HONOR made a lot of noise at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 held in Barcelona, Spain early in 2023. They globally launched two outstanding mobile devices. The foldable HONOR Magic Vs and their latest slate flagship, the HONOR Magic5 Pro.
We absolutely loved its predecessor, the HONOR Magic4 Pro and even consider it one of the best concert companion smartphones you can buy today. With the Magic5 Pro topping DXoMark’s smartphone camera for a solid few weeks, we had high expectations for its camera.
But before all of that, let’s first break down how it looks and feels.
Look and feel
HONOR Magic4 Pro and HONOR Magic5 Pro
The Magic5 Pro didn’t stray too far from the Magic4 Pro. Both have curved edges and a circular, Huawei Mate-ish camera module.
What’s different is that in the Magic5 Pro, both the front and back slightly curve to the side. This helps immensely in making the phone easier to hold. Despite a massive 6.81-inch display, the phone should be relatively easy to hold no matter your hand size.
It comes in Black and Cyan in most markets. There are other colors but most of them are only available in China. The black colorway has a glossy finish and is much more slippery than the frosted matte finish on the cyan colorway.
Black and Meadow Green
Choosing a colorway is almost a moot point as we suggest slapping a protective case on the phone for a couple of reasons. First, despite using tough glass materials, the slippery coating on the phone makes it prone to sliding on whatever surface you place it on. Second, something about it just feels fragile at first touch, so a little protection goes a long way. If you can, we suggest going out of your way to shop for cases online versus using the included jelly cases which totally compromises the premium feel of the phone.
Like I mentioned in the Hands-On article, the camera module protrudes. How the back panel goes up, curves, and blends with the camera module is reminiscent of the OPPO Find X3 Pro. The camera placement is dead center instead of flushed to the left.
The camera module also follows and blends with the colorway of your choice. Interesting design decision that makes the phone feel more whole.
Power and performance
On paper, the HONOR Magic5 Pro is a 2023 flagship through and through. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with Adreno 7 GPU. Flanking these are the up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB internal storage.
That’s all well and good, but how does it actually perform in real life? In a word: fantastic.
It’s very rare for this flagship set of specs to fail at the regular, daily things we do on our smartphones. That’s true for any flagship produced in the past two years or so. What Android and Snapdragon has been better at over the last few years is keeping your most used apps running in the background.
Before the pandemic hit, there were still “flagship-level” Android smartphones that would inexplicably close your most used apps even if you were literally just using them. This didn’t bode well if you consistently app-hopped for whatever reason. That’s just not the case anymore for any upper-midrange or flagship phone in 2023.
Gaming
I’m not huge on mobile gaming but did try a few of titles on the Magic5 Pro. The prominently featured Genshin Impact runs on medium by default. I suppose this is the most optimized configuration and runs the smoothest on this phone.
You can push it to the highest settings and switch over to Game Mode. However, expect some heating and faster battery life drain. In my experience, I was able to play in this maxed-out configuration for nearly two hours before the phone felt too hot and the battery started begging to be juiced up.
While we’re on topic, the Magic5 Pro has a 5,100mAh battery and support for 65W Wired and 50W Wireless SuperCharge. Battery life varies day-to-day depending on usage. Like in previous reviews, I typically like to juice up when the battery approaches the 45%-55% range.
Using a 65W wired charging, I’d typically get to 100% after watching a 12-minute YouTube video. Wirelessly, a single animé which runs for a little over 20 minutes gets me to 100%.
It lasts reasonably long and charges rather fast. This seems to be the new norm for most Android flagships now.
Media consumption
The display and speakers performed admirably during gaming sessions as well as video viewing ones.
After all, that’s a 6.81-inch LTPO quad-curved floating screen with a 2848 x 1312 resolution and refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also gets up to 1800 nits of peak brightness. Other display features are 100% DCI-P3, HDR10+, and TÜV Rheinland certified Low Blue Light.
Meanwhile, the speakers are a Stereo system with dual speakers, DTS:X Ultra.
Any game will ask you to put headphones/earphones on, and that’s generally good advice. But for someone who lives alone, I didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone. The speakers sounded as full as possible coming from a standard smartphone slate.
Dancing King and Queen. EXO’s Kai and TWICE’s Momo.
It’s also great for the stuff I enjoyed watching during the duration of the review period. That includes the Momo and Kai collaboration of “Set Me Free” and “Rover”. I had these two minute-long clips playing for hours because of how good they are.
