Sometimes bigger is better, which is the case with our newest Android smartphone: the Huawei Ascend Mate 2.
I’m particularly excited about the Mate 2 because it is our first “phablet”—part phone and part tablet—which means it provides the brilliant visual experience of a tablet packaged into the convenient, one-handed size of a smartphone. It’s easily the largest smartphone we offer, and comes packed with power and speed—the latter thanks to 4G LTE technology, which makes downloading videos, documents, and songs much faster than ever before.
With a giant 6.1-inch, scratch-resistant HD touchscreen, the Mate 2 provides a big, resilient display with crisp resolution. You won’t find yourself squinting to read text and email messages, on this screen, which makes watching videos and browsing the web an easy, enjoyable experience. For such a big phone, it’s rather slim and surprisingly light to hold in one hand.
Featuring two superb cameras—5 megapixels on the front and 13 megapixels on the back—and 1080p HD video capability, the Mate 2 makes it easy to capture all of life’s precious moments, indoors or outside. And you’ll have plenty of space for all those memories with 16 GB of internal storage.
New smartphone users will find the included Easy Mode option helpful. Easy Mode is a cleaner, simpler viewing format with large, easy-to-read icons which help new users scroll through and explore the phone’s impressive features and apps. Switching back to the standard Android operating system, whenever you’re ready, is quick and easy.
There’s a lot of horsepower under the hood of this device. You’ll appreciate how speedy and responsive the phone is when accessing your apps and browsing the web. Back that up with an ultra-long-lasting battery, which will give you up to two days to talk, text, read, watch, and listen. In addition, the Mate 2 has the ability to charge your other devices, which is quite handy for frequent travelers!
Rounding out this already fully loaded phone is an MP3 music player, FM radio, Bluetooth® 4.0, GPS, and Wi-Fi. And it’s all available for only $250, with no contract required! Consumer Cellular understands why our customers don’t want to be tied down with a contract. That’s why we’re a contract-free service provider. We also offer Easy Pay financing, which lets customers make a down payment of $100 and then pay off the balance in six monthly payments of $25 with no interest. Simple and convenient!
If you’ve been searching for a large, feature-packed, and affordable 4G LTE smartphone that holds its charge, this is the device for you.
ugh. You couldn’t pay me to purchase another Huawei product.
DITTO. Absolutely do not buy
Peggy,
Earlier Huawei products did not have good reviews. This “phablet” rated relatively well in a top 15 cell phone review, coming in at the mid-point.
curious why you are so against Huawei phones – more information on your experience would be helpful to others trying to choose. thank you.
I have this phone and absolutely love it, what don’t you like about it?
Sorry, Consumer Cellular, love your company, but i.m.o., bigger is NOT necessarily better! I’m sure the idea of this new phone will appeal to some people, but when I want a phone, I want a PHONE, not a tablet! I HAVE a tablet for when I want to watch or read things, & my smartphone is fine for doing those things for a short time. But if I. want to use my phone for calling or messaging, which (again, in my opinion) should be the main functions of a phone, I want something manageable, & quick & easy to use. So I’ll stick with what I have, thank you, but I’m sure your new “phablet” will make some of your technophiles happy!
It sounds like you just don’t like choices. If you don’t like large phones, why comment? It is a choice, not a mandate. It is like driving an economy car and then complaining that anyone would drive a larger car just because you don’t like it.
We have one of these phones and it works fantastic. It is easy to see the display and everything on the phone is well made.
Awesome sauce! With this I can see the words and my chubby fingers can type! Good one, CCI
I am still REALLY wishing Consumer Cellular would consider carrying a Windows 8.1 phone – particularly the Nokia 635. Would buy the AT&T phone but my experience with the last 2 AT&T phones I bought is that you cannot email photos unless on a phone purchased directly from Consumer Cellular.
Thank you for the feedback, Janet. We have customers using various Windows phones, so it may be worth it to give our customer service team a call at (888) 345-5509. They can tell you if the model you want would be a good fit. Thanks again!
