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EE Kestrel review: a good low-cost 4G phone, but with a Moto on its back
The adjectives "affordable" and "budget" often allude to something of inferior quality -- a questionable substitute for something more premium. Something out of financial reach. A few years ago, I would've assumed the same, having set up enough low-end Samsungs for family members to want only high-end handsets, extortionate contracts attached. Thanks to devices like Google's Nexus range and, most recently, the OnePlus One, we've never been more aware of value for money. The Moto G, in particular, proved that a solid smartphone could be an absolute bargain. It's this newfound, positive connotation of affordable that EE's aiming for with its first own-brand smartphone, the Kestrel. Launched earlier this month for £99 on pay-as-you-go, or free from £14 per month on contracts, it's EE's play for the 4G-curious, money-conscious consumer. The Kestrel's LTE radio and inviting price tag aren't the sum of its selling points, either; there's also expandable storage and a very capable processor. Components such as the display and cameras are understandably more modest, but on paper, the Kestrel still ticks the value box. In the increasingly competitive area of low-cost handsets, however, the question isn't just whether the Kestrel is a worthwhile purchase, but whether you'll see it the same way a month later.
Huawei brings new super-fast LTE tech to affordable Ascend G6 smartphone and MediaPad M1 tablet (updated: hands-on)
This year's all about LTE Cat 4 for Huawei, which is why it's pushing this faster 4G technology into both the high-end market as well as the lower price points, in order to help drive its network business -- LTE Cat 4 only works if your carrier supports it, after all. At MWC, the company announced the launch of two affordable devices that will come with this 150Mbps technology: the Ascend G6 4G and the MediaPad M1. The Ascend G6 appears to share some design elements with the higher-end Ascend P6, so it looks quite pretty in the above render. It features a lesser 4.5-inch 960 x 540 LCD, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, NFC and an adequate 2,000mAh battery. The cameras are surprising nice, though: there's an 8-megapixel f/2.0 imager (with Sony's IMX134 sensor) on the back, plus a 5-megapixel front-facing counterpart with unknown aperture. This phone will first arrive in its 3G-only, 7.5mm-thick form in Q1 this year, followed by a 7.85mm-thick 4G version in April. The 8-inch MediaPad M1 tablet (pictured after the break) has a 1,280 x 800 IPS display with stereo front-facing speakers, and with the help of its 4,800mAh battery, users will be entertained by hours of movies (Huawei claims up to eight hours) on one charge. Other specs include a 1.6GHz quad-core chip, a 1-megapixel front camera and a 5-megapixel main camera, all tucked within a 7.9mm-thick body. Like the 3G version of the G6, the M1 will also launch in various countries in Q1 2014. Update: We've just heard that the MediaPad M1 will come with a European street price of €299, while the LTE version of the G6 smartphone will set you back €249.
Huawei's Media Pad X1 leaks with calling capabilities and smart cover
A few cats have escaped from Huawei's bag ahead of Mobile World Conference, namely images of its 7-inch MediaPad X1 and mid-range Ascend G6 handset. A Chinese Weibo site nabbed live pics of the MediaPad X1, and thanks to a previous visit through China's FAA, we know its specs: quad-core 1.6GHz HiSilicon 910 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB memory, a 1,920 x 1,200 display and a 6,000 mAh battery. It's also reported to have telephonic capabilities for those with headsets (or no shame), and optional LTE. Interestingly, the pics also show a faux-stitched smart cover with a secondary display, à la Samsung's S View. All that puts it on the high-end side, and the coup de grace would be a rumored price tag of around 1,200 Yuan (about $200), which we imagine would be sans LTE or the cover. Meanwhile, rumor-monger @evleaks has outed pics of Huawei's Ascend G6 smartphone (after the break), a 4.5-inch model said to have a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek chip, 1GB of RAM, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and an 8-megapixel front / 5-megapixel rear camera. Its standout feature is a slim 7.5mm profile, but it otherwise seems destined for bargain shoppers. We know nothing else about pricing and availability, of course, but we imagine we'll find out soon at MWC 2014 -- which is shaping up to be rather epic. Update: Huawei just tweeted an image (embedded after the break) to tease the four devices it will be announcing at MWC. It looks like the X1 and the G6 are listed there, along with a larger stereo-sounding tablet and a mobile hotspot. But where's the smartband?
