Ascend P6 vs HTC One, Galaxy S4, and Xperia Z

With the official announcement of the Ascend P6 yesterday in London; Huawei is hoping to jump into the ring of high-end smartphones with the release of their ultra slim design. Whether or not the Chinese company can compete in the race for the top Android phone, alongside the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, and Samsung Galaxy S4 still remains to be unclear. However, let’s have a look at all the devices side by side.

So, how does the Ascend P6 stack up compard to the rest? / © AndroidPIT

Media attention was all on board for the presentation of the Huawei Ascend P6 last night and as a part of the major event the smartphone was revealed to the assembled tech press. Here at AndroidPIT, we had a correspondent on location during the reveal and the first impressions of the device were very positive.
Behind the impressive design of this new smartphone, lies a somewhat confusing lump of hardware specs that don’t quite fit in with the coveted top spot it seems to be seeking. The Huawei Ascend P6 still does rank pretty well, but when put against the competitors in the same class, it seems to rank more closely to an upper mid class device. So, the main question remains: can the Ascend P6 keep up with the others? I’ve decided to compare it on seven different categories below.

	Ascend P6	HTC One	Galaxy S4	Xperia Z
Material:	Aluminium	Aluminium	Plastic	Glass
Display:	4.7 inches, LCD 1.280 x 720 Pixel 312 ppi	4.7 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 469 ppi	5 inches, AMOLED 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi	5 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi
Processor:	Huawei K3V2 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core
Software:	Android 4.2.2 Emotion UI	Android 4.1.2 HTC Sense 5	Android 4.2.2 TouchWiz	Android 4.1.2 Xperia UI
BAttery:	2.000 mAh	2.300 mAh	2.600 mAh	2.320 mAh
Dimensiomns:	132.6 x 65.5 x 6.18 mm	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm	139 x 71 x 7.9 mm
Price (Amazon.com)	North American prices unconfirmed. From 449 € Euros.	From $680 US Dollars	From $630 US Dollars	From $590 US Dollars

Material

When it comes to the material that is preferred on a device, that of course is a matter of personal taste. The debate about the pros and cons of each material isn’t worth getting into a heated discussion over, however, personally, I think an aluminum body looks elegant and sleek, feels good, and is less susceptible to grease stains and fingerprints. As such, the HTC One and Ascend P6 are front-runners in my eyes.

Display

When looking at the data sheet above, you can see that the Ascend P6 has the lowest resolution, pixel density, and screen size (along with the HTC One) out of the bunch. In practice, however, the readability of LCD panels in the open air is known to be better than that of AMOLED screens and as we stated in a previous post, the human eye cannot distinguish anything more than 300 ppi at a normal viewing distance of 30 cms.

Processor

All the other manufacturers that were part of this comparison were running Qualcomm chips, with Huawei being the lone wolf building its own processors. Technically, the quad-core chipset of the P6 keeps up with the Snapdragons and is on par with what is behind the Xperia Z. Upon first impressions though; the performance of the device is absolutely satisfactory.

The Emotion UI draws some inspiration from Apples iOS. / © Huawei

Software

The Ascend P6 comes with the latest Android 4.2.2 and with that, Huawei stands ground along with Samsung in releasing the latest version of the OS. As with all the manufacturers, each brings their own user interface to the mix. As with the contentious issue of preferred material, the UI remains a matter of personal taste. The Huawei Emotion UI has similarities to Apple’s iOS and dispenses with the classic App Drawer. In previous tests of the UI, we found the Emotion UI to be surprisingly good.

Battery

The battery capacity of the Ascend P6 is much weaker than that of competing models. With the lower resolution and a smaller display on the Ascend P6, the battery should be more than enough for what it needs. Moreover, thanks to some power-saving technology built inside the device, the P6 should have about 30 percent more juice in its battery.

Dimensions

Here, the Ascend P6 is the clear winner, at least it you are judging it by having the most compact dimensions possible. Coming in at an impressive 6.18 mm in thickness, Huawei has unveiled the thinnest smartphone currently in the world.

Both sleek and stylish, the P6 also is the thinnest. / © Huawei

Price

Huawei also wins in this category as well. While street prices are not yet available, the retail price for the device definitely shows in what direction they’re aiming. With a price significantly below the $680 US dollar amount, the Ascend P6 is a real bargain compared to the other devices. Comparable in price to the Nexus 4, it has a much more pleasing appearance (in our opinion).

Conclusion

The differences are few and tiny. Even if the current top of the line smartphones seem a bit overpowered when it comes to the Ascend P6, it is technically still at the same level of the rest. In conjunction with the low price and stylish design, the Ascend P6 is definitely a serious contender. And while Huawei still has to take on the role of the underdog in most markets, it’s important to note that Huawei are the world’s third largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and Apple, and are definitely looking to prove that they are up to the task.However, with only a slated release in specific parts of Europe and in China, it's unknown whether this device, or any Huawei device, will make its way to North American shores within the near future.