Thank you, Ashley!
That explains alot..I am not able to text pix with my nokia (at&t phone) or receive pix in texts. Can in email but not in texts.
At first I couldn’t send or receive texts with pictures, when I brought my own phone to Consumer Cellular. However, you can add some APN numbers to your phone and make this happen. I just called Customer Service and asked for the numbers I needed to add to enable my phone to send and receive picture texts. It only took a few minutes to do, and now my phone has all the features of a Consumer Cellular phone. Don’t give up. Good luck!
Thank you for the comment, Juanita! We’re glad to hear that everything is going well with your phone. Have a great day!
What model is your phone?
While it is true you cannot send pictures with texts with the sim that is sent if you call customer support and learn where the settings are they will give you (I got them in a email) the settings to enter. They have to put them in your phone setting at their site to make it work and the two settings have to be the same. I have a Nokia 820 and my wife a Nokia 925 and we both can send and receive pictures with text messages after the setting were changed. But Consumer Cellular should offer a Windows phone. The 635 or 530 would be great and with their low price a perfect fit. Warning it took over an hour with each phone to get them right. But I had the same problem with my Moto G lte, which Consumer Cellular does not sell. They have the reg Moto G.
This “phablet” looks and sounds “phabulous”! The features sound fantastic!!
Thanks for keeping us up to date… can you double your data like the big boys are doing too? 😀
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/01/verizon-offers-double-data-too/
Thanks for the comment Patrick! We’ve consistently increased our plans without increasing the price, and it’s never for a limited amount of time. We think our customers should get the most value each and every month, and all without a contract. Thanks again for the comment!
I currently use the Motorola MOTO G phone. I like it a lot and the technical reviews on the phone from several sources are excellent. Is there any chance that you will offer the Moto X and also the second generation moto G in the very very near future?. I am a former Verizon and also AT&T customer and have been very pleased with the service that I received from Consumer Cellular . I like the fact that I can change my plan daily if needed, due to my work or travel requirements and that in the long run saves me money and allows me to manage my own system rather than depending on a large bureaucratic company to do it for me and be charged for the extra service. thank you
I am going to give this phone a chance to see if it lives up to its expectations. My current windows phone has been marginal so I am moving on. To go from a 3.5 to a 6.1 inch screen is a “big jump” but I am tired of constantly needing to rotate and enlarge screen size so that I can read the screen. Admittedly this is not my first choice but price dictates.
I currently have a Huawei and it the worst phone I have ever had. My daughter who is a tech geek, tried it and said it is trying, but is just not ready for prime time.
Shocked that the phone selection is so limited. My Samsung phone is dying. My choices are very expensive Smart pmhones or a “flip” phone. Have been very satisfied with Consumer Cellular but looks like I will have to go to another company.
Thank you for the comment Betty. You can use our SIM card with most unlocked GSM phones or a phone previously used with AT&T. We have some customers who have had a good experience with purchasing an unlocked phone that we don’t offer and using it with our SIM card. You will get the same service. If you would like to try, please give our customer support team a call at 888-345-5509. Thank you!
Sorry, holding a six inch tablet to my ear is not for me. I would like a phone like one you see on NCIS. They use flip phone that shows who is calling (including photo of caller) and answers call when flipped open. No buttons to push or screen to swipe. Does CC have such a FLIP PHONE? Not interested in a Windows phone. I currently have your Hawuei 8800. Hard to answer call. When I finally do what is required to answer their call, they have hung up. Also screen is not scratch restance.
Thanks
Thank you for the feedback, Jerry. Many of those features are available on our Doro 618 model, or our popular Envoy. You can see both on our phones page at ConsumerCellular.com/shopping/choose/device. If you have any questions about our feature phones, please give us a call at 888-345-5509. Thank you again!
The screen on the Mate 2 is Gorilla Glass and is scratch resistant. Like anything that has a glass screen, some things will scratch it so if you treat it badly, that is how it will look.
