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| Honor 70 |
Introduction of Honor 70
The Honor 70 is a noteworthy new offering for anyone
looking for a thin, svelte smartphone. Although it costs £480, at first sight,
you may mistake it for a high-end choice. It feels unique thanks to the curved
glass and slim shape, and the AMOLED display looks stunning.
Honor has improved the photo and video quality this time
around with a new 54MP Sony camera sensor, the follow-up to last year's Honor
50 (an excellent phone with a terrible camera). For further versatility, it is
combined with a 50MP ultra-wide camera that also functions as a high-resolution
macro camera.
But if you look at the Honor 70's specifications, you
could see several things that aren't there. There is no wireless charging,
although the less expensive Nothing Phone does (1). Additionally, absent from
the Pixel 6a are water resistance and optical image stabilization (OIS), both
of which are included in the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G. What's more, the starting
price of all three phones is £399, which is £80 cheaper than the Honor's.
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| Honor 70 |
The Honor 70's lightweight, svelte, and opulent
appearance gives a superb first impression. With a 7.91mm profile, it has a
small profile, but the phone seems even more elegant because of the curved
front and rear glass. The placement of the two camera rings around the rear is
also done nicely.
Although the frame appears to be made of metal, it is
plastic. Because of this, while having a large screen, it weighs 178g less than
the majority of competitors. When compared to the 240g iPhone 13 Pro Max,
Honor's debut feels like a thin waif. Additionally, compared to most other
possibilities under £500, it appears more upscale.
Light is wonderfully diffused by our Emerald Green review
unit. The phone is also available in glossy Midnight Black or semi-frosted
Crystal Silver, both of which have diamond patterns across the back. Due to
their superior ability to deter fingerprints, we'd recommend either the green
or silver. To keep your Honor 70 smudge-free, all three come with a case in the
box.
With a single speaker at the bottom, a USB-C port, a SIM
card slot, and all the buttons on the right side, Honor keeps the connections
and buttons straightforward. However, because there is no IP rating, you should
keep them well away from water.
Screen: colorful curves
At first glance, the Honor 70's screen appears to be
top-tier thanks to its curves, 6.7-inch size, HDR10 certification, and that
silky 120Hz dynamic refresh rate. Despite having high refresh rates, certain
competitors, such as the Oppo Reno 8 Pro, do not dynamically flip between 60
and 120Hz to conserve battery. It's great that Honor has this capability on
their elegant midrange.
The brightness of the AMOLED display is great, peaking at
about 900 nits in direct sunshine with auto brightness turned on or 400 nits
with manual brightness turned on. Although not the best in its class, this
should nevertheless provide an adequate watching experience in all but the
brightest lighting conditions. Colors pop, there is nice depth and contrast,
and Honor also offers the ability to customize the screen experience while
watching inside.
The Honor 70's Full HD resolution means it isn't as crisp
as some flagship phones, but it compares favorably to its midrange rivals. The
pixel density for the 24001080 resolution is 395 pixels per inch.
Camera
Honor 70
The Honor 70's cameras, in addition to the appearance and
display, are excellent. The primary camera uses a brand-new Sony IMX800 sensor.
This is the first time we've seen it in a phone, and with a 1/1.49in size and
54MP resolution, it's well-specced compared to competitors with comparable
prices. However, the absence of optical image stabilization may compromise the
phone's performance in low light.
The ultra-wide camera has a 50MP sensor and an f/2.2
autofocus lens with macro capabilities, making it a high-resolution device as
well. The 2MP depth camera, which is the last one, is useful for portrait
photographs and video.
The company's computational photography engine, HONOR
Image Engine, which made the Honor Magic 4 Pro so excellent, is also available
for the first time on a midrange phone with the Honor 70.
In most circumstances, all of this camera technology
results in attractive images. The photos taken with the Honor 70 have good
dynamic range, good color accuracy, and great detail and natural contrast. We
enjoy the fact that the ultra-wide doesn't fall short, with its pictures not
performing significantly worse than the primary camera, making it one of the
better camera phone systems available for the price. Images don't appear too
processed when you zoom in, allowing you flexibility for changes.
