Comprehensive Review Huawei Ascend Y511 Specs Prices and Features

Introduction to Huawei Ascend Y511

The Huawei Ascend Y511, announced in October 2013 and released in November of the same year, represents an era of budget smartphones that were designed to cater to users seeking basic yet effective functionality. Although it has since been discontinued, it remains a notable mention in the history of Huawei's smartphone development. This detailed overview will explore its network capabilities, design, display, platform specifications, memory capacity, camera features, sound performance, communication specs, and battery life, as well as provide an overall assessment of its value during its time of release.

Network Capabilities

The Huawei Ascend Y511 supports GSM/HSPA technology, ensuring it could operate on 2G and 3G networks. With 2G GSM support across the 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 bands, and 3G HSDPA support for the 900 and 2100 bands, it was well-suited for users in various regions. Its HSPA speed allowed for reasonable mobile internet browsing and light data activities typical of the period it was released.

Design and Build

The design of the Huawei Ascend Y511 is both functional and straightforward, with a body dimension of 132.8 x 67.4 x 10.5 mm and a weight of 150 grams. Its design, characterized by a plastic body available in black and white colors, aimed at providing a comfortable grip and portability. The phone supports Dual SIM (Mini-SIM, dual stand-by) functionality, a desirable feature for users needing separate lines for personal and professional use.

Display Quality

The device boasts a 4.5-inch IPS LCD screen, which was relatively large at the time for a budget smartphone. It offers a display resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, equating to a pixel density of approximately 218 ppi. This specification enabled the Huawei Ascend Y511 to deliver decent visuals for daily multimedia consumption, such as photo viewing and video playback.

Platform and Performance

Powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a Mediatek MT6572 chipset, the Huawei Ascend Y511 provided a satisfactory user experience for its category. The dual-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, coupled with the Mali-400 GPU, handled basic applications and tasks efficiently. However, performance could lag during more demanding processing tasks or multitasking, which was expected for smartphones within its price range.

Memory and Storage

The smartphone comes with an internal storage of 4GB, accompanied by 512MB of RAM. For users requiring additional storage, it offers a dedicated microSDHC card slot, allowing for expandable storage to accommodate multimedia files and applications. This was a crucial feature for users who needed more space than the modest internal memory could provide.

Camera Features

The Huawei Ascend Y511 features a single rear camera with a 3.15 MP sensor, capable of capturing decent photographs in well-lit conditions. Although it lacks advanced photographic features, it included basic video recording capabilities. Additionally, there is a VGA front camera, primarily intended for video calls and basic selfie photography.

Sound and Audio Features

The device includes fundamental sound features with a built-in loudspeaker and a standard 3.5mm audio jack, enabling users to listen to music and media through headphones or earphones. The sound quality was satisfactory for typical usage scenarios, such as phone calls and casual media consumption.

Connectivity and Communication

In terms of connectivity, the Huawei Ascend Y511 supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for wireless internet access, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR for wireless data transfer, and GPS for location-based services. While it does not support NFC, it does include FM radio and a microUSB 2.0 port for data transfer and charging, ensuring basic but necessary communication capabilities.

Battery Life

The phone is powered by a removable Li-Ion 1730 mAh battery, which offers up to 300 hours of standby time and approximately 5 hours of talk time. This capacity was typical for many smartphones at the time, providing adequate battery life for daily use with moderate activity levels.

Overall Value and Legacy

Upon release, the Huawei Ascend Y511 was priced at approximately 110 EUR, making it an affordable option for users seeking a reliable smartphone without the high costs associated with premium models. Its combination of decent hardware, sufficient performance for basic tasks, and an accessible price point made it an attractive choice for budget-conscious consumers.

While it may appear outdated by today's standards, with its limited RAM and storage, and basic camera features, the Huawei Ascend Y511 played a significant role in making smartphones more accessible to a broader audience. It remains a testament to Huawei's effort in expanding its reach across various market segments by offering practical devices that meet essential user needs.