The story of how the American government fell out with the Chinese corporation Huawei (and therefore with its "daughter" Honor) would not be particularly interesting to us, ordinary users, if not for one "but". Since Huawei is now blacklisted, the American corporation Google broke off relations with it, depriving new Honor smartphones of Google Play and Google Play Protect services. However, they will continue to work on previously released smartphones.
Whether you decide to buy a beautiful, powerful and relatively inexpensive gadget, but without Google Play, is up to you. We will present both the novelties of Honor smartphones in 2020, and the popular models released last year.
10. Honor 9X
- smartphone with Android 9.0
- screen 6.59 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- dual camera 48 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, slot for memory card
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 4 GB
- battery 4000 mAh
The Honor smartphone rating opens with a gadget whose main highlight is the presence of a retractable camera. It works on the Kirin 710 chipset, and the Mali-G51 MP4 video accelerator with Turbo 3.0 allows players to play the most popular games such as PUBG Mobile, Vainglory, Arena of Valor, NBA 2K18, at low and medium graphics settings.
The IPS screen has a high contrast ratio of 1285: 1 and a good white balance. Granularity and dullness, which inexpensive mobile phones often sin, are not noticed in this model.
On the back of the device is a dual camera (48MP main sensor + bokeh sensor) with AIS Super Night mode, designed to improve the quality of shooting in low light. Hidden on the front is a 16MP f / 2.2 aperture pop-up camera that pops out automatically when you engage portrait or selfie mode.
The Honor 9X is equipped with a 4000 mAh battery with standard 5 V / 2 A charging. According to the owners of the smartphone, with the most active use, its autonomy lasts for the whole day.
pros: there is a standard headphone jack, a case is included in the package, you can make contactless payments, which the older Premium model cannot boast of.
Minuses: No notification LED, no fast charging.
9. Honor 9A
- smartphone with Android 10
- screen 6.3 ″, resolution 1600 × 720
- three cameras 13 MP / 5 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 64 GB, memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 3 GB
- battery 5000 mAh
One of the novelties of Honor smartphones has three important advantages at once:
- Availability of an NFC chip for making contactless payments.
- An excellent battery that many will envy smartphones with a good camera and battery.
- Low price.
However, for the sake of cost, the manufacturer still had to sacrifice something. Namely:
- Fast charging.
- Complete set. There is no cover, it's good that at least a protective film was glued to the screen.
- The quality of the screen, which has only 278 ppi, and the resolution is not impressive. But at the same time, it is bright enough and without any ugly "monobrows", but only with a small droplet in which the front camera is hidden.
An important point: this model does not have Google Play support, instead it has a branded App Gallery store.
The inexpensive but good Honor smartphone runs smoothly and quickly thanks to the MediaTek Helio P22 processor. Not the best option for heavy gaming, but for casual gaming sessions and day to day tasks, it's a great choice.
With regard to the possibilities of photo and video shooting, in this regard, this model is a pleasant surprise.She received a triple rear camera with a wide-angle module and an auxiliary sensor to create a high-quality bokeh effect. So choose good lighting conditions and your shot will be perfectly detailed without annoying overshoot or artifacts.
pros: fast fingerprint scanner, face unlock, separate memory card slot, wired headphones can be connected via 3.5 mm audio jack.
Minuses: outdated charging connector.
8. Honor 8S
- smartphone with Android 9.0
- screen 5.71 ″, resolution 1520 × 720
- 13 MP camera, autofocus
- memory 32 GB, memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
- RAM 2 GB
- battery 3020 mAh
Whether you need a backup smartphone, a beautiful and easy-to-use mobile phone for a kid, or just a no-nonsense device, the Honor 8S is a good choice.
Considering its unassuming stuffing: a MediaTek Helio P35 chip, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of flash, and a 3,020mAh battery, this model has nothing to surprise us with. A single 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera shoot well if you do it in normal lighting. Otherwise, the photo will contain “soap” and artifacts.
But the Honor 8S can be bought for less than £ 1,000, so you get exactly what you pay for.
pros: there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, fits comfortably even in a small palm, non-marking body, bright screen with good viewing angles.
