Huawei Y5 (2017): Full, in depth review

While the steady encroachment of fresh Chinese brands like Huawei and more-recently OnePlus into the territory usually reserved for Apple and Samsung has been fascinating to watch unfold, it’s been equally tantalising to watch these brands shake up the budget space.

Here: the lower the asking price, the more valuable even the basic box-ticking features become. Of course, cut too many corners - or make one too many compromises - and you could sour customers on your brand for years to come. Unsurprisingly, lots of customers like the idea of saving money on buying a new phone but very few are excited about paying the price in performance that can come with it.

It’s into this space that Huawei has their launched their latest bid for the attention of the budget-conscious with the 2017 versions of the Huawei Y5 and Huawei Y7 smartphones. Here’s what we made of the former:

The Pitch

Priced at an RRP of $199, the Huawei Y5 is pretty much the lowest price-point Huawei have on offer within Australia. For that, you get a smartphone that - while it isn’t the sharpest tool on the market - should still hit most of the major boxes you want it to. At least that's the pitch.

At this end of the market, phones like the Y5 and Y7 can sometimes only really be evaluated in the context of their competition. By that metric, it’s got a little more on-board storage than Samsung’s comparable Galaxy J1. However, it pales in build and camera quality to ZTE’s Axon 7 Mini and the new Nokia 3. At the end of the day, the Y5 is a budget handset defined by its weaknesses as much as its strengths.