Huawei Ascend G 300 review

This £100 Android smartphone comes with meaty specifications including a 4in display, 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM and 5-megapixel camera. Despite its budget nature, and the use of Android 2.3, Huawei hasn't compromised on performance or battery life.

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Display and CameraAnother stand-out feature is the 4in screen, a size usually found on high-end devices. The size of the screen means the keyboard is well proportioned and makes the device good for web browsing. Although not as large as devices such as the HTC One X (4.7in) or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (4.65in), the screen on the Huawei is bigger than the 3.5in display on the iPhone 4S.

With a 480 x 800 resolution and 233ppi density, the G 300 has the same resolution and a higher pixel density than the Galaxy S II (217ppi). However, Huawei has gone with the TFT technology for the screen, which means the display is not as bright indoors as the Super AMOLED technology used by Samsung. Brightness is an area Huawei could have improved on.

Huawei Ascend G300 - Test shot

Colour replication isn't the best - the brown shell is much lighter to the naked eye

The Huawei comes with a 5-megapixel camera, with autofocus capabilities and an LED flash. The camera doesn't boast any nifty features, such as burst mode, and it lacks HD recording capabilities, but that's not surprising given the phone's price. The device is able to replicate light colours, but brown shades appear darker than they are.

Overall

Whilst the Ascend G 300 doesn't offer the performance of an iPhone 4S or HTC One X, no-one expects it to for this price. The device is great value and is able to cater to the needs of business users. It is worth a look for those on a budget or SMBs wanting to roll out devices to employees.

ITPRO Value award

Verdict

At just £100 or free on a £15.50 contract, pound-for-pound, the Ascend G 300 is one of the best Android devices on the market. Huawei gets all the basics right and we can look past the Android Gingerbread 2.3 interface and mediocre camera when the performance is this good.

OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Huawei Android Platform Processor: 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A Memory/Storage: 512 RAM; 2GB internal + 32GB microSD slot Screen: 4in (480 x 800) TFT Connectivity:802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack Other: Accelerometer, proximity, compass, A-GPS Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSDPA 900/2100 Camera: 5MP rear with LED flash and autofocus Battery: 1500mAh Size: 122.5 x 63 x 10.5mm Weight: 140g

Khidr Suleman
Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site  - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.