Huawei's new flagship devices enable a "new style of business", with a variety of perks for both business and lifestyle functionality – but what sets the Mate 8 smartphone apart from the rest? For those less familiar with the multinational behind the "Mate" range, Huawei became the world's number three smartphone brand in 2015, selling 106.6 million units and shipping around half overseas. Huawei has spent years gaining market share, churning out devices to suit a myriad of users within a range of price brackets, but this is the pinnacle of the line-up. At 15.71cm, the Mate 8 is a shade taller than its six-inch display, with some serious hips at 8.6cm in width. Sheathed under the Corning Gorilla Glass 4 screen, the Mate 8 is the first device to ship with the Kirin 950 chipset, which cranks processing power up 100%, graphics performance up 125%, and power efficiency up 70%. That said, it's not just the 8's physique that makes it a standout. "We have delivered a device that meets the needs of a new style of business," said Sandeep Saihgal, Vice President of the Huawei Consumer Business Group. "With this fast, impeccably designed smartphone, users can work more efficiently and free up valuable time to spend with friends and family," he added. One of the biggest time savers is the split-screen mode, which enables multitasking between apps; invaluable for taking notes while streaming video or keeping an eye on a Twitter feed during a meeting. If you don't need to use the screen, the "Super Hands-Free 3.0" technology allows crystal-clear conference calls from your car or even noisy environments from up to three meters away. The audio capabilities are another notable business benefit of the Mate 8, which offers a 120-degree range of audio pick up and a directional noise reduction mode. It also features omnidirectional recording and directional playback, with three microphones automatically detecting sound sources from all directions. The Mate 8's number one boast for businesspeople is its deft balance between high performance and low power consumption. Most of the phone's 185g weight is dedicated to the large 4,000mAh battery that, according to Huawei, will keep your Mate 8 juiced up for two days of normal usage. Aside from its longevity, the device can be charged to a "day's worth of power" in just 30 minutes. With all things considered, the Mate 8 lives up to the bold claim of facilitating a new style of business, and for incredible value for money. All that's left to do is select your choice of colour; Champagne Gold, Moonlight Silver, Space Gray or Mocha Brown.