Minuses: no fast charging, no case included, little RAM.
7. Honor 10
- smartphone with Android 8.1
- support for two SIM-cards
- 5.84 ″ screen, 2280 × 1080 resolution
- dual camera 16 MP / 24 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, no memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 4 GB
- battery 3400 mAh
This smartphone is a real find for those who don't like shovel phones. It lies like a glove in a small palm. And thanks to the high resolution of the screen and a decent margin of brightness, reading texts on the display of Honor 10 is easy and pleasant even outdoors on a sunny day.
The HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor represents a respectable mid-range performance in the mobile world. He, of course, will not score as many "parrots" in the Antutu test as the flagships, but it will pull modern games at maximum or, in extreme cases, medium settings.
The main dual camera with AI technology captures excellently even in automatic mode, and has many fine settings for shooting in manual mode. The front 24 MP camera has several degrees of beautification, so you can always take a beautiful selfie with good color reproduction, and if necessary, even with manual background blur.
pros: beautiful design, event light, 3.5 mm jack, fast charging, protective case included.
Minuses: no wireless charging, the fingerprint scanner does not always work the first time.
6. Honor 30
- smartphone with Android 10
- screen 6.53 ″, resolution 2400 × 1080
- four cameras 40 MP / 8 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, no memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 8 GB
- battery 4000 mAh
One of the most powerful Honor smartphones is powered by an eight-core Hisilicon Kirin 985 chipset with support for fifth generation networks and is equipped with a long-life battery with fast charging function. So this is definitely a top-tier phone in terms of basic specs, and you shouldn't have any problems with day-to-day performance and modern gaming.
The main camera shoots at 10MP by default. To activate the 40 MP mode, select the Hi-Res option in the camera settings. It has optical stabilization, and even in automatic mode, it can take fairly clear and bright pictures even in poor lighting conditions thanks to the night mode. For advanced users, there is a Pro-mode with many settings to improve the quality of photos.
However, there are no Google services in this smartphone.
pros: juicy, very bright and contrast OLED screen with a built-in fingerprint scanner, there is AOD, high performance, beautiful design, case included.
Minuses: no 3.5mm audio jack, no stereo speakers, no wireless charging.
5. Honor 30 Pro +
- smartphone with Android 10
- screen 6.57 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- three cameras 50 MP / 8 MP / 16 MP, autofocus
- memory 256 GB, slot for memory card
- 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 8 GB
- battery 4000 mAh
Yes, this is not the cheapest Honor smartphone, but its price is justified by the capabilities. The screen with a fashionable cutout for a dual front camera (32MP + 8MP) and a high-quality OLED matrix has a refresh rate of 90 Hz. So watching movies and playing games on it is a visual pleasure.
The flagship HiSilicon Kirin 990 processor supports 5G networks and supports a "productive mode", which, according to the manufacturer, "lends itself to power" by 8%. All games and heavy applications on the Honor 30 Pro + run at maximum speed, without freezes and slowdowns.
The smartphone comes with a 40W fast charging, which powers the battery up to 100% in one hour. There's also 7.5W wireless reversing charging and 27W wireless charging.
The main module of the rear camera has a maximum resolution of 50 MP, but when shooting it interpolates 4 in 1. The photos are as detailed as possible, without overexposure and with the correct color rendition. Note the presence of an excellent night mode, although a side effect of its aggressive "lightening" is a yellow tint.
pros: 5x optical and 50x software zoom for the main camera, lightning-fast fingerprint scanner, case and Type-C-3.5 mm adapter included.
Minuses: no google services.
4. Honor View 30 Pro
- smartphone with Android 10
- screen 6.57 ″, resolution 2400 × 1080
- three cameras 40 MP / 12 MP / 8 MP, autofocus
- memory 256 GB, no memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 8 GB
- battery 4100 mAh
The Honor View 30 series is probably the closest to Huawei's flagship lineup. Its representatives are equipped with the "heart of flagships" - the Kirin 990 chipset with 5G connectivity and large batteries with 40W fast charging.
