Until three years ago, Honor was Huawei’s low cost brand: the parent company seemed destined for an irresistible rise in the world of smartphones, even going so far as to undermine Apple and aimed for first place, firmly occupied by Samsung. Then there was the Android ban decided by Trump in May 2019 and confirmed by Biden, then the pandemic, and the lack of chips. Today Huawei tries to reinvent itself in other sectors, primarily that of computers, while Honor, step by step, has become an important reality in the smartphone sector. There is no longer any link between the two companies.
And if another confirmation of Honor’s new role were needed, CEO George Zhao (virtually) went up on the main stage of the Ifa, to think about the latest developments in mobile technology and the advantages of an ecosystem of products capable of working together. It was also one of the few major launches dedicated to an Ifa smartphone.
The new smartphone
The new flagship Honor 70 is equipped with an innovative three-camera system and an elegant symmetrical and curved design, at an affordable price, considering the features of a premium smartphone. So the new phone was voted “best buy” of the season by an expert jury, winning the EISA Awards. “At Honor we always listen to our customers and optimize our products and services to meet the needs of ever-changing consumers.” declares Zhao.
And if consumers ask for video-specific features, here’s the AI-powered Solo Cut mode, which lets you make two videos simultaneously, one centered on a selected subject, the other showing the entire scene. This way you can quickly create vertical videos optimized for social media such as TikTok or Instagram and at the same time a horizontal video for all other uses. “The Honor 70 series offers a significant leap forward in imaging and video performance, perfect for the younger generation who want innovative technologies and creative solutions when it comes to creating content,” comments Zhao.
The Solo Cut mode, based on artificial intelligence, allows you to simultaneously make two videos, one centered on a selected subject, the other showing the entire scene. This way you can quickly create social-optimized vertical videos and a horizontal movie for all other uses at the same time.
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The photographic sector
Equipped with a triple-lens camera system that supports wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle image capture, accompanied by a depth sensor, this Android smartphone offers the best photo quality in its class according to Honor.
Also thanks to Sony’s new 1 / 1.49 “IMX800 sensor, capable of capturing a greater amount of light for brighter and more detailed images, especially in night and backlit scenarios. There is also a 50MP Ultra-Wide camera 122 ° which, if desired, acts as a macro camera. There is no shortage of electronic image stabilization (EIS) and optical stabilization, to obtain always sharp images. Honor also has its own chip dedicated to computational photography; it is called Image Engine and makes extensive use artificial intelligence to optimize photos and videos.
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Design
“We know that most smartphones look alike. To stand out, Honor 70 has a “dual ring” design, embellished with a pattern on the rear shell that we called the Diamond Pattern ”, Tony Ran, President of Honor Europe, explained on the stage of Ifa. “It also weighs only 171 grams and is very thin, to improve ergonomics and the user experience”. The display is a 6.67-inch oled with 58 ° curvature on the edges. It is the first smartphone of the Chinese company equipped with the latest Magic UI 6.1 interface based on Android 12.
Honor 70 adopts Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G mobile platform for communications, gaming, audio and more. The recharge is very fast: 45 minutes are enough to reach 100%.
Prices and availability
Honor 70 can be pre-ordered from 2 to 9 September on Hihonor.com in green, black or silver. The price starts at € 549.90 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration. The version with 256GB costs 50 euros more and is in our opinion the one with the best ratio between price and features. From 9 September Honor 70 can also be purchased on Amazon, again starting from 549.90 euros. Finally, it will also be available in the electronics stores and in the points of sale of the partner Wind.
The rest
In Italy, the Honor ecosystem is not yet complete: for now, in fact, neither the computer nor the tablet that the company presented at the Ifa will arrive.
The MagicBook 14 laptop is a productivity laptop that is all about energy efficiency and long battery life. Thanks to the 75Wh charge unit, the Magic Book has a good technical equipment: it arrives on the market with a 12th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage space. Prices start at € 1099, but there is also a € 1299 version, which can be enhanced with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050 graphics card.
Honor Pad 8 is a tablet designed to meet the productivity and entertainment needs of students and young professionals. It combines a 12-inch 2K FullView display with an 87% screen-to-body ratio and supports a resolution of 2000×1200 pixels and 1 billion colors with eight built-in speakers. The interface is the Android-based Magic UI 6.1, with Google Play Services, while the 7250 mAh battery guarantees a full day of operation, allowing you to always stay connected.