I also did a rewatch of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and watched some episodes on the Magic5 Pro. No complaints whatsoever on the whole viewing experience. It’s a great media machine through and through.
Android Magic
Software-wise, the Magic5 Pro runs MagicOS 7.1 based on Android 13. There are no ifs and buts about it, the MagicOS looks and feels exactly like EMUI.
Not to sound like a broken record, but it does the same annoying thing where you have to pinch on the home screen to add widgets and make any sort of customization. This is in stark contrast to most Android smartphones that lets you just tap and hold. The former demands two-handed use while the latter is more efficient for single-handed use. It’s not something that’s tough to get used to but still annoying nevertheless.
Other than that, it has the usual Android software and Android skin trappings. Plenty of customization options, slightly confusing settings menu, and generally good handling of notifications.
No major complaints here, just slight annoyances that anyone should easily grow accustomed to.
One of the best smartphone cameras right now?
Now, let’s dive into why you’re really here. How good are its cameras, really? Quick recap, here’s what the HONOR Magic5 Pro is packing hardware wise:
- 50MP wide camera (f/1.6, 1/1.12-inch sensor)
- 50MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.0, 122 degrees field of view)
- 50MP Sony IMX858 telephoto camera (f/3.0, 3.5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom)
Like with most smartphones, the camera performance is defined by both the hardware and software. And it’s the software processing that really differs from smartphone to smartphone.
My colleague Vincenz took most of the shots you’ll see here. Below are his thoughts on the camera performance. I’ll share mine after.
For the most part, its wide / main camera takes stunning photos, especially during the day.
While it’s not a 1-inch sensor like the Xiaomi 13 Pro / Xiaomi 13 Ultra or the OPPO Find X6 Pro, its 1/1.12-inch sensor is still bigger than the rest of the competition — even bigger than last year’s 1/1.56-inch shooter. This helps the Magic5 Pro take effortlessly quick shots with a creamy background bokeh when the subject is at a closer distance.
Shots taken using Night Mode also look bright and crisp.
Other than the faster shooting duration thanks to its bigger sensor size, its wider than usual f/1.6 aperture plus OIS also helped.
The same thing can be said with its ultra-wide lens. With a lens diaphragm of f/2.0, it gathers more light data quickly compared to other smartphones of the same category.
But during night scenes, taking a photo with Night Mode turned on causes a blurring effect when there are fast-moving subjects — which might either be ugly to most (or “artsy” to some).
The lack of OIS seems to be the culprit.
Even with enough lighting, you cannot take blurry-free UWA photos unless you pace yourself slower or just completely stop walking — unless the moving subject is beyond your control. That’s when you have to give up.
So even if you turn on Action Mode, it will be more suitable when you select the regular 1x wide mode instead of the ultra-wide angle.
When you switch to its 3.5x telephoto lens, you’ll also get detailed zoomed shots that are commendable and post-worthy.
Although after some trials, I found out that HONOR’s AI algorithm between its 1x and 3.5x lenses perform differently.
Case in point: The photo below was taken with 3.4x — which automatically means it crops in using the 1x sensor. HONOR has detected the subject as a “sunset” scenery. Therefore, boosting the sky’s colors into a very vibrant golden hour, dreamlike imagery.
However, after actually using the dedicated 3.5x telephoto zoom lens, its AI technique suddenly became different. The photo still detected the subject as “sunset” but without the sky’s “phenomenal” color boosting.
Without a dedicated 10x periscope lens, the HONOR is stuck to digitally zooming in past the 10x mark (and hybrid / lossless zoom between that and its 3.5x telephoto range).
While we are still working on our upcoming camera shootout against Samsung’s current behemoth (and show how the Magic5 Pro’s zoom capabilities may not be as up to par), these 50x and 100x moon shots are testaments that its AI zoom algorithm is not as intense as how its mentioned rival performs (which is still a hot debate whether they faked it or not).
Don’t let that dual punch-hole camera cutout fool you! Just like its predecessor, the HONOR Magic5 Pro features an unchanged 12MP f/2.4 ultra-wide shooter with a 100-degree FoV (Field of View). The other one is just a ToF 3D sensor for depth-sensing.
Despite the lower than usual megapixel count, the Magic5 Pro was able to deliver natural-looking selfies.
And with that even wider view, it lets you capture more of what’s around you compared to selfie cameras of other flagship smartphones with a tight camera framing.
