Huawei Mobile is taking the Kenyan smartphone market by storm with launch of new devices-flagship or entry level phones every month.
At the end of January, Huawei launched a new Y7, an addition to the Y series devoted to the middle income segment targeting youth across the country. The Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 followed last years’ Huawei Y7 2018. There was a Y9 2019 launched last year too, a budget Y5 Lite and the Y5 Prime.
Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 is retailing at Kshs.17,999 in official offline retail stores across the country as well as online on Jumia Kenya and Kilimall.
Available in three colours, Coral Red, Aurora Blue and Midnight Black, the less than $200 smartphone was available for pre-orders around Valentine’s Day touted as the perfect gift for Kenya’s youthful lovers.
Our friends at Huawei were kind to furnish us with a review unit to get a feel of, and this is what our first impressions are;
Inside the box
Lifting off the lid, inside the box is:
- 1 Huawei Y7 prime 2019 in Aurora blue
- 1 SIM eject tool
- 1 clear plastic phone case
- 1 plastic film screen protector
- 1 power adapter (5V / 2A)
- 1 USB/MicroUSB cable
- 1 3.5mm audio jack earpiece
- 1 user guide.
Design and user experience
The device fits in well in the palm, its edges are soft to handle and slides well into the pockets. The Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 has a 6.26-inch HD + HUAWEI Dewdrop display (a teardrop-style notch) @ 1520 x 720 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio.
We have it in this really cool Aurora Blue colour. The back appears to be made out of polycarbonate which is a bit of a disappointment especially if you thought it was metallic due to the shine, but it’s a plus for durability.
At the back of the phone, we have the vertically stacked dual rear cameras which have AI integration, on the upper left corner; the LED flash, a fingerprint sensor, and the Huawei brand name at the bottom left of the back.
The sides seem to have a matte textured finish which makes it easier to hold and definitely reduces slippage.
On the left, we have a triple slot card tray that is to accommodate 2 nano sims and a micro SD card, which is always a plus.
On the right, we have a power button and the volume buttons.
Up top, we have the headphone jack and a noise cancelling microphone, and at the bottom, we have the micro USB port sandwiched between the main microphone and the bottom loudspeaker.
The Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) or EMUI 8.2, hopefully there will be an update to Android Pie.
On the phone we get a RAM of 3 GB and 32 GB ROM which is expandable to 512 GB via micro SD. The rear camera is 13 MP + 2 MP (f/1.8) AI shooter, while the Front Camera is a 16 MP shooter, with the right scenery and good lighting this must produce some good shots.
For the battery we get a huge non-removable 4000 mAh, this can definitely last more than a day or maybe even two days of moderate use. We’ll give you a detailed review in a few days. Meanwhile check out other Y series devices here.
Huawei Y7 Prime 2019 detailed specifications
| Build | OS | Android V8.1 Oreo |
| UI | EMUI 8.2 | |
| Dimensions | 158.92 x 76.9 x 8.1 mm | |
| Weight | 168 g | |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM, Dual Standby, (Nano-SIM) | |
| Colors | Aurora Blue, Midnight Black, Coral Red | |
| Frequency | 2G Band | SIM1: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900SIM2: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Band | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | |
| 4G Band | LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800) | |
| Processor | CPU | 1.8 Ghz Octa Core Cortex-A53 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450 (14 nm) | |
| GPU | Adreno 506 | |
| Display | Technology | IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen, 16M Colors, Multitouch |
| Size | 6.26 Inches | |
| Resolution | 720 x 1520 Pixels (~269 PPI) | |
| Memory | Built-in | 32GB Built-in, 3GB RAM |
| Card | microSD Card, (supports up to 512GB) | |
| Camera | Main | Dual 13 MP, f/2.2, PDAF + 2 MP, depth sensor, LED flash |
| Features | phase detection, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama, Video (1080p@30fps) | |
| Front | 16 MP, HDR, Video (1080p@30fps) | |
| Connectivity | WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | v4.2 with A2DP, LE | |
| GPS | Yes + A-GPS support, & GLONASS, BDS | |
| Radio | FM Radio | |
| USB | microUSBv2.0 | |
| NFC | No | |
| Data | GPRS, Edge, 3G (HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps), 4G (LTE-A (2CA) Cat6 300/50 Mbps) | |
| Features | Sensors | Face ID, Accelerometer, Compass, Fingerprint (rear mounted), Proximity |
| Audio | 3.5mm Audio Jack, MP4/H.264 player, MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player, Speaker Phone | |
| Browser | HTML5 | |
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM | |
| Games | Built-in + Downloadable | |
| Torch | Yes | |
| Extra | Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Photo/video editor, Document editor | |
| Battery | Capacity | (Li-ion Non removable), 4000 mAh |
| Price | Price in Ksh.17,999 Price in USD: $180 |
