HONOR 50 Review

HONOR is back with Google Play !

Introduction

HONOR was a well known brand even in the past when it comes to Smartphones back in 2013, and they did left for a while after the news break that they are an independent company. Now HONOR is back strong with the launch of HONOR 50 with earlier this month starting its sales on the MagicBook 14 and 15 series laptop as well. We have done the unboxing of the HONOR 50 which you can read HERE.

Specifically our focus here for the review is the HONOR 50, a VLogging mid ranger phone with 5G capabilities that is equipped with much camera and social oriented features in a light weighted device. Let’s look at the new HONOR 50 and find out what it can do in this review.

Design

The HONOR 50 design is built on a slim profile with a weight of 137 Grams, which is light and easy to slide into your jean pocket. Over to the back/rear of the phone, it is made of smooth plastic which is so nice just mesmerizing on the HONOR CODE design, furthermore you will not leave any fingerprint marks over it as well as the material used will not leave smudges. Towards the camera portion is an island of two bump consisting of 4 camera sensors and a flash. bump wise, its not terribly annoying and the included slim profile translucent casing will solve the problem.

Over to the sides of the HONOR 50, on the right hand side, there is a volume up and down button and a power button, while the top houses two microphone. Over to the bottom of the phone there is one dual NanoSIM slot, one microphone, one USB C port and a bottom speaker. All of the phone sides are made of plastic with silver chrome finish to it. Over to the camera design, the same color applies to the side of the phone and the bottom/top part as well with mirror finishing touch to it. Since there is no 3.5mm audio jack, HONOR did provide a pair of wired USB C earphones which is a great addition however no USB C to 3.5mm converter is provided, which can be purchased easily at any accessories shop.

The HONOR 50 comes in four colors, Midnight Black, Frost Crystal, Emerald Green and the beautiful HONOR Code which is the color chosen for this review. Overall impression holding it and using it over daily basis is satisfactory so far.

Display

Over to the display side, the HONOR 50 is powered by a 6.57 Inch FHD+ 120Hz curved OLED screen with 1 Billion color display that supports wide color gamut on vivid color display. Being an OLED Display, color representation is well accurate with great contrast level. It has adaptive refresh rate display which means when the screen is sitting idle, it will run at 60FPS, once you start your browsing and work or play, it will automatically adjust up to 120FPS. Depending on your daily usage and just a handful of games does support 120FPS gameplay. Other features include a 300Hz touch sampling rate which is a huge advantage when it comes to the accuracy and sensitivity over the touchscreen when gaming with the phone. On top of that with the density of 392PPI, you will enjoy one of the great displays available with streaming applications such as YouTube and Netflix as its also support Widevine CDM Level 1 that is certified for FHD and HDR Streaming.

Camera

The HONOR 50 rear camera consists of one 108MP wide camera, one 8MP ultra-wide camera, 2MP macro macro lens, 2MP depth sensor followed by a LED flash. Pictures taken are considerably accurate with good clarity and details captured properly whether it is in automatic mode or Aperture mode. Night shots wise, the results were quite good as well, able to capture light and shadows surrounding the images within the frame with the exception that sometimes, you will need to have steady hands, but that’s only for night shots. The selfie images are bright and good during day time as well which is powered by a 32MP wide angle lens. A few sample shots were taken over different modes as above and the result truly works well as based on the specifications. A sample of 10x zoom, normal, 108MP and automatic shots taken were balanced, with little noise.

On video recording you get support up to 4K at 30FPS, stutters are visible while recording but it’s very minor with good details during recording. FHD video is awesome with good stabilization support which captures up to 60FPS. Dual video mode is also supported which you can capture both front and rear recording at the same time. Such feature is great for VLoggers that be able to take the advantage. Below is some samples of the video recorded.

Performance & Benchmarks

Over to the performance of the phone, the HONOR 50 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G Octa-Core Processor, 128/256GB of internal storage and 6GB/8GB RAM. Call quality test shows no issues with a choice of calling via VOLTE or WOWIFI depending on your Telco Carrier. Once 3G towers shutting down by end of this year, this device should have no effect on your daily use. The phone does come with 5G connectivity support, WiFi 6/AX, Bluetooth 5 and NFC. Testing over WiFi connection gets up to an average of 600MBPS transfer speeds, which is a great speed for multimedia and streaming. Video call wise, the HONOR 50 does the job pretty good as well thanks to its 32MP front camera. If you have a WiFi 6 router, you will be able to take all the advantages without issues.

Over to the gaming side, being a mid range performance phone meaning that the HONOR 50 can game pretty well with user defined settings within the game itself. From Temple Run to PUBG, this phone will just handle the games without sweat, with titles optimised for high frames, the HONOR 50 display can take up to 120FPS, with minimal stutters. 60FPS games such as Mobile Legends and Genshin Impact runs well, specifically on Genshin Impact, it is still a very graphically intensive game, but the HONOR 50 takes it up with close to perfect with a mix of mostly medium and low settings.

Above is the Benchmark performance, which delivers reasonable scores on each of the test between its graphics, and processor performance. The HONOR 50 is suitable for those seeking for a Mid High range performing phones.

Battery performance wise, you will get roughly around 9.5 hours of it, a mix of calls, surfing, email, streaming, and a few Call Of Duty matches. Turning on the battery saving mode under 20% will get you around extra 2 to 3 hours of conservative usage. The HONOR 50 comes with a 66W fast charger, which will charge up the phone to 100% from 10% in around 55 minutes average. 

Features & Software

HONOR 50 comes with Android 11, with MAGIC UI that brings in an UI that is simple to use, close akin to the Android Stock UI interface that features collaboration tools such as HONOR Share and easy one tap NFC connection towards HONOR MagicBook series of Laptop. The camera UI is also easy to use providing tips and help for the user, like tutorials and guide. Another great welcome is the return of Google Services, meaning full access of Google Play services and downloads.

Specifications

Verdict & Conclusion 

The HONOR 50 is a device that is right to those seeking a combination of great camera features, VLogging, a slim form factor that easily fit into your pocket, ready to go embracing the 5G era that carries performance in your hands trendy yet stylish travelling, blogging and work. With the combination of the MagicBook Laptop, you can work everywhere you wanted with a whole day of battery life from your phone and laptop, the story does not end as both will give great collaboration via HONOR Share and PC Manager.

Pros

• 120Hz Refresh Rate Display
• Good Mid range chipset
• An OLED display with 1B colors
• 300hz touch sensitive display

Cons

• No MicroSD Card Slot
• I wish it has a slightly larger battery capacity

Pricing and availability

Starting from now, HONOR 50 will be available in two variants at RM 1,699 for the 6GB+128GB variant and RM 1,999 for the 8GB+256GB variant, and can be purchased from HONOR Store.