Piggy backing on taking photos of people, I thought the HONOR Magic5 Pro actually did a good job of capturing people. These shots of Vincenz below was taken with the main sensor and not in portrait mode.
In this next shot, the phone was able to capture the warm lighting and feel of the place. It was also pretty bright outside, but the phone managed to balance the dynamic range enough to keep the view outside visible while still keeping the focus on the subject.
The shot below was again taken with the main sensor with no portrait mode. Excuse the poor framing, but turn your attention to the lights in the far end of the image. There depth of field looks good and natural.
Portrait mode works best when the subject dominates the image.
If you’re snapping photos of your friends, the HONOR Magic5 Pro does a pretty good job of capturing people. Elsewhere though, it struggles with consistency. The food photos below, taken with the main sensor and the 3.5x Zoom, didn’t come out as appetizing as we hoped.
But with some luck and a few shots, you should be able to take mouth-watering ones.
That said, it’s a hit or miss, and that’s not something you want from a flagship smartphone touting its cameras as its best feature. Despite this, we’re optimistic. After all, these are something that can be corrected via a software update. We’ll make sure to let HONOR know our findings so they can take it into consideration.
Is the HONOR Magic5 Pro your GadgetMatch?
The HONOR Magic5 Pro is easily one of the Top 5 standard slate flagship smartphones of 2023 as of writing. The specs, design, and overall feel of the phone is undeniably flagship. The primary consideration for a lot of people now is how the camera performs and how long the battery lasts. And really, those last two details vary depending on preference and overall usage.
On the battery life front, no matter how much of a power user you are, it’s comforting to know that the phone juices up rather quickly. Easily one of the fastest in the flagship crop today.
Now, on the topic of cameras, on its own it’s alright. If we had to describe it with one word, it would be ‘inconsistent’. It’s not bad, but the images it produces isn’t always as good as we expect it to be. This will make even more sense soon we come out with the camera shootouts we shot so stay tuned for those.
The HONOR Magic5 series will be available starting from Q2 2023. The standard Magic5 (8GB+256GB) will be priced at EUR 899 while the Magic5 Pro variant will retail starting at EUR 1199.
The Magic5 will be available in Black and Meadow Green while the Magic5 Pro will have the Black and Blue color options.
It’s also coming to more markets soon.
The messaging for the two foldables Unpacked by Samsung in Seoul is pretty clear. For more creative, artsy, and overall jovial pursuits, you should rock the Galaxy Z Flip5. For productivity, multi-tasking, and general business needs, you acquire the Galaxy Z Fold5.
But who says you can’t have fun with the Fold?
While Michael Josh rocked the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, I had the pleasure of taking the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 around Seoul.
Great for Reels
One thing I really enjoyed using the Galaxy Z Fold5 for is shooting and editing Reels/Shorts/TikToks. I’ll just call it reels from here on out.
Its long and narrow form-factor when folded lends itself nicely for taking vertical videos. I said the same thing for the Galazy Z Fold4 a year ago. It’s even better now that the hinge closes the Fold fully.
It also helped that I was in Seoul for the first time ever and enjoyed my time in the city. This first reel was primarily taken while I was with the Philippine media team dining and roaming around.
I typically don’t enjoy the experience of editing videos on a smartphone. But that wasn’t the case with the Galaxy Z Fold5 because I had a larger screen to work with. I fired up CapCut and edited a minute-long clip for about 30 minutes while replying to chats and doom scrolling in between.
I did the same thing when my friend and former work colleague took me to the Spotify x NewJeans pop-up event.
It was quite a bit of a wait to get in so we decided to grab something to eat first. Fortunately, we were close to Ikseon-Dong which is quite a “hip” spot in Seoul. There were plenty of cafe’s, shops for trinkets, photobooths, and many more.
We were having our fill of dessert when we realized we had to dash to the pop-up event. Thankfully, we made it in time and went through the pop-up without being super shy.
Seoul snaps
The cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold5 are unchanged, hardware-wise, from its predecessor:
- 50MP Wide-angle Camera Dual Pixel AF, OIS, f/1.8
- 10MP Telephoto Camera PDAF, f/2.4
- 12MP Ultra Wide Camera f/2.2
In terms of the photos produced, it’s your typical Samsung color science which tends to have high contrast and sharpness. More than anything, the images that come out are usually social media ready.
Sharing some of the ones I took in Seoul:
Food
This lunch at Moonts somewhere in Seongdong-gu was nothing short of a feast.
