A great mid-range Android phone
We’re not sure we like the trend of networks offering their own devices. It’s easier to get the best deal if you can pick from a range of models that aren’t locked to any one provider. Here, though, EE at least demonstrates that a phone doesn’t need a hardware brand logo to be good.
This model has been launched alongside the Harrier Mini, which – at less than £100 – undercuts the likes of Vodafone’s Smart Ultra 6. At the time of writing this full-size Harrier wasn’t listed on EE’s website as pay-as-you-go, although it was on the company’s Amazon store. We hope the non-contract option isn’t disappearing, because it’s good value. But £16.99 per month (including 500MB of data) with no up-front cost is also reasonable.
With an eight-core Snapdragon processor and 2GB of memory, the Harrier is much faster than most phones at this price, meaning apps and settings appear with less delay, everything feels smooth, and 3D games work well. There’s 16GB of storage, expandable with a microSD card.
The screen’s Full HD 1920x1080-pixel display matches the iPhone 6’s resolution, although it’s slightly smaller. Contrast, colour and brightness are good, though not outstanding, and overall it’s a better screen than you’d expect for the price. This number of pixels usually takes its toll on battery life, but we still got 10 hours 40 minutes of video playback, which beat the pricier HTC Desire 820, for example, by an hour. Despite its 13 megapixels, the main camera didn’t produce great shots in our tests, needing lots of light for sharp results, and the selfie camera is basic at 2 megapixels.
For a big-screen phone, the Harrier is slim and light, and if you can get it on terms that suit you, it’s a very good device for its price bracket.
SPECIFICATIONS
5.2in 1920x1080-pixel screen • 13-megapixel rear camera • 2-megapixel front camera • 802.11n Wi-Fi • 3G/4G • 8.9x74x147mm (HxWxD) • 145g • One-year warranty
VERDICT
If EE is the right network for you, this could well be the right mid-priced phone.