Huawei, the global top 3 smartphone brand, has recently been wowing us with their featured packed smartphones with an affordable price tag. Among the two mid-tier smartphones launched recently here in Nepal, we took a look at one of them last week. So, this week we take a look at the Huawei Y7 Pro 2018, the second smartphone of the pair. Unlike the Y9 2018, the Y7 Pro 2018 focuses more on providing a superb dual-camera set up for a price of just Rs 20,900. Does it succeed? Should you buy this phone? Is it the best smartphone under Rs 21,000 here in Nepal? Well, let’s find out in this full review.
Design
The Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 is a gorgeous looking smartphone with its faux metallic back. Although being made mainly out of plastic, the phone feels quite substantial in the hands. The rounded corners, that the phone posses, adds to the ergonomic feel of the device. Besides being lightweight, the phone can also be easily manoeuvred by a single hand. Everything is exactly where it should be! Though Huawei could have used metal instead of plastic, the phone looks and feel quite meticulous especially in this Blue colour variant that I am using.
Display
Like the current trend, the Y7 Pro 2018 packs a near bezel-less display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. This gives Huawei the opportunity to squeeze in a large 5.99-inch HD+ display with a pixel density of 268PPI. Though being an IPS panel, the display is very vibrant with a variable level of brightness. Watching movies, firing up a YouTube video, and playing some games have been a pleasant experience on the device. Having the 18:9 display made consuming media an immersive experience. Overall, the display definitely is one of the many strong points of the device.
Performance
The Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 packs an octa-core Qualcomm MSM8937 Snapdragon 435 processor along with the Adreno 505 GPU. The processor is backed by 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The day to day performance of using the phone has been quite good. Doing the basics like scrolling through Facebook, checking the occasional mail, posting some Instagram pictures has been a smooth experience. The same, however, can’t be said for the gaming experience. Don’t get me wrong, the phone can play some non-graphics intensive games like Temple Run 2, and Sonic Dash without a hitch. But playing games like Asphalt 8 and Modern Combat 5 took a toll on its performance. Heck, I even pushed the phone to the extreme and fired up PUBG! The game ran but it was a bit choppy with tons of dropped frames.
Software
The phone runs EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. It is a sweet deal that the phone is offering Android Oreo out of the box. The user interface on the device is clean, minimalistic, and very responsive. Running a custom skin, the Y7 Pro 2018 brings tons of useful features and handy software tweaks. Things like the customizable navigation buttons, game suit, split-screen multitasking, and app lock came in handy at times. One small pet peeve with the UI that I have is the lack of consistency with the icons. Even though it’s not a big deal, I would have appreciated it if the icons were all round or all squircle.
Cameras
The Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 packs a dual-camera set up at the rear made by a 13MP and a 2MP lens. In well-lit scenarios, the image quality from the phone was phenomenal. I captured some amazing shots during my stroll to Garden of Dreams. The details on some of the flowers I shot were mind-boggling with great sharpness, depth and vibrancy. I was quite shocked and impressed at the same time! To offer such a good dual-camera set up at this price point is quite amazing and admirable for Huawei.
The phone also has an 8MP front-camera for all your social media ready selfies. The phone also comes with an LED flash. A great addition to take those low-light time selfies! The images from the shooter, in ample lighting conditions, were good with great details, sharpness, and warmth. Dim the lights down and the selfies had a bit of grain and softness to it. Not that noticeable but still present! That said, the cameras on the Y7 Pro 2018 are amazing especially considering its price.
Biometrics
The phone sadly doesn’t come with a fingerprint scanner which is kind of a bummer, but not really. If you have read my Huawei Y9 2018 review, you will probably know that I made use of the Face Unlock rather than the digit sensor. And guess what, the Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 does come with a Face Unlock feature. Though it uses the front camera and software to scan and unlock the phone, it works very well. It works so well that it was even able to detect my face and unlock the phone in a pitch-black room. I was totally amazed by this! Clearly enough, I didn’t miss the fingerprint scanner all that much.
Also Read: Huawei Y9 2018: Nepal Reviews
Connectivity
Connectivity wise the Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 offers a triple card slot with a combination of 2 sim card slot and a memory card slot that can all be used simultaneously. The storage of the phone can be upgraded up to 256GB from the already 32GB of inbuilt storage. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 4G and USB 2.0.
Battery
The phone packs a 3000mAh non-user removable battery. Battery life on the Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 has been great! I was able to get 4-5 hours of on-screen time with my medium to heavy usage of the phone. Moderate users will easily be able to get a full day worth of battery life out of this device. That said, one major drawback with the phone is the lack of a USB Type-C port. Though not a huge deal, having this inclusion would have been the cherry on top of the cake.
Verdict: Huawei Y7 Pro 2018
The Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 is a great smartphone that focuses largely on its dual-camera setup. And I can see just why! Pictures from the cameras were some of the best I have seen at this price range. Not only the cameras but the phone packs a complete package with a full-view display, feature-packed software, eye-catching design and much more. There, however, are some shortcomings like the lack of a USB Type-C port. Even though personally, I didn’t make much use of the fingerprint scanner but many might argue otherwise. The lack of this essential sensor definitely will turn some people off.
That said, the phone still packs a punch for what it is worth. For anyone looking for a great multi-media device which can take mind-boggling pictures while looking industriously gorgeous as possible, then the Y7 Pro is your best option. But if you want a smartphone which has a fingerprint scanner and can bust some graphics intensive games, you might want to look at something else like the Huawei Y9 2018.
Thank you for reading Huawei Y7 Pro 2018: Nepal Reviews! If you have any questions regarding the phone please feel free to drop them in the comments down below. And for more tech reviews like this, like our Facebook page and also visit our website regularly. Please also subscribe to Phones In Nepal Youtube channel for awesome unboxing, hands-on, review, tech news, and tips and tricks videos.
