Honor 90 5G marks the return of Chinese smartphone brand Honor in India, in partnership with home-grown start-up HTech. The smartphone sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED curved display of fullHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. Offered in 8GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage configurations, the smartphone is priced at Rs 37,999 but is made available with several offers that bring down the effective cost of ownership under Rs 30,000. Is it good? Let us find out:
Design
The Honor 90 5G has a premium construction. It offers a good in-hand feel, thanks to the slender form factor. The phone’s back has a glass cover of glossy texture, which looks good but attracts fingerprints and smudges. Accentuating the rear profile is the dual oval shaped camera island, which the company calls Moon Phase Ring.
The power button and volume rocker buttons are present at the right side of the frame. On the top side, there is a small opening for the noise-cancelling microphone. On the bottom side, there is a dual nano-SIM card tray, microphone and USB Type-C port.
Display and Audio
The Honor 90 5G sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED curved display of fullHD+ resolution The display supports three refresh rate modes – 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. As for the brightness, Honor said the display is capable of reaching up to 1600 nits of peak brightness. The display features 3840Hz PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) dimming that Honor said helps reduce eye fatigue significantly. The display supports always-on display mode.
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In terms of audio, the phone lacks stereo speakers but has a good bottom firing mono speaker.
Camera
The Honor 90 5G sports a triple-camera setup on the rear, featuring a 200-megapixel main camera (Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor), a 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and a 2MP depth sensing camera. On the front, the phone has a 50MP sensor. The camera system is heavily reliant on features, some of which are touted to be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). In day light condition, the images and videos come out well with accurate colour and detailing. But, zoom shots miss out on details and show sensor limitations.
In low light conditions, the main camera delivers detailed images and accurate colours. But, the light sources look overexposed and the darker areas lack details. Sometimes the images look oversaturated.
The front camera is good for selfies. It captures images with natural colour.
Performance
Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 system-on chip, the Honor 90 5G delivers modest performance. The phone delivers smooth performance in routine everyday use. It is not a gaming-grade phone, but capable of running casual games without lag or hiccups. Powered by an Android operating system with Honor MagicOS layered on top, the phone has a clean interface. HTech promised two software updates and three years of security updates for this device.
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Battery
The Honor 90 5G packs a 5,000 mAh battery, supported by 30W fast wired charger. The battery life is good and so is the charging time. However, the phone does not come with a charging adaptor in the box.
Verdict
In conclusion, the Honor 90 5G offers a balanced mix of design and features. It has a modern design, smooth display, modest performance, and a good battery life. Stereo speakers and IP rating would have added more value to the phone at this price. The camera quality is satisfactory, though not up to the mark. That said, the Honor 90 5G presents a good option in the premium midrange segment for those seeking a good display and slender form factor.
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