Honor a IFA 2022 announced his new smartphone, Honor 70: we tested it both in Berlin and Italy for this review. A smartphone that ranks in the mid-range price range, but boasts a state-of-the-art photo system and slim design and the curved screen that we usually see in the higher price ranges. But this smartphone will be able to stand out in the very competitive price range around 500 euros? We tell you the strengths and weaknesses of this device, to understand if it is for you.
Our Honor 70 review
By opening the packaging of this smartphone, where do you find the 66W power supply and the USB-A / USB-cableC, in addition to a transparent cover, you might think you got the wrong box from the store. Honor 70 it doesn’t look like a mid-range smartphone.
The construction in glass and metallor, with the display edges folding to the sides, we usually only see it in a higher price range. The smartphone it also weighs only 178 grams and has a thickness of 7.9 millimeters, which seem even less when you pick it up. So much so that we ran to put the cover on when they handed it over to IFA Berlin, for fear of ruining it.
But we have to admit that, once tested longer, the grip on the device is firm and very good usability. However, not everyone likes displays that curve to the side when they are held in the hand: but we found ourselves very well. Also because, despite the generous dimensions (height and width from 161.4 x 73.3 millimeters), using it with one hand is very convenient.
The only entrance is there‘USB-C in basso, where you can also find the entrance for the dual nano-SIM and the only speaker. That sounds pretty good, although we would have preferred stereo audio (and maybe a headphone jack). All the keys are located on the right and give an excellent touch sensation.
Turning the smartphone you find two large circles at the top left which house the three cameras and the flash. It seems to us an interesting choice, even if not completely new (and even if it holds some dust). Honor 70 is a smartphone that is beautiful to look at and well built, which is fully worth its price and could pass for a smartphone that costs even more.
We have received the version for this review Midnight Black, but in Berlin we compared the colors with the Honor 70 received from colleagues from other newspapers. If black is really elegant, theEmerald Green has character and the “diamond” texture of Crystal Silver it’s unique. You can hardly go wrong: they are three beautiful colors, in our opinion.
A truly elegant screen
Il 6.67-inch OLED display it is big and of great quality. It has a pixel density of 395 ppi and a refresh rate from 120Hz, which also allows you to enable the Always-On screen. The brightness appears excellent in all light conditions and the billion colors promised by the brand can be seen all over.
Honor uses variable lock screen wallpapers by default and it’s easy to see why – they want to show you how images look great on this smartphoneAnd. A truly superior display.
The only flaw we can find is that on the sides, where it bends towards the frames, the image is less bright, something appreciable especially when you have a white screen (for example reading our site in daytime mode). But we’re looking for a nit and are undoubtedly influenced by our preference for flat screens.
The fingerprint sensor on the screen is very fast, one of the best we have found. We never had any delays, except with wet fingers (but not when just wet like after a run). Passed with full marks.
Chip and software performance
Honor has chosen a processor for this smartphone Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plusocta-core con Andreno 642L GPU and 5G connectivity. A mid-range chip, no doubt. But “mid-range” means you can run any app without any problems. And even in gaming, you will begin to perceive some drops only after passing at least the hour of play with the most graphically dense titles. For anyone not looking for professional gaming, that’s more than enough.
Even the 8GB of RAM (plus 2GB of Turbo RAM) allow you to manage Android 12 without problems, with multitasking that never slows down. You can also choose between 128GB memory e 256GB, like the model under test. Here are the benchmarks of the device: solid, if not exceptional. But the exceptional really serves a small slice of users.
The Magic UI 6.1 (basata su Android 12) it is an operating system that we know and it has left us with the usual impression. At the beginning, we are a bit confused. Too many pre-installed apps that we do not use (and delete immediately), no drawer for the apps which are all on the main screen. And some software choices we don’t like (we would have preferred to have the Gboard keyboard by default, for example).
But once arranged to our liking, everything works fine. The Magic 7 with Android 13 is due to arrive soon, and our hope is that Honor will take advantage of Google’s new graphics and modernize the interface. But the customizations are already enough to be able to tailor the software experience you prefer.
Honor 70 review: camera above the average (range)
After taking our Honor 70 to Berlin for this review, we toured the city to be able to take some shots (even at night). To then continue our tests at home, with lights and setups that we know to make a comparison with the other smartphones we have tested. We were well impressed.
The main camera is a sensor Sony IMX800 da 54MP, with 1 / 1.49 “aperture, unreleased on the market. Then there is one ultra-wide da 50MPwhich also acts as a macro, with an effect bokeh and 2MP. Closes the department a 32MP front sensor.
Great main and ultra-wide sensor
Photographs with the main sensor are really great. THE there are so many details, you can easily admire the images on a large screen and edit them without fear of losing quality. We also like the way the Honor software balances the colors: the HDR effect feels and brightens the shots, but it does not distort the colors as often happens in cameras in this price range. The photos in night mode however they did not convince us as much as we hoped: the software reduces noise well (despite our not very steady hand), but the color loses some brilliance. Even here, however, we are well above average, even if there are some smartphone cameras in this range that do better.
The ultra-wide angle instead surprised us. Macros and portraits have a depth (also helped by the dedicated sensor) that is really interesting. But above all, the colors and details in the foreground shine on the screen, increasing the perception of volume. Many smartphones in this range use low-level macros: Honor 70 on the other hand in this review has shown that it knows how to do not only well but very well, even thanks to precise autofocus.
Unfortunately, a telephoto lens is missing: as you will see in the samples, up to 2x or 3x with good light everything is fine, but increasing it tends to look a bit grainy.
Videos, selfies and special features
For video, it seems to us that electronic stabilization works very well. Furthermore the transition from main to ultra-wide is not perceived (if not minimally). Register in 4K 60fps (only 30fps with ultra-wide) gives great quality results.
The 32MP front camera condense four pixels into one to provide 8MP images full of light and with a good sense of depth. If you do Stories and live often, it can become a great ally.
Among the many smart features of the Honor 70 that we tested for this review is the Solo Cut, which allows you to record a video of a group scene and see a detail of the scene in a box. For example in a dance competition it highlights only the movements of a competitor. It works quite well, although at first we struggled to figure out how to move the camera: it was natural for us to follow the foreground subject rather than the overall scene. But you get used to it and it’s an interesting feature. Although we didn’t use it much except for testing.
Below is a sample of the shots.
Battery and charging
As you have read, the Honor 70 does everything pretty well. But on autonomy it really excels. The battery from 4.800 mAh it turns out really good. We explain it to you with an anecdote: receiving the smartphone at IFA, we noticed that the percentage was 25%. Knowing that we had to spend the evening taking photos and videos, as well as using the navigator to return to our B&B, we immediately used the power bank to bring the autonomy to just over 40%.
But after using it all evening at the most, the battery was stillra above 30%. And once back home, with one intense stress test, we ended up consuming the battery up to about 35% before going to bed. With average use, it lasts quietly two days.
And charging is also excellent SuperCharge da 66W. By connecting the smartphone to 8% we arrived in a quarter of an hour above 50%. The full charge took just under 40 minutes. We don’t really know who can take advantage of a faster recharge than this.
The only flaw: wireless charging is missing. But not many smartphones in this price range have it.
Honor 70 review: is it worth buying?
The version from 8+128GB in…