This was somewhere in Myeong-dong. We had Chicken and Beer without the Beer.
I ate at Goobne pizza because of LE SSERAFIM.
Streets and sights
I roamed around Gangnam, Seongdong-gu, Jong-no, and Myeong-dong with media colleagues and friends.
In Seongdong-gu, Samsung prepared a few spots where people can check out the new foldables.
A few more shots of various streets in Seoul.
Bright night scenes
Some parts of Seoul can be really stunning at night.
Hongdae was buzzing.
People
I didn’t have a lot of chances to take portrait photos. But these candid-ish shots from the lovely people I hung out with have a general feel-good vibe.
Rush lunch at a convenience store, channeling the K-Pop trainee energy lol.
Might be the only selfie, using the actual selfie cam, I took.
K-Pop adjacent things
As a K-Pop enjoyer, I naturally had to take snaps of the ads around the city featuring some of my faves.
The BT21 x NewJeans store. Actual merch weren’t available yet when I took this photo.
One of my other main girls outside of Momo. Spotted a Kim Chaewon ad and had to take a snap.
IVE was practically everywhere.
Beyond just more screen real estate
Outside of video and photo-taking things, I really enjoyed the large screen on the Galaxy Z Fold5. And it goes beyond giving your more screen real estate.
Some apps like YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook now adapt their layout to the screen’s orientation. Instead of just being a blown-up version of the smartphone, certain UI elements now take advantage of the extra display space. The navigation buttons on Facebook are flushed to the right. The comments section on TikTok appear on the right hand side with the video still in full view. This is in contrast to other foldables without this kind of software integration which completely obscures the video.
Do not touch Momo
Speaking of video watching, it’s such a joy on the large screen. Most of the time you really don’t see crease in the middle, especially if you’re holding it straight up. The crease only appears if you view it from certain tilted angles. I brought a tablet with me as in flight entertainment heading into South Korea. But on the flight back, I relied only the Galaxy Z Fold5 for that purpose and the screen space didn’t leave me wanting.
Work mode
Work doesn’t necessarily spark joy for most people. But completing tasks on the Galaxy Z Fold5 has been quite enjoyable for me.
Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been using a tablet as sort of my more-mobile-and-compact laptop alternative. However, since I got my hands on the Galaxy Z Fold5, I’ve found myself not needing the tablet as much.
I handle plenty of correspondence both internally and externally. This ranges from emails, text messages, and various chat apps. I find handling these on the Galaxy Z Fold5 better than on a generally larger tablet.
Additionally, I’m also able to copy edit articles on-the-go with the Fold in hand. And in certain occassions, I even do some writing myself. In fact, parts of this review were written using the Galaxy Z Fold5.
Narrow screen, general thickness
My personal gripes with the Galaxy Z Fold5 generally align with most criticisms about it. Despite the improved hinge, it still feels pretty thick. And that narrow screen is pretty tough to use for regular phone browsing.
Samsung really needs to rethink the folded form factor. If it can improve on that, then they can have a firmer hold on the book-style foldable market. Outside of being easy to hold for photo and video taking, there’s no real advantage to the narrow cover screen.
As it stands, I find the OPPO Find N2 and the Huawei Mate X3 to be superior book-style designs. Hopefully, Samsung improves this aspect on the Galaxy Z Fold6.
Join the Fold side?
There’s been more excitement around the Flip than the Fold. The Galaxy Z Flip5 truly is the more mainstream foldable and might just be more appealing to a larger group of people.
General usage is fine, media consumption is great, and the battery life is par for the course. On my truly heavy usage days – which include taking photos and videos — it held out for about 12 hours before it prompted me to juice up.
However, if you enjoy and believe would benefit from a larger screen real estate, the Galaxy Z Fold5 is the clear choice. Samsung might have maxxed out what it can do for this particular form factor. If you’re jumping in just now or are upgrading from the Fold1 or Fold2, then the Galaxy Z Fold5 should be an acquisition worthy of your hard-earned money.
I have been on the market for a tablet for a rather specific need. You see, 2023 rolling in also marked the return of more face-to-face events. As I attended a select few of these, I’ve had to bring along my not-exactly-lightweight laptop only to end up not using it at all. In the interest of reducing my lower back pain, I needed something that was smaller, lighter, but still good enough to handle some of the tasks I might need to get to while on the go. Enter, the Xiaomi Pad 6.
