the rear of the G Pro 2 does provide some much needed grip, ensuring you have a tight grip of the mammoth mobile.
The screen is bright and full of detail, making text easy to read and videos standout - this is a device you could easily watch a movie on, or play some intense Real Racing 3.
There wasn't a moment when the G Pro 2 appeared to struggle and it still performed perfectly when I opened up pretty much every app on it.
This performance also finds its way into the web browsing, loading mobile sites in a flash, while content heavy desktop websites appeared in just a few seconds over a decent Wi-Fi connection.
You can also split the browser into two windows - with each taking up half the screen - in much the same way as Multi-Window does on the Galaxy Note 3, allowing you to view two websites at the same time.
This function isn't available with any other applications and I struggle to see the real appeal of this particular feature.
When held in two hands the G Pro 2 is easy to type on, if not a little top heavy, and if you've only got one hand free Mini View provides a handy way of tapping out a missive with relative ease.
LG has done a lot of work on the G Pro 2's 13MP rear camera, which not only features the firm's new OIS+ (optical image stabilisation) technology, but also allows you to record in Ultra HD 4K quality.
If slow motion is more your thing then you can also record at 120fps with a full HD resolution, and the G Pro 2 will give you three slow motion speeds to choose from in post-production.
The new OIS+ tech means images will still come out crisp and clear even if you're on a bumpy bus ride, or just walking down the street.
It also allows for better low light images, although I was unable to put this to the test in the brightly light demo area.
A clever camera feature you'll find on the LG G Pro 2 is something called "Magic Focus", which allows you to choose the depth of focus after taking a picture.
Want to focus on something in the foreground? No problem, just use the slider on screen to ensure the object in question is in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred.
For all you selfie fans out there the G Pro 2 also has you covered, with a smaller viewfinder on screen when using the front facing camera allowing for a bright background to illuminate your face - smashing.
The LG G Pro 2 is a decent supersized smartphone and if it does manage to make it out of Asia then it will give the current crop of phablets a real run for their money.
The various camera enhancements will attract a certain crowd, while we could see the innovative Mini View crop up on rival devices as manufacturers look to squeeze every last bit of usability from their smartphones.
The LG G Pro 2 is definitely one to watch, and one to hope for.
Samsung kicked off the MWC with the announcement of the Tizen-powered Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, but the star of the show will arrive tomorrow – the Galaxy S5. The upcoming flagship is presumably in Barcelona right now and was caught in a short video showing the Gear 2.
Here's the video, but don't look at the watch – there's a device that looks a lot like a Galaxy S4, except there's something strange under the camera. The LED flash on the S4 is there, but that's a small, single LED, while this unknown feature looks as wide as the camera.
We'll find out tomorrow what that feature is, but here's something we can tell right now – there will be at least three color versions of the Galaxy S5. There's a White one, a Black (dark blue?) one and a Gold one. Oh, and it looks like they are all using plastic back panels yet again.
Alcatel and ZTE unveiled a host of Firefox OS devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon hardware. Alcatel Fire C, Fire E, Fire S, Fire 7, and ZTE Open C and Open II feature entry-level and mid-range specs to go with Mozilla’s latest Firefox OS 1.3.
The Alcatel Fire S is the most capable smartphone of the bunch. It features 4.5” qHD IPS display, 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, Category 4 LTE, 8MP camera, and NFC.
Alcatel Fire E sits below the Fire S. It features 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 4.5” qHD display, and 5MP snapper.
Next in line is the Alcatel Fire C. It sports a 3.5” HVGA display, 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, and VGA camera.
Finally there’s the Alcatel Fire 7 tablet. It sports 7” qHD display, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, and a duo of VGA cameras.
ZTE Open C on the other hand is an already familiar sight. It features 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 SoC, 512MB RAM, 4” WVGA display, and 1,200mAh battery.