The Hauwei Mate 2 is a large phone, made for people who want large phones, not for people who want small phones and then want to complain. The physical dimensions are published so get them, draw it out on a piece of cardboard and you’ll know before if the size works for you.
Every phone is different and they appeal to different people. This phone has a very high build quality.
One more thing, please, if you have expensive tastes, then buy something expensive. You aren’t paying $700 or more, this phone is barely over $200. You get far more than you pay for with this phone. It works, has a good camera (adjust the settings, why they have them) and is great for viewing pictures, GPS. With the Glonas and US GPS sensors, using off-line GPS is a wonderful thing because you don’t use any data and it works anywhere, even where you don’t have service for some reason.
Not sure why all the negative comments about the new products you are offering. I just wish there were more sooner. I want you to know thea I like almost everthing about Consumer Celluar. I have had the Huawei 8800 for a year now and have had no problems. Been waiting for a better offering of android phones. If I had a complaint it would be that you only ship to the billing address so I am going to have to wait two weeks before I can get the mate2. Again “0” complaints.
I like my current phone, but am consistently left out of a lot of activities. I cannot see videos sent by friends and I cannot be a part of “group” communication. They all have other devices and have no problems. I would rather stay with ConsumerCellular by and large, but playing with my friends is most important.
I also have the Moto G (1st generation) and very pleased but would like the 2nd generation – had been thinking about the Huawei Ascend Mate but now definitely going to wait. I may purchase the 2nd gen Moto G elsewhere and just switch my SIM card – the 2nd gen has 8 gb but also has a slot for a storage card up to 32 gig. Very pleased with Consumer Cellular service; husband and I both have plans with CC.
On the other end of the spectrum there are those of us who simply want to carry a phone with decent audio, not a computer. I look for something small and easy to carry in a pocket and, unfortunately, CC’s basic phones are still fat (as in thick). In the future I would like to see a small, thin, basic phone offered.
Thank you for the feedback, Ed. I’ll forward your recommendations on to our management team. Thank you again for commenting!
AW Austin on Oct 1 asked a question that is the same as mine: When will you offer the 2nd Generation Motorola Moto G? I don’t want to get the 1st generation, which is what you are now selling–but I would buy the 2nd.
Thank you for the comment, Bob. Our phone lineup is constantly changing, and we try to choose devices that would be a good fit for our customers. We recommend checking our Phones page at ConsumerCellular.com/shopping/choose/device. There, you will be able to see our current lineup. Thank you again!
MOTOROLA is GSM unlocked phone you can buy from Motorola or Amazon and then get a SIM card from Consumer Cellular.
My wife and I both have an iphone 3s. My wife tried a Huawei when her iphone battery died and Apple wanted a very high price to replace it. Her experience with the Huawei was very bad. I was not able to help her with it. We finally found a battery for the iphone and her daughter installed it.
The problem we will be facing in the future is that the iphone 3s will not accept the latest iOS updates. As updated apps begin to be unable to operate on our iOS, we will be looking for a new phone. Ideally we would like a smart phone, but we will use it primarily for phone and text. that means we would not be willing to pay a high price for such a phone. Like others we have a tablet and laptops for internet communication.
I have a Huawei vision and I do not like it, its too small for me I can barely send a text on the keyboard takes me a very long time. I am sending this phone back and ordered their new Huawei ascend 2 and am hoping for better results it has a lot more memory than all their other phones and a nice price. I am older and this is my first cell phone.
My wife and I just replaced our old phones with the new Huawie Ascend 2 and we love it. The phone is easy to navigate and for the size it is not clumsy to handle. It makes reading texts I suggest give it a try or emails easy and easy for you to text and best of all you don’t need to constantly check to see if you have any battery life left. I can go up to two days without a charge.
I’m seriously considering upgrading from my present LG android (perfectly acceptable phone) to a larger one – either the Huawei Ascent Mate 2 or the Iphone 6p. Price considerations favor the Huawei. Do you have a return/refund offer if I order one and find it unacceptable and want to just stick with the LG?