Unboxing the Xiaomi Pad 6 and its accessories
Xiaomi was pretty darn generous sending over not only the tablet but also the multiple accessories you can use with it. In the video below, we unboxed the Xiaomi Pad 6, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Keyboard, the Xiaomi Pad 6 Cover, and the Xiaomi Smart Pen.
@gadgetmatch Xiaomi’s best Android tablet has just got an upgrade! #Xiaomi #XiaomiPad6 #Android #Tablet #fypシ
‘Laptop’ on the go
In the past couple of weeks, the Xiaomi Pad 6 fulfilled the laptop-on-the-go role that I desperately needed, and then some. Most notably, I took the tablet with me on an overseas coverage trip. True enough, I found myself in the exact same situations I would have found myself in had there been events domestically.
With the Pad 6 on hand, I didn’t have to bring a backpack with me. All I needed was the trusty Xiaomi Sling bag that I’ve had for years, my mirrorless camera, a couple of smartphones, and my mobile loadout was ready to go.
I found it much easier to move around as we traversed from one location to another during the many events spread across the week. In certain stops here or there, I was able to sit down to catch-up on some emails. Having access to a full-sized keyboard is a godsend for the number of emails and other correspondence I had to reply to.
Not only that, having the Xiaomi Pad 6 around also made it easy to copy edit a few articles here and there. As an editor that can’t exactly be glued to the desk all the time, this was a huge relief.
The typing experience is satisfactory and the general performance switching from email, to browser, to chat apps, was hiccup-free. If this is what you’re after the tablet for, know that it is more than capable for these types of tasks.
Great entertainment hub
Zom: 100 is hilarious.
The 11-inch display is the sweet spot for me. Small enough to fit in a sling bag, but large enough to serve as in-flight entertainment. Prior to flying, I downloaded episodes of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Mushoku Tensei, as well as a couple of movies like Shin Kamen Rider.
I never realized how small the in-flight entertainment screen was in the economy flights I took until I had this 11-inch tablet with me. It’s such a better viewing experience and it allowed me to catch up to shows I was already watching versus settling for whatever’s available on the flight.
Best part? I conserved my smartphone’s battery levels by making the Xiaomi Pad 6 my primary entertainment hub. Not only did I download shows and movies, I also had plenty of storage room to spare for my main playlists on Spotify along with a handful of podcast episodes.
The pen is good for whoever will find use for it
Which isn’t yours truly if I’m being honest. My days of scribbling and sketching are way, waaaay behind me. You can probably tell from my sad, sorry, attempt to sketch Mina of TWICE/MISAMO in the photo below.
What I can tell you though is that the Xiaomi Smart Pen handles great even with the limited usage I squeezed out of it. It certainly still feels like you’re sketching on glass and there’s nothing mind boggling here like the experience feeling like pen-to-paper, but it works nonetheless.
Mina stans, please don’t hate me.
If you’re into sketching, scribbling, and whatnot, it shouldn’t take too long to get used to the feeling.
And with the multi-window feature, you should, in theory, have an easier time referencing any material you’d like to draw.
Speaking of the multi-window feature, as someone who writes, it’s a great way to quickly see information at a glance and quickly add it to whatever you’re writing. It’s a handy feature that I’m sure a lot of people will be able to take advantage of.
Xiaomi Pad 6 specs
- Display – 11” WQHD+ (2880 x 1800) display at 309 ppi
- Processor – Snapdragon 870 Mobile Platform
- Battery – 8840mAh
- RAM and Storage – 6GB+128GB / 8GB+128GB /
- 8GB+256GB
- OS – MIUI Pad 14/Android 13
- Cameras – 13MP rear, 8MP front
- Connectivity – USB 3.2 Gen 1, BLUETOOTH 5.2, Wi-Fi 6
More quick notes
I installed a couple of games on it but never got to really, really play. It ran Asphalt 9 and Honkai: Star Rail just fine in my very, very limited play time. I personally never saw myself playing on this as much.
I also never truly exhausted the battery. The lowest it ever got was after I used it thoroughly on a 4-hour flight. And even then, I didn’t even hit 50% despite consuming plenty of media both video and audio. It supports up to 33W fast charging. If you juice it up with anything over that, you can expect the quick charge feature to kick in and top you up pretty quickly.
MIUI Pad 14 on Android 13 is fine. There’s nothing offensive about the UI and any shortcomings against the most popular tablet in the market has more to do with Android itself than the skin that Xiaomi put on top of it. It’s still good, it’s still very much functional, and pretty easy to figure out how to use if you’re at all familiar with Android.