However, if you don't have a telephoto camera, zooming
more than twice or three times isn't practical if you want to maintain quality.
Additionally, nighttime photographs lose some clarity, particularly when
capturing moving scenes. Still has amazing noise management, and immobile
things photographed at night look fantastic.
Also, a capable video camera is the Honor 70. The footage
appears steady and crisp and it captures up to 4K quality (at 30fps). The new
Solo Cut option, which simultaneously records a tall portrait video and a wide
landscape video, is entertaining for users of Instagram and TikTok. It may
follow a subject and maintain them in the frame throughout the whole video..
Fans of taking selfies now have a front camera with a
good 32 MP quality, making portrait shots seem balanced and detailed (once you
turn off beauty mode).
Performance & software
The Honor 70's internal Snapdragon 778G Plus is the same 5G, 6nm processor used in the Nothing Phone (1). In previous tests, the 778G Plus didn't exhibit any performance issues, so things are decent in terms of gaming and everyday speed.
For around the same price, you can get more powerful gaming smartphones
like the Black shark 5 and the Poco F4, which has a Snapdragon 870 processor
that is marginally more potent. While we'd advise another smartphone for gaming
that prioritizes grunt, the Honor 70 shouldn't experience any lag for casual
smartphone users.
The phone is also available in two other configurations: 8GB RAM and
128GB storage (£480) or 8GB RAM and 256GB storage (£530). Because it lacks an
SD card slot, the higher-capacity option could be preferable if you like to
horde apps or files or enjoy shooting huge 4K films.
The Honor 70's UI is one of its least appealing features. While Magic UI
6 runs on top of Android 12 it comes pre-installed with a tonne of bloatware,
including both Honor and third-party apps. Being nearly identical to Huawei's
EMUI, it also has an old Huawei phone appearance and feels. We like that Honor,
unlike Huawei, offers us access to the Google Play Store right out of the box,
but we're eager to see how the company will distinguish itself with its new
Magic UI 7 user interface, which was hinted at during IFA 2022. On the bright
side, the UI is dependable and fluid, so the user experience isn't poor by any
means; it might just be improved.
Battery life:
The Honor 70's somewhat lower 4800mAh battery doesn't hold it back, even
though most modern smartphones have big 5000mAh batteries. The phone indeed has
a big, power-hungry screen, but thanks to its dynamic refresh rate and somewhat
slow processor, it can still last through a whole day without feeling strained.
The Honor 70 charges to around 50% in 20 minutes and may reach 100% in
under an hour thanks to 66W rapid wired charging (and a fast charger included
with the phone). Given that it's becoming more common in midrange phones, the
absence of wireless charging in this device is a bit disappointing. Even said,
a wireless charging module may have jeopardized the Honor 70's elegant, narrow
appearance, which is one of its main selling qualities.
Verdict of honor 70
The Honor 70 unabashedly puts the performance of the camera, screen, and
camera over anything else. In those respects, it's an excellent smartphone, and
we'd even go so far as to call it the finest in its class for anyone wishing to
view the video on a sleek, luxurious-looking phone for less than £500. Its
performance and battery life are impressive, and with a competent camera in
most circumstances, it covers the essentials.
When you look at the nice-to-haves (features like wireless charging,
water resistance, stereo speakers, and optical image stabilization) that’s
where the Honor 70’s compromises are. Still, most people can live without any
of those. Plus, no phone at the price packs all of them, and any alternatives
that feature one or two aren’t as sleek as the Honor 70.
Honor 70 tech specification
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Screen |
6.7in, 2400×1080 OLED w/ 120Hz
refresh rate |
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CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus |
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Memory |
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Cameras |
54MP + 50MP + 2MP rear |
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Storage |
128/256GB |
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Operating system |
Android 12 w/ Magic UI |
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4800mAH |
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Dimensions |
TBC |
