The Huawei Ideos X5 is no Galaxy S III or iPhone 4S, but as far as letting users make good use of the features that come with the Android OS operating system, it can certainly get the job done. It features a 3.8-inch 480x800 pixel resolution touchscreen display, 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, and microUSB connectivity. All of these hardware features and more fit inside a case that measures 12mm thick. It’s a bit girthy, but at 136 grams it really isn’t all that heavy at all.
Huawei may not be as popular as other brand name smartphone makers out there such as LG or Samsung, but it sure can design a good-looking smartphone. And the Huawei Ideos X5 is no exception. Inside its simple, attractive housing, it sports 4GB of internal memory and support for extra storage space via a microSD card slot.
The things about this phone that might turn some people off buying it is the fact that it runs an older version of Android. To be more specific, it comes with Android 2.2 Froyo pre-installed. Still, it should be able to run most applications available for download from the Google Play store. And if you have time to dabble with rooting it, perhaps you may even upgrade it or modify it to run other flavors of Android all by yourself. It’s easy to buy a cheap Android smartphone. What’s hard is finding a quality product. And the Ideos X5, being a product of Huawei, which has a good track record of producing good quality mobile devices, stands a good chance of sitting high on most anyone’s entry-level Android smartphone to-buy list.
Need To Know: Huawei Ideos X5
1. High-resolution touchscreen display make Web browsing easy and quite enjoyable. (The Good)
2. Great overall feature-set for the asking price. (The Good)
3. Pre-installed software is outdated and cannot be upgraded to later versions of Android officially through Huawei. (The Bad)
4. Amount of user-available storage space is very limited without the use of microSD cards. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Gareth , Tracy and MattOverall, I quite liked the device. Aside from the mucky camera the rest is rather respectable. Originally the handset debuted at £250, which is a bit steep. You could pick up an HTC Desire for that. However, it has dropped considerably and you can even find it for around £210. For that p...
- Ross Catanzariti, PCWorldIf you want to buy a fully fledged Android smartphone without breaking the bank, the Huawei IDEOS X5 should be seriously considered. It offers all the features and functions of a top end Android smartphone for an excellent price.
- Arnold Zafra , Bright HubComparing the Huawei Ideos X5 to my old Nexus One, I would have to say that the former can give the latter a good run for its money. I did not expect Huawei to come up with such a robust and solidly built smartphone.Of course, it's not a perfect phone and is not comparable with advanced smartphones...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei Ideos X5 user manual here.
Huawei backs up the Ideos X5 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Ideos X5 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Huawei support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Huawei's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Huawei Ideos X5 Manual (PDF)
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