Huawei Ascend P7 review: Looking strong

Unboxing the Huawei Ascend P7

The Huawei Ascend P7 comes in a flat box with a 1A compact charger, a microUSB cable and a one-piece headset. We were pleasantly surprised to find two NFC tags in the box - a blue and a red one - with a quality metallic feel to them.

Huawei Ascend P7 retail package

The rubber case that came with the P6 is no longer supplied, but the new phone comes with a pre-applied screen protector.

360-degree spin

The Huawei Ascend P7 measures 139.8 x 68.8 x 6.5mm. That's 7mm taller and 3.3mm wider than its predecessor. The increase in the vertical and horizontal dimensions can be attributed to the larger screen (going from 4.7" to 5"), though the extra thickness was a bit of a disappointment - razor thin was the calling card of the Ascend P6.

Predictably, weight has gone up too, but by a mere 4g to 124g. That's still fairly light for a 5" phone.

Design and build quality

The Huawei Ascend P7 could be mistaken for the P6 by untrained eyes as the design of both phones are nearly identical. The dead giveaway is the back - gone are the brushed metal looks (the material was good-quality plastic, not actual metal), replaced by Gorilla Glass 3 laying on top of plastic with a radial groove pattern, tiny dots adding extra texture. This combo looks stunning, especially under the light-reflecting glass.

Huawei Ascend P7

The sides of the device are still flat, for a decisively angular look and feel, sturdy metal exposed top, left and right. The bottom is rounded and made of plastic (not our favorite type of plastic for what it's worth).

Just as expected, the unibody design has ruled out a user-replaceable battery. This means the microSIM and microSD slots are on the sides of the phone but, this time around, the eject pin is a separate tool, not doubling as a 3.5mm cork as in the Ascend P6.

With this double-glass unibody and aluminum sides the Ascend P7, just like its predecessor, suspiciously reminds of the old generation of iPhones (4/4S). We don't mind the similarities, as the combination of materials has already proven popular and the P7 looks classy.

Huawei Ascend P7 next to the latest iPhone 5s

The handling of the Huawei Ascend P7 is excellent for a device this size. The Lock key and the volume rocker fit nicely under your right thumb, and while the back may be slippery, the metal sides offer enough grip.

Handling the Ascend P7

It isn't the easiest smartphone to operate single-handedly, nor is it exceptionally pocket-friendly. But being lightweight and super slim, the Huawei P7 is easily among the less cumbersome of five inchers.