Huawei Mate 8 Review: The Ultimate Business Phablet

Huawei Mate 8 (2015): Flagship Business-Focused Phablet with Long-Lasting Battery

The Huawei Mate 8 is a premium Android phablet unveiled in November 2015 and released globally in December 2015. Positioned as Huawei’s flagship business device, it marked the first integration of the Kirin 950 chipset (Huawei’s first 16nm FinFET processor) and featured a large 6-inch 1080p display, a 4000mAh high-capacity battery, and enterprise-grade security features. Targeted at professionals and power users, the Mate 8 solidified Huawei’s presence in the high-end smartphone market, emphasizing long battery life, multitasking performance, and cross-device connectivity.

Core Identifiers

Item	Details
Brand & Model	Huawei Mate 8
Launch Timeline	Announced: November 26, 2015; Released: December 2015
Positioning	Premium business phablet (flagship)
Launch Price	~$599 USD (3GB+32GB variant); ~$699 USD (4GB+64GB variant)
Color Options	Space Gray, Champagne Gold, Moonlight Silver, Rose Gold
Key Differentiators	Kirin 950 16nm chipset, 4000mAh battery with fast charging, 6-inch 1080p display, enterprise security, dual-SIM support

Key Technical Specifications

Hardware & Performance

Category	Details
Operating System	Android 6.0 Marshmallow; Huawei EMUI 4.0 (custom skin); upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat + EMUI 5.0
Chipset	Huawei Kirin 950 (16nm FinFET); integrated Mali-T880 MP4 GPU
CPU	Octa-core (4×2.3GHz Cortex-A72 + 4×1.8GHz Cortex-A53)
Memory & Storage	3GB/4GB LPDDR4 RAM; 32GB/64GB/128GB eMMC 5.1 storage; microSDXC expandable up to 128GB
Display	6.0-inch IPS LCD; 1920×1080 (Full HD) resolution; 367 ppi; 16M colors; In-Cell touch technology; Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Design & Build	Metal unibody (aluminum alloy); Dimensions: 157.1×80.6×7.9mm; Weight: 185g; No official IP rating

Camera System

Component	Details
Rear Camera	16MP Sony IMX298 sensor; f/2.0 aperture; 27mm focal length; PDAF (phase detection autofocus); LED dual-tone flash; 4K video recording at 30fps; 1080p slow-motion at 120fps
Front Camera	8MP sensor; f/2.4 aperture; 1080p video recording at 30fps; beauty mode
Camera Features	HDR, panorama, night mode, pro mode (manual ISO/shutter speed control), face detection

Battery & Connectivity

Category	Details
Battery	4000mAh non-removable Li-Po; Huawei SuperCharge (9V/2A, 18W fast charging); Talk time: up to 24 hours (4G); Standby time: up to 22 days (single-SIM); Reverse charging support (charges other devices)
Network	4G LTE Cat.6 (300 Mbps download / 50 Mbps upload); Quad-band GSM; Tri-band WCDMA; Dual-SIM (nano-SIM + nano-SIM, dual-standby); Global roaming support
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band); Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE); NFC; USB 2.0 (Micro-USB, OTG compatible); GPS/GLONASS/Beidou; 3.5mm headphone jack
Sensors	Fingerprint scanner (rear-mounted, capacitive, 0.5s unlock speed), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, ambient light, compass, barometer

Core Features & Innovations

Kirin 950 16nm Chipset: Huawei’s first 16nm processor delivered a 35% performance boost and 60% power efficiency improvement over the Kirin 930, enabling smooth multitasking and gaming for business and consumer use.
4000mAh SuperCharge Battery: The large-capacity battery supported all-day usage for heavy users, while 18W fast charging provided 50% battery in 30 minutes. Reverse charging allowed the Mate 8 to act as a power bank for other devices.
Enterprise-Grade Security: Features included fingerprint-based app locking, data encryption, secure boot, and integration with Huawei’s Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) platform, making it suitable for corporate deployment.
Cross-Device Connectivity: Supported Huawei Share (for fast file transfer between Huawei devices) and DLNA, enabling seamless media streaming to TVs and other smart devices.
Large Display Productivity: The 6-inch 1080p display with split-screen multitasking allowed users to run two apps simultaneously (e.g., email + document editing), ideal for on-the-go professionals.

Market Reception & Legacy

Legacy: The Mate 8 was a commercial success, selling over 10 million units globally and establishing the Mate series as Huawei’s flagship business lineup. It paved the way for future Mate models (e.g., Mate 9, Mate 10) that continued to emphasize battery life, chipset innovation, and enterprise features.

Strengths: Critics praised the Mate 8’s long battery life, smooth performance, metal unibody design, and enterprise security features. The Kirin 950 chipset was recognized as a competitive alternative to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820, and the split-screen multitasking was lauded for productivity.

Criticisms: The 1080p display was seen as underwhelming compared to 2K displays on competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+; the EMUI skin was criticized for being overly customized; no IP rating limited durability.

Target Audience: Business professionals, frequent travelers, and power users prioritizing battery life, multitasking, and security over cutting-edge display resolution.