Some smartphone brands leave good impressions on me with their smooth performance at affordable prices. Unfortunately, most of them could not sustain the quality for more than a couple of generations. It seems like a tech-curse. I loved the ASUS Zenfone series (running on Intel chipset) between 2014 and 2016. I also enjoyed using Honor 8 Pro and even bought for myself after I reviewed one (it still works albeit no software updates). The performance and image quality convinced me to switch to Huawei P20 and P30 series before they fell out with the US sanctions resulting in the removal of Google products. Honor, being the sub-brand of Huawei, was also affected by the market restrictions.
All has come to pass. After Huawei sold off the Honor brand in 2020, Honor is able to license Google products just like any other smartphone brand. The latest HONOR smartphones are now distributed in Singapore by TeleChoice, a very established provider of mobile communication devices since 1998. They have sent over the HONOR 90 5G for my review, and it retails at S$619 in Singapore. This model runs with 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition, 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and DCI-P3 wide colour gamut. The camera system consists of a 200MP f/1.9 main camera, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, 2MP depth camera, and front-facing 50MP f/2.4 camera. It holds 5000mAh battery that supports 66W SuperCharge, filling the battery from 10% to 90% in about an hour. It supports WiFi6, NFC, and dual 5G SIM card slots with eSIM option.
Looking at the above specs, you can see that the Honor 90 has most of the premium specs found in higher-end smartphones. Its display is vibrant, supports HDR10+, comes with display modes eye comfort dynamic dimming with 3840Hz PWM (great for users who are sensitive to LED flicker), video enhancer, dynamic screen resolution and refresh rate, adjustable fonts and sizes. The display ranks high next to the Pixel 7 by DXOMARK.
The MagicOS 7.1 UI still contains the Huawei DNA, and I’m not complaining. Every smartphone brand’s UI design exhibits their own unique character, so even when the underlying OS is Android, the experience can be different. I still like Huawei’s EMUI, and MagicOS feels at home. The overall physical design of the Honor 90 might seem dated with curved front screen and back body, except for the two modern-style circular camera lenses. I like the matt rear finish, never mind that it is actually made of plastic, because most owners would be fitting a case over it (Honor 90 comes with a free clear soft case). Personally, I am not too particular about the intrinsic design elements, because, past the initial unboxing excitement, the smartphone will most likely be heavily encased in protective shielding.
Therefore, the more important consideration is: how comfortable does it feel in your hands after fitting a casing? With the Honor 90, it feels familiar, in a good way. Often, we prefer the design of smartphones from a certain “era”, but smartphone makers have to keep innovating for the sake of freshness. I’m not sure if consumers really prefer the current-generation of phones with thick angular side frames instead of being more rounded.
After using the Honor 90 for about a week, there are a few features that makes it stand out as a midrange value device. First is the processor. Despite running on a souped-up version of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, it still runs a more “leisurely” pace, lacking in the immediacy that I have grown to enjoy on flagship devices. But if you are not in a rush, the phone works fine, and remember, paying two to three times more for a flagship phone does not give you 2-3 times performance and efficiency.
Secondly, the mono speaker lacks the immersion and audio impact of the lower frequency, though the loudness and sparkle is adequate. The Histen audio effects processor offers a few listening modes including built-in EQ and 3D audio, but leaving it at “Auto” gives the best audio performance. Audiophiles should skip this, as the audio processor will colorize the original source.
Finally, the camera system. On paper, 200MP rear main camera is impressive. Overall, the images appear pleasing and ready to be shared online without the need for further processing, the AI Photography mode will detect the subject and adjust the image for best effects. The HDR engine helps to capture a wide dynamic range to avoid blown-out background, even in extreme brightness. Turn on Smart Capture Smiles mode and the camera automatically take photos when it detects a smile in the frame.
The aperture mode allows user to simulate depth of field from f/0.95 to f/16, and it helps to achieve subject isolation like a DSLR. Without being picky, the images turn out convincingly usable. But the illusion breaks if the subject consists of complex fine details.
For standard photography shots using the 200MP rear sensor or the 50MP front sensor, images will always be saved in 12MP format, and out of the box, images appear more contrasty and sharper than capturing in the native size. The file size is also 10 times smaller (3MB vs. 30MB). To shoot in the full pixel mode, select “High Res” mode.
Despite shooting at High-Res, the cropped image is still lacks details and clarity, because the sensor is still very small. Nevertheless, this is the best image capture mode from Honor90, and if you need the highest resolution image for future pixel peeping, then go for it. But if you need instant image crop, then shooting in digital zoom is better as the smartphone will immediately process the cropped image by adjusting sharpness and contrast.
One of my favourite lenses on a smartphone is the wide angle, as it allows me to shoot a wider perspective. Distortion is a major considerant for lens quality, as well as edge-to-edge sharpness and vignette. The Honor 90 performs well in all aspects.
And the super macro mode on the Honor 90 works as intended! In this mode set at 2x zoom, I can really go close up until mere centimetres, and the only limitation is that the phone blocks available light from reaching my subject. I actually wanted to try taking a shot of the stylus tip but it’s too small for the Honor 90 to focus. If only there is a manual focus option.
For video modes, the Honor 90 supports real-time portrait bokeh that softly blurs the foreground and background when shooting people. The Honor 90 can also make use of multiple cameras to shoot at the same time through the “Multi-Video” mode. The “Solo Cut” shooting mode allows you to capture two video streams of the same scene simultaneously, one is the standard video while the second concurrent video is a cropped footage of the selected person. If there are multiple persons, you can also tap and pan to another person.
Conclusion
I am generally very pleased with the review experience of Honor 90, partly because it inherits a lot of Huawei’s features. While the overall performance is not as snappy as flagship models, I believe less impatient users will find it a non-issue. Camera features are good enough to deliver impressive shots of every day life, with enough modes to allow the user to easily tweak and achieve the desired result. The lack of external microSD card slot is addressed with a built-in 512GB storage, and the dual 5G nanoSIM slot with eSIM covers all mobile network scenarios.
Honor 90 5G (12/512GB) retails in Singapore at S$619 and comes with a free Honor Earbuds X5 worth S$70. It is at the top of my buy list once my Dad’s Huawei Mate 10 Pro shows any sign of retirement. For warranty service support, visit 54 Genting Lane Unit 04-01 Block II, Ruby Land Complex, Singapore 349562. For detailed product information, visit the official Honor 90 product site.