Is the Xiaomi Pad 6 your GadgetMatch?
Like I mentioned at the start of the article, I had a very specific use-case in mind as I took the Xiaomi Pad 6 with me on my daily grind. For the editor part of my job, it worked perfectly. It’s compact, capable, and can do more than what I originally set out for it to do. With a starting price of just under PhP 30,000 for the full tablet-keyboard-pen package, it’s also one hell of a deal. Even moreso when you see the discounts during the first few days of sale.
The Xiaomi Pad 6 has to be the easiest Android tablet to recommend right now. It’s the ultimate bang-for-your-buck tablet, squeezing out plenty of features and functionality for a package price that’s more than reasonable. Xiaomi has a winner on their hands. One that deserves the GadgetMatch seal of approval.
Price, availability
The Xiaomi Pad 6 comes in Gravity Gray, Gold, and Mist Blue. The 8GB+128GB variant is priced at PhP 20,999 and the 8GB+256GB variant retails for from PhP 21,999.
The first 50 online buyers will get a free Xiaomi Smart Pen on a first come first serve basis starting August 11, 2023, and with an early bird promo:
8+128GB
- SRP: Php 20,999
- Early bird promo (August 12-20):
- Php 16,999 (Aug 11, 2023; online only)
- Php 17,999 (Aug 12-20, 2023; online only)
8+256 GB
- SRP: Php 21,999
- Early bird promo (August 18-27): Php 19,999
Xiaomi Pad 6 Keyboard
- SRP: Php 3,499
- Early bird promo (August 12-27): Php 2,499.30
Xiaomi Smart Pen
- SRP: Php 3,999
- Early bird promo: (August 12- 27) Php 2799.30
I have always loved anything shining, shimmering, and splendid. There’s a reason why I’m hooked on Taylor Swift’s “Bejeweled” on her Midnights album.
Put on your headphones and listen to this line. “Best believe I’m still bejeweled when I walk in a room, I can still make a whole place shimmer.”
That line struck me with how I always move in my circles, and that’s certainly how the HONOR 90 made its debut in the city of love. The young technology company showcased an exquisite beauty bewitching anyone who dare to lay their eyes on it, on a stage where you can marvel at its grandeur. Yes, it’s in Paris — and Taylor Swift has a song with the exact title.
I’m starting to believe that the HONOR 90 is a match made for me.
Bedazzling, bejeweled
After the GadgetMatch team witnessed the parade of the HONOR 90 in the revered city of love, I flew to China to witness the unveiling of the HONOR Magic V2. I brought the HONOR 90 with me, thinking it’d be an ideal companion as I walk through the streets of Shenzhen and Beijing.
Spoiler alert: Some days, it did not. The lack of IP rating didn’t give me the confidence to take it out while I’m running or braving the streets during a heavy downpour.
But it gave me attention, what with the dazzling design inspired by luxury jewelry as seen on my Diamond Silver unit. The sight of a glimmering silver smartphone with the sunlight shining across its diamond-like panel can bedazzle anyone who locks their eyes on the device.
It felt like a must-have accessory for summer and sparkling nights. The only caveat? You can’t get it wet. Let’s bid goodbye to pool parties and trying to meet someone in the pouring rain.
Not your ordinary midrange smartphone
Nevertheless, it gave me an exquisite experience. I’ve used the HONOR 50 and the HONOR 70 more than just review devices, I actually spent time using it as my secondary phone to play games, take extra footage of my workouts, and scroll on my other apps like the one with a yellow bee. So trust me when I say that the HONOR 90 is both different and similar to its predecessors.
Running on MagicOS 7.1 with enhanced CPU and GPU performance, the HONOR 90 offers a buttery-smooth performance. It also maintained an ultra-long battery life.
Compared to other smartphones equipped with 5000mAh Super Battery, HONOR’s N-devices last longer for me even with heavy data usage. I can last a day without a power bank even with mobile data turned on. And if I ran out of juice, the 66W HONOR SuperCharge comes in handy. I don’t need to wait almost an hour to get it recharged.
It might be disappointing to some since the POCO F5 — a much cheaper device — sports a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 1 while the HONOR 90 houses a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset. Even so, the smartphone does the job! There were no hiccups when browsing, scrolling, multitasking, creating content, and definitely when taking a high-resolution photo. You know, the 200MP ones?