Great question, Jim. When you purchase a new device, you receive our 100% Risk-Free Guarantee. If anytime in 30 days, 300 minutes, 300 text messages or 300MB of data, whichever comes first, the phone is not a good fit for you, just return it, no questions asked. Just give us a call at 888-345-5509, and our customer support team can walk you through the ordering process. Thank you again!
Just received my Ascend Mate 2 today, after reading and watching dozens of reviews convincing me to give it a try. So far (remember first day) I love it – especially the size, which isn’t for everyone. My girlfriend saw it and said it was too big for her. This is my second Huawei and was pleased with the 8800.
Can u please offer the moto x 2nd gen. I have the moto g but want a better camera. The service is great. I want the better camera and I wante to say with moto. Thank you.
Thank you for the feedback! We try to offer a variety of phones that fit the different needs of our customers, and we enjoy hearing about features our customers would find useful. I’ve passed your suggestion on to our product team, and I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to us. Thanks again!
Here is my review and I bought from CC and moved to CC from Verizon where I had a Samsung Note 3.
First, the build quality of this phone is very good. It is far better than you’d expect on a budget priced phone. That’s right, this phone costs barely over $200, not $700 and more so a bit of perspective is in order.
The SD Memory slot can actually accept and you can use a 64 gig card, not limited to 32 gigs as you might think.
The display is gorgeous. Please remember, this display is 6.1″ so that means the phone too will be on the large size. The solution to complaining about a big phone is to buy a small phone and not complain. That being said, the phone is thin but has a slight rounded back cover making it easy to hold. Why wife is on the small side, around 5’1″ and loves the phone. She uses it to chat and like being able to see pictures send via the chat.
The controls are easily accessible with the power and volume controls along the right side. The border of the phone is encased with a metallic ribbon that resembles chrome and make it look really nice. The case is tight and strong, no flex to this phone. There are a lot of settings to customize the way the interface works so experiment. Just using a phone the way it comes might not work for you but that is why you can change the settings. People change their cars settings too although I bet some will leave the heat on in summer and complain the car is too hot. Oh well.
Compared to other carriers, there is almost no bloatware on this phone. Visit the Google Play store if you want more apps.
Speaking of GPS, you do not have to use any data for GPS! Simply download on the the fantastic off-line GPS apps like Route 66 or my favorite OSMAND and when traveling, turn off data access. You will have live maps and routing available and not use one single byte of data. You’ll still get calls and text though so that is the best of both words. You won’t have to change your plan just because you are making a trip and think GPS or mapping will use a lot of data. These off-line GPS apps mean you need to spend a little time getting used to them when searching for things but the trick there is to plan your route at home using WiFi, save all you routes and places of interest you want (like family locations, special campsites and so on) and then on the road you have all that available for easy routing. Yes, you get turn by turn voice instructions plus the ability to link to videos and picture you take along the way.
Back to the phone. Part of the reason it is larger is because it also has a larger battery and that means less frequent charging. Compare the Mate 2 to the Google Nexus 6 and there is no comparison, the Mate 2 runs a lot longer on battery and that is even with the lower version of Android on it.
The Mate 2 comes with Jellybean or Android version 4.3. I have used KitKat (version 4.4) and that was a real pain. It took Google some time to get that one worked out and now there is Lollipop or Version 5.x. Huawei has stated publicly that they will upgrade the Mate 2 to Lollipop sometime this year. That means even longer battery life and faster speeds for doing many things.
The speed is very good. In both on-line access and just using the camera and other features, the phone is quick with little lag time and then only when you are using very processor intensive apps. Like most things, but the product that suits your needs so if all you want is a gaming phone, then get a phone for that. This Mate 2 is simply a very good phone and the quality is very good indeed.