Finally, the ZTE Open II is out to cover the smartphone basics. It has 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 256MB of RAM, 2GB of built-in memory, 1,150mAh battery, and 2MP camera.
Samsung announced its new Tizen device – a smartwatch successor to the Android-powered Galaxy Gear. Was that it? Turns out it's not, not if you peek under the covers.
An ExtremeTech writer spotted a Tizen-running Samsung phone at what seems to be the Tizen App Challenge event. Note that the photo isn't particularly clear and there's no way to tell if it's a Galaxy phone running Tizen.
Nope, fat lot of nothing at the #Tizen event. The new smartwatches aren't even here. #mwc2014 pic.twitter.com/rNKeWSL9Yg
— ExtremeTech (@ExtremeTech) February 23, 2014 Still, the OS is clearly capable of running on phone hardware (ignoring the question of mobile connectivity for a moment). Will we actually see a Tizen phone tomorrow when Samsung's event will be held?
We'll keep our eyes peeled, until then the Galaxy S5 is still at the top of the list.
The LG G2 Mini rocks up a little late to the "mini smartphone" party, and it looks like someone at the Korean firm has forgotten what mini actually means.
To be fair, the likes of the HTC One Mini, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and Sony Xperia Z1 Compact aren't exactly the smallest phones on the market, but with its 4.7-inch display the G2 Mini is a similar size to the flagship HTC One.
It also means there isn't a whole lot of difference between it and the 5.2-inch LG G2, and I'd still recommend the latter over the Mini if your budget can stretch that far.
The price of the LG G2 Mini is currently unknown, but I'd expect it to land around the same point as the Galaxy S4 Mini and One Mini.
Unlike the Xperia Z1 Compact, LG hasn't kept the same internal components of its bigger brother, meaning you'll have to make do with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, microSD slot, 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera.
The good news is that the LG G2 Mini comes running Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box - the G2 is still stuck on Jelly Bean for now - although LG has put its own skin over the top.
Another feature the G2 Mini has over its larger namesake is LG's new Knockcode security system, allowing you to tap out a pattern to wake and unlock you handset without having to touch any buttons.
Your pattern can consist of anything from two to eight knocks, but I found that the system wasn't always overly responsive.
Sometimes I'd tap out the code and it simply wouldn't register, while at other times there was a good two second delay before the screen turned on - something I'm sure will grate after extended use.
The handset itself is relatively lightweight (121g), and that makes it comfortable to hold in one hand.
I almost didn't realise the additional depth of the G2 Mini thanks to the rounded sides of the device, but if you're worried about pocket budge it protrudes 9.8mm compared to 8.9mm G2.
The rear of the G2 Mini has a textured effect which supplies a suitable level of grip, and LG's rear button setup is present here.
Sadly they are the same size and shape as the ones found on the G2, rather than the enlarged, easier to hit buttons on the LG G Flex.
The Knockcode and Knockon features means you'll require these keys less than on a standard smartphone, but they can still be tricky to hit unsighted when you do need to use them.
I found that the G2 Mini also looks and feels noticeably less premium than the full size G2, and that's a little bit of a shame considering the One Mini's metal chassis.
A handy feature which doesn't often make its way into non-flagship devices is the inclusion of an IR (infra-red) blaster on top of the LG G2 Mini, allowing you to control TVs, DVD players, Hi-Fi systems and set top boxes from the phone.
I'd have preferred it located on the back next to the camera - as it is on the G Flex - but this isn't a huge issue.
The 4.7-inch screen may not be full HD, but the 540 x 960 resolution is still good enough to provide a decent level of detail and I found reading text and viewing images pleasing enough.
If you study the screen closely enough, or hold a full HD phone (or even a One Mini) beside the G2 Mini, you'll notice the poorer resolution, but in isolation it shouldn't give you any trouble.
Moving around the Android KitKat operating system was generally pretty smooth, but the LG G2 Mini does lack the additional zip of its higher powered bigger brother.
