Huawei Ascend G7 review

Bringing an all metal monster to the middle market

Huawei Ascend G7 review
Premium design from Huawei in the middle market

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The cameras of the Ascend G7 are another reminder that Huawei is determined to fit impressive specifications you'd normally find in more expensive phones into its budget blower. The G7 comes equipped with a 13-megapixel main camera with LED flash and f/2.0 lens, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

On paper, these sound pretty impressive, and I'm pleased to report that in practice the cameras of the Ascend G7 continued to impress, considering the price of the handset.

Indoor shots offer excellent colour reproduction and detail from the rear camera. From my sample photograph below, you can see the snapper performed very well in macro conditions, picking up fine details such as the dust on the leaves.

Huawei Ascend G7 review

Taking the Ascend G7 outside, I noticed the colours weren't quite as vibrant or accurate, and in direct sunlight some of the snaps I took suffered from a washed-out feel. Close-up shots and macro photography still impressed, however, though some detail was lost with subjects in the distance.

The front-facing camera was also good, though a step down from the 13-megapixel rear snapper. Although some detail was lost, the images were easily good enough for seflies, if you're that way inclined. A handy guide in the corner of the screen helps you look towards the camera, rather than the screen, so it doesn't look as if you're looking away.

Ascend G7

A handy box shows you where to look for selfie shots

Video is shot at 720p by default, and looks fine, though if you want to do some serious shooting with your smartphone you're going to want to splash out on a more expensive device.

The camera app itself is simple enough to use, though there's no dedicated camera button on the Ascend G7's body, so you'll need to use the onscreen button instead.

There are a number of photo modes, including HDR and Panorama, as well as a confusingly named All Focus mode that is supposed to allow you to take a number of shots, then choose the focus point afterwards, though in reality it doesn't work very well at all.

Once again, the Ascend G7 performs well, though not exceptionally, and more than justifies its price tag. Are you sensing a pattern here?

Huawei Ascend G7

Indoor close up shots offer very good detail

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Huawei Ascend G7 review

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Ascend G7

When outdoors colours are a little washed out

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Huawei Ascend G7 review

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Huawei Ascend G7 review

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Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.