The sound quality is also good, important since hearing what the the caller is saying is mandatory. The sound is crisp and I actually liked it better than the much more expensive Samsung Note 3. If you use Bluetooth,that works fantastic. The reach of the link is quite long, I can go outside to the car and leave the phone inside the house and still use the Bluetooth. The same applies to the WiFi. It is very fast and if you like to watch videos, it is as good as anything else out there.
The one thing I found that was heads and tails above other phones I’ve use is the screen mirroring or the ability to show on a TV what you see on the phone. It works far better on my Samsung TV than the Note 3 did and the Note 3 is made by Samsung. There is no lag, it syncs to the TV very quick and then maintains a link. Many phones either can’t do this or they lose their link or have jitter. Not the Mate 2, the video plays smoothly and now you can really watch your videos on the super large screen.
So give the Mate 2 a serious look. It is worth far more than what it costs you and it has so many benefits and features, other will be impressed.
One more thing, you also get Consumer Cellular’s service and their CS Reps are tops. Finally, live people who listen first and talk second.
I have no affiliation with Consumer Cellular other than being a new customer nor am I in any way affiliated with Huawei, I just really like their current generation of phones. Besides, if we all judged everything forever by what happened in the past, then new experiences will always be beyond our reach.
Kudos to Consumer Cellular and thanks for offering the Huawei Mate 2.
Well said “Mack Knife”. From my experiences, I agree with most of what, and do not disagree with anything that, you say.
Hi Mack, great review. Thanks. I got my Consumer Cellular Huawei Mate 2 and wonder if you managed to upgrade it to Lollipop?
Is Consumer Cellular planning to allow users to upgrade the Huawei Ascend Mate2 to Lollipop?
Thank you for the comment, Richard. Software updates are provided by the device manufacturers, so unfortunately, we don’t always know when they will be made available to our customers. If the update is offered by Huawei, you will see a notification on your phone advising you that it is available. If we can answer any questions about your phone’s operating system or software, we would be happy to answer them at 888-345-5509. Thank you for posting today!
Love the phone, it has been doing a great job for me and it rivals some of the so called “Better Brands…” However, I am very dissapaointed that Huawei is not allowing for the Lollipop upgrade for the HAM2 phones purchased from Consumer Cellular. I have downloaded the upgrade from Huawei, and it fails the installation because CC build number is not included. I am seriously thinking changing phones.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Faisal. Updates are provided by the manufacturers, and unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to provide them ourselves. If Huawei releases a software update for your Ascend Mate 2, you will see a notification appear on your phone. That is the best way to ensure you are using the correct software version for your device. Should the update become available, we will be happy to notify our customers and assist them as needed. We’re sorry to hear that the Ascend Mate 2 may not be the best fit for you, and we’re happy to assist you with choosing a different phone that may be a better option. Just give us a call at 888-345-5509, or you can take a look at our plans page here. We appreciate your feedback, and thank you again for taking the time to reach out to us!
It’s three quarters into the year and there’s not even a real release date for the Lollipop OS update. What I was concerned about is already apparent because I’m already seeing apps on the store that require at least 4.4.4. If the Huawei Ascend Mate 2 doesn’t get an update compatible with Consumer Cellular models, I’ll ditch Consumer Cellular as soon as my device stops working or starts seriously screwing up.
Thank you for commenting, DeRosset. If an update becomes available for the Ascend Mate 2, we’ll be sure to let you know. You’ll also see the update on your phone, and when it appears as a notification, just follow the steps provided. If we can assist you with anything at this time, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 888-345-5509. Thank you for reaching out today!
Just got the huawei ascend mate 2 and i love it. I have had no problems with it at all runs great very fast has all the same features as the motorola moto g that it replaced with a few more extra features
Way too many hoops to jump for a lollipop update from Huawei, very disappointed.
We’re sorry to hear that, Garrett. Unfortunately, software updates are released by the phone’s manufacturer, so we don’t have any insight into any updates or when they are available. If we become aware of another option, we will be sure to let our Mate 2 customers know. Thank you for commenting today!