Right now, you're looking at $100 Android phone with no contract.
I'm Jessica Dolcourt for CNET.
This is the Huawei Premia 4G.
The Premia is a 4G LTE phone for MetroPCS.
It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
So, it isn't the most up-to-date version but it will have pretty much all of the basics for a modern Android operating system.
It's very close to stock Android, not entirely, there's still a couple touches that are all Huawei's
own but if you're looking for something with a very minimal Android skin, then this is a good option.
There is however quite a bit of bloatware.
Specifically there's an app called My Extras and it will ping you relentlessly unless you go ahead and change the settings or disable the app in the app manager.
There is a 4-inch WVGA screen.
It is bright and colorful.
Not the sharpest I've seen but completely acceptable for this kind of device.
It's a black phone with a lighter gray backing.
Very finely textured surface so it won't slip out of your hands but it isn't the absolute most comfortable either because it doesn't have that soft touch coding.
However, I have no complaints.
On the back, there is a decent 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, nice to see that flash there.
On the front is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.
The rear facing camera can capture 720p HD video.
Performance is a bit of an issue on this phone I found.
The 4G LTE
network is slower than other LTE networks but it was pretty consistent and didn't hang.
Battery life is really short.
It's only rated to 4 hours of talk time and I noticed that the battery drained really quickly especially if I have the screen time out on anything longer than about 30 seconds or minute.
Ninety-nine dollars after $50 mailing rebate is a really phenomenal price for an unlocked phone.
However, I think you can do a little bit better for MetroPCS and I would recommend taking a look at the LG Motion 4G.
If you're looking
for a phone in this price point.
I'm Jessica Dolcourt for CNET.
This has been your first look at the Huawei Premia 4G.