Huawei Y5p Review: Starting Small

I received a few entry-level smartphones for review in the past couple of months. This is probably in anticipation for students who need affordable smartphones that they can use for their online classes. One of these phones was the Huawei Y5p, which we featured in our First Look article. After some delays, we are finally posting our Huawei Y5p review.

HUAWEI Y5P SPECS:

OS:Android 10 with EMUI 10.1
Processor:2.0 GHz MediaTek MTK6762R Helio P22 Octa-Core processor | PowerVR GE8320
Display: 720 x 1440 5.45" HD+ 18.9
Wireless Connections:LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS, GLONASS
Memory:32GB Internal Storage expandable with a MicroSD Card, 2GB RAM
Connectors:Micro USB 2.0
Cameras:8 Megapixels f/2.0 (Main) 5 Megapixels f/2.2 (Front)
SIM Card Slots:2x Nano SIM Card
Battery:3,020 mAh
SRP:P4,490

THE LOOKS AND FEEL

Huawei Y5p

As I mentioned in my first impressions post, I didn’t expect for the Huawei Y5p to be a small smartphone. Compared to my other review units, the Y5p appears to be the smallest among them all. Even I’m used to big smartphones (my current main smartphones are the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Huawei P40 Pro) the Y5p’s small size also has its benefits.

Huawei Y5p

The Y5p can be easily slipped into my pants pocket and thanks to its slim form factor, it doesn’t cause any bulge. The phone is lightweight and can be used with one hand. I can even swipe the notification window from the top of the screen with my right thumb.

Huawei Y5p

It may be Huawei’s most affordable phone, but it doesn’t look like a cheap knock-off. Huawei applied some style on the Y5p. It has a textured shell with rays coming out from the cameras. Unlike other phones with plastic covers, fingerprints aren’t that obvious on the back cover of the Y5p. It’s not slippery on the hands either so I don’t think it will easily slip off a table too.

THE DISPLAY

Huawei Y5p

While I find the phone cute, the 5.45 inches display quite small in today’s standards. Resolution is HD+ with a screen ratio of 18:9. Huawei claims that the Y5p has a Full View bezel-less display, but I kinda disagree with this statement. I agree that it has a full view display, meaning there are no notches or punch-holes in the screen. However, the bezels are obvious on the top and bottom parts of the phone. Even the size bezels are not that thin. Again, in today’s standards, having bezels on the phone are considered obsolete. Having bezels will not affect your usage though.

Huawei Y5p

Since I am not used to having small smartphone screens, I am forced to squint a lot of times when reading texts in mobile browsers or social networking apps. Students who are considering this phone for their online classes might have a hard time too when they had to read on something. On the other hand, brightness and color reproduction are good enough for viewing pictures or streaming videos, which is still very much possible with its small screen size.

THE PERFORMANCE

Huawei Y5p

Most Huawei phones from the Huawei Y9s to the Huawei P40 Pro are powered by Kirin processors. Entry-level phones are not covered by these processors because probably it’s cheaper to source it from MediaTek, the Taiwanese giant who is the second largest semiconductor company in the world. The Y5p has a MTK 6762R Helio P22 Octa-Core processor under its hood, similar to its bigger brother Huawei Y6p.

Here are the benchmark scores of the Y5p:

Although they have the same processors, the benchmark scores of the Y5p are lower than the Y6p. The latter after all has better specs with 4GB of RAM, double than the Y5p’s memory.

Huawei Y5p

The usual apps can run properly on the Y5p without any hitches, but since it only has 2GB of memory, you must be aware not to leave too many apps open or the phone will slow down. I was able to play Call of Duty Mobile and Free Fire on low video settings. Both are playable but it’s kinda hard to play these game with the Y5p’s small screen. I had to squint my eyes again whenever I play.

Huawei Y5p

There is no fingerprint scanner on the Y5p, but it has a Face Recognition software. Since we are in an ongoing pandemic wearing facemasks, it’s hard to use the face recognition feature and would rather use a fingerprint scanner for added security. Even other phones less than 4k has fingerprint scanners, so I’m not sure why Huawei has omitted this on the Y5p.

Huawei Y5p

Unless you’re living under a rock, the Y5p doesn’t have Google Mobile Services meaning you can’t download and install apps from Google Play. Aside from that, popular Google apps like Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube do not exist in the phone. Like in previous Huawei phones I’ve reviewed, there are workarounds to have some of these services without installing Google Mobile Services on the Y5p. You can find that article here. I explained that I was able to use my Huawei P40 Pro without installing Google Mobile Services just by simply using Huawei Mobile Services, downloading apps from the Huawei AppGallery and third party app providers.

THE CAMERA

Huawei Y5p

Nowadays phones have quad-cameras that can take photos at various distances. In the case of the Huawei Y5p, it’s back to basics with just one lens doing the photography work – an 8 Megapixel camera with an aperture of f/2.0 and LED flash. Budget smartphones have improved over time and I can say the Y5p takes good photos as long as you have good lighting. Indoor photography can be a bit of a challenge especially if lighting isn’t available. Instead of having bright colors, it would look slightly washed out.

Selfies are taken with the Y5p’s 5 Megapixel camera. Photos turned out fine especially with Beauty mode turned on. Beauty mode is effective in taking out the blemishes on my face.

Here are some sample photos taken by the Huawei Y5p:

Huawei Y5p
Huawei Y5p
Huawei Y5p
Huawei Y5p
Huawei Y5p
Huawei Y5p
Beauty Mode OFF
Huawei Y5p
Beauty Mode ON

THE BATTERY LIFE

Huawei Y5p

I’m quite disappointed that the Y5p is not equipped with a bigger battery capacity. It only has 3,020 mAh and with my usage that consists of social networking, Spotify, and mobile games, I average between 8-10 hours per day.

DR’S CONCLUSION

Huawei Y5p

I would recommend the Huawei Y5p to users who haven’t used a smartphone yet or a backup phone for intermediate/advanced smartphone users. It can be used for online classes too, but I’m not sure how long students can stand that small screen. Despite of the small screen size, the Y5p can do all the basic works of a smartphone.

PROS:

  • Slim form factor
  • Nice textured back cover. Not a fingerprint magnet
  • Decent performance

CONS:

  • Display is too small in today’s standards

Visit the Huawei website to know more about the Huawei Y5p.

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