[Mate 8 General] jbmc83:
well although i basically already told you guys what i did in the config part, sure:

1) install minimal adb and fastboot from xda (google)

2) install latest version of huawei hisuite, they include the necessary usb drivers

3) go to "about phone", tap several times on the build to activate developer options, go to developer options and activate usb debugging

4) quick check if ur device is properly recognized on ur computer: switch off phone, disconnect from pc, press power button and vol down at the same time, keep pressed until fastboot menu appears. then start minimal adb and type " adb devices". if ur device is listed then all is good, if not, recheck if uve properly covered all previous steps!

5) download & install the italian knife tool by our resident mate 8 dev [MENTION=264630]acer73[/MENTION] (in the mate 8 dev section)

6) optional: use italian knife tool to switch to the international rom (already has google services and apps preinstalled, so may be easier to work with)

7) now its time to unlock the bootloader before proceeding: download latest version of dc unlocker, follow the instructions to read the bootloader code out of huawei phones. beware that u need to pay 4€ via creditcard or paypal in order to be able to use that particular function! so make sure to save the bootloader code in a text file and keep it safe, since its unique to your specific phone!

8) open minimal adb and type while ure in fastboot mode: "adb oem unlock xxxxxxxxxx" (xxxxx representing the bootloader code) from now on every time u boot ull get a message saying ur phone is unlocked and unsafe, just ignore it though.

9) flash twrp recovery via italian knife tool

9.5) important: if u want to root, DO NOT follow the twrp advice at the end of its installation to root your phone, youre not there yet!

10) go into the root section of the italian knife tool, use the option to install the decrypted boot image

11) now you can root by using the italian knife tool :) make sure to update to newest binary of supersu once uve rebooted to the system

12) now its time to debloat the system partition and customize your rom to your needs: use titanium backup (optionally with lucky patcher ;) ) to remove all unwanted system apps. be careful though that u dont delete something related to system functionality or stability! that part is basically trial and error, so make sure to make a twrp backup of ur system first so that u can flash back to a stable state once uve deleted smth important. what i can suggest is: delete all preinstalled apps and reinstall them if u need them through the play store. that way ull make space in your system partition and instead install those apps in your much larger internal sdcard :)

the rest is just personal configuration basically. what i really recommend though is to thoroughly go through each and every single option in the general settings and familiarize urself with everything. that way u can set ur phone specifically to your needs and enjoy it more :)

also: go ahead and check out trickster mod, it allows u to change the cpu governor (say, to powersaving in my case) and thus either extend battery life or unleash more power (via performance governor which i used for benchmarking)

thats it, folks! :) enjoy your mate 8

ps: be aware that if u flash from AL10 to L29 rom ur phone model will switch to NEXT (see screenshot above) and u most likely wont be able to receive OTA updates anymore. same goes for bootloader unlocking, rooting, etc. so from now on its all manual installs ;)