Huawei Y200

Overview

Huawei Y200 is a compact entry-level Android smartphone that focuses on simple everyday calling, messaging and basic mobile internet use. Shoppers looking for a lightweight handset with a small 3.5-inch touchscreen will find its straightforward design easy to handle, and this Huawei Y200 review-style overview covers the key details to help you decide.

The phone measures 116.9 x 60.4 x 11.7 mm and weighs 120 g, and it comes in a single black finish. Its 3.5-inch IPS LCD captive touchscreen offers 256k colours at a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. Under the hood sits an 800MHz processor supported by 256MB of RAM and 512MB of built-in ROM, with a microSD card slot that accepts up to 32 GB for extra storage. The handset runs Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), so it suits users who need a basic, uncomplicated system rather than the latest software features.

For photography, the rear camera is a 3.15MP unit that captures images at 2048 x 1536 pixels and includes autofocus, geo-tagging and video recording at 30fps. There is no front-facing camera, so the handset is best used for rear-camera snapshots and casual video. Connectivity is well covered for its class, with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct and hotspot support, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, GPS with A-GPS, NFC, USB, GPRS, EDGE and 3G with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps. Sensors include an accelerometer, proximity sensor and compass, while a 3.5mm audio jack and speakerphone add to its audio options. Messaging supports threaded SMS, MMS, email, push mail and instant messaging, and the phone includes built-in and downloadable games along with an organizer, document viewer and photo editor.

Battery life is rated at up to 220 hours on standby and up to 4 hours of talk time. The manufacturer also states that the handset boots quickly and charges to full in about 90 minutes, and its dual microphones with noise reduction and loud stereo speaker are intended to improve call clarity.

This Huawei Y200 is best suited to first-time smartphone users, seniors and budget-conscious buyers who want a light, simple phone for calls, texting and light browsing.