General

Honor 70 review: the first smartphone with a super camera Sony IMX 800 54 MP

Table of Contents

  • Positioning
  • Specifications
  • Appearance
  • Screen</ p>
    • Simplified Mode
  • Performance
  • Camera
  • Battery life
  • Communications and communications
  • Conclusion

Positioning

Honor 70 is a mid-range smartphonecategory "affordable flagship" for creative people who love to shoot photos and videos. Accordingly, the emphasis is on camera capabilities, screen quality and chipset performance.

The Honor 70 is already on sale in Europe and Asia and has won the prestigious EISA Best Product award in the Smartphone category.

Let's immediately analyze the smartphone for the pros and cons.

He has quite a few advantages. And, probably, Honor 70 can be considered the best photo smartphone in the segment under 40 thousand rubles.

Pros:

  • The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset (6 nm manufacturing process) combines high performance and energy efficiency. Even after 4-5 years, the chipset will be able to run any application;
  • OLED screen with a color depth of 10 bits, displaying more than 1 billion colors, with a refresh rate of 120 Hz;
  • Separately, we note the high brightness of the screen - 792 nits;
  • Camera system of two lenses 54 MP (this is the IMX800 sensor) + ultra wide-angle 50 MP. They are assisted by a 2 MP depth sensor (for portraits);
  • Front camera 32 MP;
  • The back panel from opaque glass on which fingerprints do not remain;
  • Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G support;
  • There is NFC, support for Mir cards;
  • Optical fingerprint scanner under the screen;
  • 4800 mAh battery + 66 W fast charging;
  • Fresh version of Android, Google services, Magic UI 6.1 skin, plans to upgrade to Android 13.

However, the smartphone also has disadvantages:

  • No 3.5 connector;
  • No stereo speakers;
  • No FM radio;
  • No case included;
  • There is no built-in recording of phone calls.

And separately it is necessary to mention two interesting highlights of the camera:

  • Powerful features for video diaries, vlogs andstreamers. During video shooting, you can shoot simultaneously on the main and front cameras by switching modes. For example, you can make a transition from the main camera to the front, then split the screen in half, then start the picture-in-picture mode. The result is one file with smooth transitions.
  • Smart video focus - a new mode when shooting video,allows you to always keep the selected object in focus. As a result, the user receives two videos - one with the selected object in focus, the other with a general plan.

Specifications

  • CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (6 nm), 8 cores (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A55), Adreno 642L graphics
  • operating system: Android 12, Magic UI 6.1 shell
  • Memory: 8 GB / 128/256 GB, no memory card slot
  • Screen: 6.67 inches, OLED, 2400 x 1080 dots, 395 ppi, 1 billion colors (10-bit), HDR10+, 120 Hz
  • Battery: 4800 mAh, fast charging 66 W
  • Main camera:
    • 54 MP, f/1.9, (wide angle), 1/1.49″, PDAF
    • 50 MP, f/2.2, 122˚ (ultra wide), AF
    • 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
    • Video recording 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
  • Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.4, (wide)
  • SIM card: 2 Nano SIM
  • Network and data transfer: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB Type-C 2.0
  • Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, BDS
  • Sensors: under-display fingerprint scanner (optical), accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass
  • Other: no 3.5mm jack, no FM radio
  • Dimensions: 161.4 x 73.3 x 7.9mm, weight 178g

Comes with smartphone and charger only.

Appearance

The Honor 70 is a sleek smartphone thanks torounded edges perfectly lying in the hand. The design of the smartphone gives the illusion that this is a compact model, but in terms of size and weight, this is a typical device of 2022 (161.4 x 73.3 x 7.9 mm, weight 178 g).

The back panel is made of frosted glass with a slightly velvety texture. The main feature of the panel is that it does not catch fingerprints and dirt.

A 6.67-inch screen with symmetrically thin bezels and no typical chin.

The speaker is located at the top end. A protective film is attached to the screen from the factory. At the end there is a second microphone for noise reduction.

There are no controls on the left side, while the power and volume buttons are on the right side.

