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Huawei Ideos X5 will please Android purists (review)

We're not sure when the Huawei Ideos X5 will land in U.S. hands, or on which carrier. A look at the unlocked version of the phone will help you decide if you'll be among those anticipating the news.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Huawei Ideos X5

We first glimpsed the Huawei Ideos X5 at CES and declared it a good-looking, midlevel Android phone. It runs the standard version of Android 2.2 (Froyo), which means that it doesn't have any of the extra interface graphics that manufacturers sometimes add for visual flare and to differentiate their phones from rivals'. That's sure to please those campaigning to let Android be Android without additional skin modifications.

The Ideos X5 has very solid hardware specs, like a 3.8-inch capacitive touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, and 720p HD video capture and playback. It also has expandable memory and a stylish finishing that endows the handset with some premium sheen.

What the phone doesn't have is a carrier, pricing, or a release date, although we expect that announcement to come midyear. By then, it'll have a tougher time keeping up with this year's crop of premium, dual-core 4G phones that's expected to begin making waves around the same time.

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