HUAWEI U8180 IDEOS X1

OVERVIEW:

The Huawei IDEOS X1 runs the 2.2 'Froyo' version of Google's Android platform, and it offers most of the features and functions of far more expensive Android smartphones. The IDEOS X1 has a GPS receiver, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and it also has a 3.2-megapixel camera that doubles as a VGA video recorder. It provides full access to the Android Market for third-party applications, and being an Android phone it also has automatic and seamless synchronisation with Google services including Gmail and Calendar.

Huawei has slightly tweaked the standard Android interface on the IDEOS X1. Five home screen for live widgets remain; the cube animation when swiping between screens is a nice touch (even if its not always smooth), as is the ability to see all your home screens at a glance and dive straight into any of them with one touch. Predictably, Optus preloads the IDEOS X1 with a number of shortcuts to its services, including Optus Smart Safe, Optus Zoo, MyAccount, the Optus App Store and the Optus Music Shop. Most of these are merely links to Web pages, though they annoyingly can't be removed completely from the phone.

The Huawei IDEOS X1 has a modest processor (single-core, 528MHz) and limited memory (256MB RAM), but still manages to support multi-touch zooming — meaning you can pinch the screen to zoom in and out of certain apps. The limited processing power means the IDEOS X1 does not offer full Flash support, but this is too much to ask in the first place on a sub-$100 handset with a small screen.

The Huawei IDEOS X1's small screen means the Web browsing experience is noticeably inferior compared to Android smartphones with larger screens. Performance is also an issue — the IDEOS X1 takes notably longer to achieve basic tasks, such as opening and closing apps. We suggest a little patience given that this is a $99 phone and the fact it can do these tasks at all is an achievement in itself.

The Huawei IDEOS X1 has a microSD card slot for extra storage, located behind the rear battery cover, and Optus includes a 2GB card in the sales package. Battery life is very reasonable for an Android phone: the Huawei IDEOS X1 will easily get through a full day of use, and this may even stretch up to a day and a half depending on usage patterns.
 

SPECIFICATIONS:

General 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100
Announced 2011, May
Status Available
Size Dimensions 104 x 56 x 13 mm
Weight 100 g
Display Type TFT capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches (~143 ppi pixel density)
- Touch-sensitive controls
Sound Alert types Vibration, MP3 ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash) up to 32GB, buy memory
Internal 512 MB ROM, 256 MB RAM
Data GPRS Yes
EDGE Yes
Speed HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth Yes, v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0
Camera Primary 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels
Features Geo-tagging
Video Yes, QVGA@24fps
Secondary No
Features OS Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM7225
CPU 528 MHz
Sensors Accelerometer, proximity, compass
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM
Browser HTML, Adobe Flash
Radio FM radio with RDS
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support
Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors Black
- SNS integration
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail, Talk
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player
- MP4/H.263/H.264 player
- Organizer
- Document viewer
- Photo viewer/editor
- Voice memo
- Predictive text input
Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200 mAh
Stand-by Up to 336 h
Talk time Up to 4 h

All optional accessories are available for this product to purchase including, car charger, extra battery, cover, hands-free head phones, and more.
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