There’s a lot of overlap when comparing the HTC One V and the Huawei G300 Ascend. WVGA resolution, a 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, Android, however there’s also a sizeable price discrepancy with the HTC One V costing £240 and the Huawei Ascend G300 costing less than half that. Both of these are great handsets, but we’re here to demystify why there’s the price discrepancy and which one’s right for you.
HTC One V vs Huawei Ascend G300: Design
Akin to the HTC Hero of old, the HTC One V is metal, feels cold to the touch and is well weighted. It looks good though, but the chin at the base adds real ergonomic value in day to day use. The Huawei Ascend is plastic through and through. It looks attractive with white and sliver accenting and feels sturdy, however doesn’t match the HTC One V’s metal body.
In terms of screen, both phones rock WVGA displays, though the HTC One V has a 3.7-inch display in contrast to the Huawei’s 4-incher. Sharpness is therefore an issue for neither phone, however the One V is a bit crisper. Its colours are also more vibrant and the screen more responsive. That said, anyone favouring bigger icons and larger text would be better served with the Huawei Ascend G300.
HTC One V vs Huawei Ascend G300: User Interface
Moving onto the UI and it’s clear HTC have invested a lot in filling the One V with the tools needed to make your life easier. Widgets, toggles, themes, they’re all present and could mean you’ll never have to download an app in your mobile life.
Huawei have taken steps to doing the same, but the UI feels more stock Android, the widgets aren’t as slick and it will take some tweaking to get it to the functional state the HTC One V comes in out of the box.
As far as the Android versions, HTC’s One V packs Android 4.0 while the Huawei Ascend G300 is loaded with Gingerbread. Promised the upgrade in the second half of 2012, this is nevertheless another area the One V’s edges beyond the Ascend.
HTC One V vs Huawei Ascend G300: Camera
The cameras are also comparable in terms of sheer specs – 5-megapixels with single LED flash. That said the One V’s camera has an f/2.2 aperture, 28mm wide angle and a back and side illuminated sensor. Also sporting HTC’s camera UI, it is considerably more intuitive than the stock Android interface found on the Huawei Ascend G300.
The comparison pictures clearly show that the HTC also wins out in terms of image quality with stronger colours, better focus and noise handling. It’s clear that the HTC’s snapper is therefore better, though Huawei’s hundred pounder still manages to punch above its weight when compared to other similarly priced phones.
HTC One V vs Huawei Ascend G300: Performance
We put the two phones through two performance tests, real-world and benchmark. In both, the HTC One V won out, but not always by a long stretch. Performance-wise, the Quadrant scores were 2172 for the One V and only a hundred less for the G300. The real discrepancy in the One V’s favour lay with Vellamo’s benchmark. While this could have something to do with the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in the HTC One V (and Qualcomm making the web benchmarking software), in a real-world side-by-side, the HTC One V did noticeably offer a slightly smoother, speedier experience.
As far as call quality goes, the One V is also noticeably clearer with a more sensitive microphone and audible sound from the speaker.
Battery life is also solid on both phones. The HTC One V outlasts the Huawei Ascend G300 with all the sync settings switched on by about 5 hours.
HTC One V vs Huawei Ascend G300: Conclusion
The Huawei Ascend G300 isn’t as good a phone as the HTC One V, we never suggested it was. That said, for £100 you can’t do much better. What this comparison shows is that specs alone aren’t everything, if you’re looking for the best cheap handset out there go with the Huawei, and if you’ve another £100+ to spare, the One V is a better, charming and competent phone.
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