Between the past and the future
The new HONOR 90 takes pride in having the best-in-class camera system for a midrange smartphone. FYI, it sports a 200-megapixel main camera with a 1/1.4-inch sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide and macro camera, a 2-megapixel depth camera, and a 50-megapixel front camera.
Combined with its hardware and software prowess, the HONOR 90 captures any moment you deem important vividly. It takes excellent content, for the most part. It’s been like that since its predecessors, only just getting grander.
But what’s the point of telling all these perspectives when I can just parade foolproof evidence to back my claims? They say to see is to believe, so let me take you through a tale of two cities captured with the might of the HONOR 90.
Sight
Shenzhen and Beijing exhibit different faces of China. One is like the Silicon Valley of Asia that set its sights on the future, and the other looks back at the rich history of the country. While both cities exude different vibes, they both something have in common: a picturesque cityscape wherever you go.
From towering skyscrapers to wide avenues, and even architecture that encapsulates the country’s identity through intricate design and details. The HONOR 90’s 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera came in handy to see the beauty of both cities.
Taste
The memories of a trip is sometimes stored in photographs of food. It’s a glimpse of a country’s culture that can be cherished everytime you see it on a screen. The HONOR 90’s 2x zoom is perfect for capturing the rich, tasty cuisine of every culture you explore.
Feel
Truth be told: We’re not photographers who’ll need a 200-megapixel main camera to shoot our everyday life. I also take quick snaps to record a memory I want to treasure and share with my friends. If it’s pretty enough, it gets to be in my Stories. The HONOR 90 takes quick snaps without any delays, making it a great companion to capture the feel of your exact moment.
Look
Of course, what’s a trip and everyday life without selfies? The HONOR 90 is equipped with a 50-megapixel front camera with an option for a wider selfie. Like its predecessors, the selfies are still padded with extra beautification despite turning off the beauty mode. I still don’t like it though. Silver lining? You’d look fresh any time of the day.
Best for your eyes
The HONOR 90 takes pride in sporting a quad-curved display with an incredible viewing experience. Its 6.7-inch display goes toe-to-toe with almost every tall and huge smartphone out there, right now.
Just like most midrange smartphones with a “flagship-level” feature, the HONOR 90 has an HDR10+ certification along with Amazon Prime Video HDR and Netflix HDR. The pictures are quite vivid, you’ll enjoy watching any content even with just a smartphone.
It’s a bonus that the smartphone is lightweight enough that you can carry it with just a single hand.
It also has a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate and a TÜV Rheinland Flicker Free Certification for eye comfort. Speaking of which, the HONOR 90 is also equipped with the 3,840HZ PWM Dimming technology which I’ve seen in action through the HONOR Magic V2.
Basically, it exhibits a pulse at a rate of up to 3,840Hz that helps maintain a more comfortable, flicker-free viewing experience even at lower brightness levels.
It prioritizes alleviating eye fatigue to increase blood circulation. With the Circadian Night Display, the HONOR 90 also adjusts the display into warmer colors to reduce the amount of blue light.
Now, you don’t need to take lots of melatonin to fall asleep quickly even after using your smartphone. Your smartwatch might want to thank you for having better sleep quality.
Is this your GadgetMatch?
The HONOR 90 does a lot for a midrange smartphone. It’s not as specced up as other midrange competitors, but it surely stacks up when it comes to providing a flagship experience at a price that doesn’t break the bank. It’s got an incredible display that’s both pleasant and comfortable to the eyes, a hiccup-free performance coupled with long-lasting battery life, and a super-fast charging speed.
More importantly, it comes with an impressive camera system with the 200MP main sensor taking the spotlight.
The only caveat would be the lack of IP rating and to some, an option for wireless charging. What irks me would be the limited security and software updates. Meaning, if you get this smartphone, you’re bound to buy another one for the next year or two.
If you’re the type of person who frequently changes their smartphone, the compromises wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. It’s a solid deal, depending on your territory. The price really varies when it comes to different countries.
The HONOR 90 retails for GBP 450 for the 8GB/256GB unit and GBP 500 for the 12GB/512GB variant. It comes in three colors: Midnight Black, Emerald Green, and Diamond Silver — an exclusive color to the HONOR website, HiHonor.
In the Philippines, it retails for Php 24,990. Get it at select HONOR Outlets or online channels such as Shopee, Lazada, or TikTok Shop!
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