At the bottom there is a slot for 2 Nano-SIM cards, a Type-C power connector, a speaker.

The smartphone looks and feels like a completeflagship. Still not knowing the cost, I took the smartphone in my hands and thought that the price tag would be at the level of 50-55 thousand rubles. So 35,990 rubles in retail for Honor 70 is a pleasant surprise.

Screen

Honor smartphones have always been famous for their screens.Honor 70 is no exception. The smartphone uses a luscious 6.67-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 2400 by 1080 pixels, displaying over a billion colors (10-bit color) and having a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Of course, the smartphone supports HDR10+. A protective film is attached to the screen from the factory.

The screen has an impressive margin of brightness - almost 800nit. Even in the bright sun, it will be comfortable to use. A particularly bright screen is useful when taking photographs, as it allows you to immediately understand how the photo will look.

The screen has several color profiles, plusmanual color adjustment is available. By default, the "Bright" profile is selected, thanks to which the screen, as they say, shines "for all the money." The colors are not just juicy, but even slightly acidic. It certainly looks impressive. It is worth turning on some bright video on YouTube in the subway, and you can be sure that everyone will watch.

However, the “Bright” profile has relativelylow color accuracy. This is a typical occurrence. But the “Normal” profile, on the contrary, has the same accuracy as the best monitors for design and printing. The so-called delta E here is less than 2, that is, the smartphone can really be used as a color reference.

The rest of the settings are standard for Android smartphones. Perhaps, separately, I just want to mention the option that offers to make the font bold (you can also change the font size next door).

Finally, I want to talk about the Always-On display. Many design options, you can create your own inscriptions. Always-On can work both constantly and on schedule or waking up from touch.

Simplified Mode

Separately, I decided to mention that Honor 70 hassimplified screen mode with large icons and captions. Usually this mode is called "For the elderly." The first two screens contain the main and most necessary applications. The settings screen is also large, plus the icons are multi-colored, so in theory the user will be able to navigate without glasses.

Performance

Honor 70 is Snapdragon 778G+ 5G by process technology6nm, 8GB RAM + 2GB virtual RAM and 256GB storage. The smartphone offers an increased level of performance, which is enough for any games and applications.

But I want to start with one nice featurechipset. Snapdragon 778G+ is absolutely not subject to throttling, that is, it does not degrade performance under load. Accordingly, in the same games, you can not be afraid of problems with frame drawdown.

Smartphones use RAMshowing average speed results. But the speed of the drive, with which 2 GB of additional virtual memory is allocated, is almost a record. Not all flagships are equipped with such high-speed drives.

In the AnTuTu 9 test, the smartphone received 534 thousand points. And this is the maximum value that this chipset can “knock out”, that is, in terms of optimization, Honor engineers have worked hard.

Given the test results (lack ofthrottling, high performance, record-breaking storage speed) and a powerful 120Hz OLED screen, it's even strange that Honor 70 is not promoted as a gaming smartphone. On the English-language official page of the smartphone, it is only briefly written that GPU Turbo X graphics make it possible to play any game at high settings. Turbo graphics refers to the G in the Snapdragon 778G+ name. It means that the chipset has a video accelerator with increased performance.

Life is Strange was originally made forgame consoles PlayStation 4, and then for PC. This is an interesting story that has collected many awards for both graphics and story (including "Best Interactive Story"). Once made for consoles, the game now runs at high graphics settings on the Honor 70.

So keep in mind that the smartphone is suitable for any game, from simple casual games to the most demanding ones (like Genshin Impact).

Camera

The camera is the main highlight of the Honor 70.

The main camera is a system of 3 lenses:

  • 54 MP, f/1.9, (wide angle), 1/1.49″, PDAF
  • 50 MP, f/2.2, 122˚ (ultra wide), AF
  • 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)

The star of the trio is Sony's 54MP IMX800 module withautofocus across the frame. Thanks to this, for example, it is possible to avoid the eternal problem of 108 MP lenses, in which objects at the edges of the frame are blurred.

The camera interface is concise and intuitive.However, the easiest way is to turn on artificial intelligence, which will recognize objects in the frame and suggest the appropriate modes (night, portrait, ultra-wide angle, macro, etc.).