There is still enough power under the hood to play intensive games and I can't foresee anything giving the G2 Mini too much of a problem.
Browsing the web on the G2 Mini was enjoyable as web pages loaded swiftly - the desktop version of TechRadar for example took less than five seconds to fully load over a decent Wi-Fi connection.
That browsing speed should follow you outdoors and onto the open road, as LG has equipped the G2 Mini with CAT 4 LTE, giving you access to superfast 4G speeds.
The large screen on the G2 Mini also makes browsing websites more comfortable, plus it allows for a decently spaced keyboard complete with next word prediction.
LG has toned down the camera application on the G2 Mini, but it still keeps a few of the features from the firm's flagship device including Beauty shot, HDR, panorama, Time catch shot and sports mode.
Shutter speed is acceptable, but it's not the quickest I've experienced at this level and my pictures taken of the oddly lit demo area came out pretty well.
The LG G2 Mini also packs in a big 2440mAh battery, considerably larger than its rivals, which should hopefully result in some decent battery life and I'll be sure to put that to the test in the in-depth review.
If you fancy getting your hands on one then the LG G2 Mini release date is slated for March in some regions, with Europe following shortly after.
The LG G2 Mini is a decent smartphone, but it may have arrived a bit too late to really make the same sort of impact as the S4 Mini or One Mini.
If the G2 Mini does rock a similar price tag to its rivals then perhaps its larger screen and big battery will help it get some grounding in the market - but we're just going to have to wait and see.
Kicking off its Mobile World Congress 2014 appearance Huawei has come out with the Ascend G6 smartphone, the world's thinnest 7" tablet in the face of the MediaPad X1, the 8" MediaPad M1 and the TalkBand B1 wristband wearable, which were all but expected.
By far the most interesting of the lot is the MediaPad X1, which is just 7.18 mm thick, outdoing the Nexus 7 2013's 8.4 mm and the iPad mini 2's 7.5 mm. It comes with a much narrower body, tipping the scales at an impressive 239 g. The 7" screen sports a 1080p resolution and surpasses the 300 ppi threshold for a sharp experience at 323 ppi.
The Ascend G6 and MediaPad M1 smartphone and tablet share LTE Cat 4 for an affordable dash into high-speed data on the go.
The Ascend G6 brings a 4.5" screen of qHD (540 x 960) resolution, a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor, 5 MP camera on the front and an 8 MP one on the back.
The MediaPad M1 has dual speakers on the front, capable of DTS surround sound. In between them sits an 8" 1280 x 800 display. The slate comes with a 4800 mAh battery that is reverse charge compliant and can charge other devices with a dedicated cable.
All devices are rocking Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Huawei's Emotion UI on top. The Ascend G6's LTE version will cost €250, which will be out after the 3G version, which is going to the shelves this quarter. The MediaPad M1 will cost €299 and will launch in May. The MediaPad X1 will cost €399.
A quartet of new Firefox OS devices have been unveiled at MWC 2014 as Mozilla ups its low-end game.
The ZTE Open C, ZTE Open II, Alcatel Fire C, Fire E and Fire S are all handsets, while the Alcatel Fire 7 is a tablet. Huawei is also releasing its first Firefox phone, the Huawei Y300.
All the new devices rock Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, and the Fire S actually has a half-decent spec sheet: 4.5-inch screen, 4G connectivity, quad-core processor and an 8MP 1080p camera.
As well as announcing the new hardware, Mozilla spoke about the future of the Firefox platform. The company promises universal search, LTE support, NFC support and the ability to handle dual SIM cards are all coming in the near future.
There's also news of the first chipset for a $25 smartphone which was shown off on a reference device, and Mozilla is also trying to encourage higher-spec phones with 4.5-inch dual-core reference hardware for devs to test Firefox OS apps on.
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.
The Huawei Ascend G6 offers up a decent package of features and specs, but it's got tough competition with the cheaper Moto G and Nokia Lumia 520 offering better interfaces.
