The Honor 90 has arrived in the Philippines, as a promising and commendable successor to the Honor 70. Adorning a series of noteworthy upgrades from its predecessor, this device makes a prominent mark in the mid-range category. From its striking camera capabilities to its robust hardware components, the Honor 90 is all set to redefine the mid-range smartphone scene.
This is the full review of Honor’s best-ever premium mid-range smartphone, the Honor 90.
Unboxing
There’s always an excitement in unboxing a new gadget, and the Honor 90 keeps that thrill alive. Unwrapping the box reveals not just the phone, but also a silicon case, a 6-amp charging cable, and an impressive 66-watt charging brick. All of this is presented in a neat, elegant package that’s true to Honor’s style.
Design & Build
With an aesthetic identical to its predecessor, the Honor 90 looks more refined, premium, and elegant. The device comes with a dual-ring camera design, inspired by high-end jewelry, now appears more oval. The symmetrical quad-curve design and the emerald green version with a matte finish add to its flagship-like appeal. It’s slightly thicker at 7.8mm and weighs 183 grams, with a back made of anti-glare glass. The AMOLED panel underneath the glass supports a high resolution of 2664×12005 and is capable of displaying 1.07 billion colors and 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. The display also has a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nits to bring out all the vibrant colors that HDR has to offer.
Camera Capabilities
Selfie Camera
The Honor 90’s new 50-megapixel fast f/2.4 aperture Ultra-wide selfie camera is nothing short of impressive. With a 100-degree field of view due to an 18mm focal length, this sensor provides stunning images. The binned down 12.5-megapixel shots offer even better quality, and the 23mm focal length provides a closer snap option. Portrait mode is finely tuned, offering great edge detection.
The device supports 1080p 60fps and 4K selfie video recording. The 60fps gives a silky smooth experience, and the crispy 4K selfie video is commendable, especially at this price point. Night selfies also come out decent with flash enabled.
Few flagship Android phones offer 4K selfie video, but the Honor 90 5G does, capturing crystal clear videos and insanely detailed selfie photos, an extraordinary feat for a non-flagship device.
Back Cameras
The back camera of the Honor 90 features: a 2-megapixel depth sensor, a 12-megapixel Ultra-wide camera, and a 200-megapixel ISOCELL HP3 main camera sensor. This arrangement ensures polished macro shots, impressive ultra-wide images with great color accuracy, and minimal edge distortion.
The main camera’s native 200-megapixel photos are out-of-this-world impressive, and the binning technique further improves quality. The two times lossless zoom option and digital zoom levels provide a great range of possibilities, including excellent portraits and two times zoom portraits almost on par with dedicated telephoto portrait sensors.
Night photography is equally impressive, handling light noise well, and even zoom shots at night retain detail. Portrait mode at night continues to excel, producing very flagship-like results.
The Honor 90 offers portrait video mode with good background blur and 4K video recording using the main camera with impeccable results. 60fps 1080p resolution video is an option, and the ultrawide camera’s ability to record 4K 30fps video is unusual for a mid-range device.
Display Specs & Features
The 6.7-inch quad-curved floating AMOLED display, with a resolution between QHD and Full HD, supports over a billion colors and 100% of the DCI P3 color space. With HDR10 and HDR10+ support, 90Hz, 60Hz, and 120Hz refresh rate options, and a brightness of 1600 nits, it offers a superb viewing experience.
Its high 3840Hz pwm dimming helps minimize eye strain and display ghosting. This is demonstrated by this video:
Revolutionizing Comfort on Visionary Display Innovation
The HONOR 90 is not just a smartphone but a testament to human-centric innovation. Its standout feature, Dynamic Dimming, mimics natural light rhythms, stimulating ciliary muscle movement to decrease eye fatigue by 18%. Coupled with adaptive brightness that adjusts according to external lighting and screen time, it promises an experience tailored for the human eye. The Circadian Night Display further emphasizes HONOR’s commitment to user well-being. By shifting to warmer hues and reducing blue light exposure at night, it boosts melatonin production by 20%, ensuring users get a restful sleep. With HONOR 90, technology genuinely caters to our health and comfort.
Battery & Charging Specs
With a 5000mAh battery, AI power saving technology, and 66-watt wire charging (reaching around 45% battery in just 15 minutes), the Honor 90 5G ensures you always have power, though it lacks wireless charging.
Hardware Specs
Powered by the 4nm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition CPU, up to 12GB of lpddr4x RAM, and 512GB of UFS 2.1 storage, Adreno 644 integrated GPU and Honor’s GPU Turbo X technology. With this power specs, it scores high in benchmarks.
Other Hardware Specs
Features like Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, dual SIM 5G, Wi-Fi 6, USB Type-C, and great speaker to add to its appeal.
Pros:
- 200-megapixel Main Camera: Offers incredible detail and quality in photos.
- 50-megapixel Ultra-wide Selfie Camera: Unprecedented quality in selfies and 4K video recording.
- Display Quality: 6.7-inch quad-curved AMOLED display with variable refresh rates and HDR support.
- Performance: Powered by the 4nm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, allowing for smooth gaming and multitasking.
- Battery and Charging: A 5000mAh battery with 66-watt charging ensures longevity and rapid refueling.
- Software Experience: MagicOS 7.1 offers a fluid and user-friendly experience, with modern features.
- Value for Money: Premium features at a mid-range price point.
Cons:
- No Wireless Charging: Despite rapid wired charging, the lack of wireless option may disappoint some users.
- Storage Technology: Uses UFS 2.1, while some competitors may offer faster UFS 3.0.
- Lack of a Dedicated Telephoto Lens: While offering good zoom, it may not match devices with a dedicated telephoto lens.
- No optical image stabilization but electronic image stabilization is good
- Not stereo speaker
Verdict & Pricing
Retailing for PHP 24,990, the Honor 90 5G is impressive in nearly every aspect. A well-rounded device with flagship-like performance, it sets a new standard in the mid-range segment. Despite a few minor drawbacks like the lack of wireless charging, this device offers a striking balance of price and quality.
This is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for top-notch features without breaking the bank. The camera capabilities alone, both on the front and the back, are worth every penny, making the Honor 90 a formidable option in the highly competitive mid-range segment.
#HONOR905G #200MPFlagshipCamera #RevolutionaryEyeProtection