Below are some examples of daytime photography. Note the excellent detail, dynamic range, and accurate white balance. Keep in mind that all photos are taken on a point-and-shoot basis.

However, the most striking discovery was50 MP ultra wide-angle lens. It probably happened in contrast. Today, many smartphones have good main cameras, but as “ultra-wides” they put mediocre muddy modules of 8 MP or 13 MP. Against this background, the 50 MP module in Honor 70 is perceived in the same way as opening a dirty window through which you looked before. The module has minimal distortion, excellent color reproduction, accurate white balance and simply gorgeous sharpness both in the center and at the edges of the frame.

The discovery was the presence of a macro mode.For this, an ultra-wide-angle module is used (by the way, it has autofocus). I discovered the presence of a macro mode by accident when I wanted to take a picture of a cup of coffee. The smartphone itself switched to macro mode and quickly focused.

For night shooting, you can put 5 points. Enjoy image clarity and minimal noise. At the same time, again, the smartphone itself switches to night mode, without requiring action from the user.

The 32 MP front camera takes great selfies and portraits with blurry backgrounds.

  • Original photos (zip, 100 MB)

The Honor 70 has already been dubbed the best smartphone for vlogging in the English-language press.

First, Honor 70 has a powerful mode"Multivideo", which allows you to shoot video by switching between the main and front cameras, changing the location of the windows. For Stories on social networks, an indispensable thing.

Secondly, there is an auto-tracking mode that allows you to choose the subject that the camera will always keep in the center of the frame.

Examples of video filming in multi-video format are attached with the links below.

  • Sample video (MP4, 55 MB)

Battery life

Considering the large and bright screen, the timeThe battery life of the Honor 70 is pleasantly surprising. So, in the PC Mark test, which simulates everyday work scenarios (the Internet, editing photo and video, working with documents, etc.), the smartphone lasted almost 9 hours. Approximately the average user can count on such a screen time.

However, of course, the time of work depends on the tasks.So, at maximum brightness, playing Call of Duty Mobile, you can get a little less than 6 hours of battery life. Another point is that the smartphone comes with a 66 W fast charge, which will charge the smartphone from 0 to 70% in half an hour (up to 100% will take 50 minutes). At these speeds, battery life generally takes a backseat. Why bother with a charge when 10-15 minutes of charging will give half a day of work.

Communications and communications

Honor 70 has a full range of modern sensors and communications versions. Let's go in order:

  • There is support for 5G (suddenly you go abroad or go for a walk in Moscow to VDNKh);
  • There is VoLTE and VoWiFi (everything works!);
  • There is Wi-Fi 6;
  • Bluetooth 5.2 LE, supports AptX HD codec;
  • At the access point, you can choose to distribute Wi-Fi at a frequency of 5 GHz;
  • A complete set of all sensors - from the accelerometer to the compass;
  • The scanner is located under the screen. Works great;
  • NFC works great with Mir cards.

Perhaps the only downside is the lack of a built-in recording of telephone conversations.

The smartphone is running Android 12 with the MagicUI 6 shell. Just at the time of writing the review, version 6.1 arrived.

MagicUI 6 is a lightweight and fast shell fromHonor, where there are no built-in ads or pre-installed applications that cannot be removed. In the near future, we will certainly publish a detailed review of the shell and add a link.

Conclusion

Honor 70 turned out to be one of the most interestingsmartphones in the Russian market. An extremely balanced device without obvious failures or shortcomings. Honor has chosen to position the Honor 70 as a photo smartphone, but given the powerful chipset and high-speed memory, it could easily be a gaming smartphone. And if you focus on a bright screen with high-precision color reproduction, then this is already a smartphone for designers or moviegoers.

But, perhaps most of all, the price pleases.In MegaFon or MTS stores, Honor 70 is sold for 35,990 rubles for an 8 + 2 GB / 128 GB configuration. At the same time, the closest competitors, who can compete with the Honor 70 in terms of performance and camera quality, start at 45 thousand rubles.

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