The Honor View 30 Pro phone also offers a 40MP camera for superior low-light performance, an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, a 12MP wide-angle module, and a dual selfie camera (32MP and 8MP ultra-wide).
However, there is one caveat: these devices do not have Google Play services. This means that without "dancing with tambourines" and reading specialized forums, such as w3bsit3-dns.com, you will not be able to install the Play Store. However, the Honor View 30 Pro is one of the best Honor phones in terms of specs.
pros: there is wireless charging, long-term autonomy, does not heat up during long-term photo or video shooting, instant unlocking by fingerprint or face, one of the best cameras in a smartphone.
Minuses: lack of Google services (including Google Pay, but you can set up contactless payment through Pay Wallet).
3. Honor 20 Lite
- smartphone with Android 9.0
- screen 6.15 ″, resolution 2312 × 1080
- three cameras 48 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, slot for memory card
- 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 4 GB
- battery 3340 mAh
The top 3 best Honor smartphones in 2020 are opened by an inexpensive and at the same time very attractive model. It shares some of the traits of its predecessor, the Honor 10 Lite, such as a 6.2-inch IPS LCD screen with a teardrop notch or thin bezels around the screen. But on the back, an important difference from the 10 Lite is immediately noticeable - three photo sensors located vertically.
To level best camera phone, demonstrated in 2020 Huawei P40 Pro, this model is far away, but it takes quite high-quality photos in detail and color reproduction. However, overexposure is sometimes noticeable in pictures in bright light.
Compared to the Honor 10 Lite, the technical specifications of the Honor 20 Lite are slightly improved. On the front side we will find an excellent 24 megapixel front camera, and under the "hood" - a mid-performance Kirin 710 processor, supported by 4 GB of RAM (hence 1 GB more than the 10 Lite), as well as a 3400 mAh battery with the function fast charging.
pros: availability of Google services, the ability to make contactless payments, a fast and smooth interface.
Minuses: no wireless charging, low battery capacity, the camera module bulges out - but this is the problem with most modern models.
2. Honor 20
- smartphone with Android 9.0
- screen 6.26 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- four cameras 48 MP / 16 MP / 2 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 128 GB, no memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 6 GB
- battery 3750 mAh
The middle ground for price and performance among the best Honor smartphones. The model is quite compact thanks to the 6.24-inch IPS-screen. As usual, the manufacturer added stylized effects on the back to grab the audience's attention. Whether you like it or not, the Honor 20's design clearly leaves no one indifferent.
The main camera of this device provides the versatility that its predecessor lacked. With an ultra-wide angle lens, a macro lens, portrait mode, and even an efficient night mode, the Honor 20 has it all to meet the needs of mobile shooters.
Finally, it is based on the Kirin 980 platform with 6 or 8 GB of RAM depending on the model. This combination is highly effective for enjoying a perfectly smooth user interface on a daily basis, as well as immersing yourself in the most demanding mobile games.
pros: Under average load, lasts up to 2 days on a single charge, there is a fast charge SuperCharge 22.5W.
Minuses: no wireless charging, no 3.5 mm headphone jack.
1. Honor 20 Pro
- smartphone with Android 9.0
- screen 6.26 ″, resolution 2340 × 1080
- four cameras 48 MP / 16 MP / 8 MP / 2 MP, autofocus
- memory 256 GB, no memory card slot
- 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC
- RAM 8 GB
- battery 4000 mAh
Want a powerful Honor device with Google Play? Then the Honor 20 series is your best bet and the Honor 20 Pro is the best device in the family. It is equipped with HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor and Mali-G76 MP10 video processor, which can handle any task, including launching and smoothly playing the latest games.
For this price, I would like to find an AMOLED matrix in the Pro version, but no. We find the same IPS LCD screen as the Honor 20, with a 6.26-inch diagonal and Full HD resolution. It is unpleasant, but not so much as to refuse to buy, because the screen of this model is good enough in terms of color rendition and stock of rage.
Compared to the Honor 20, the Pro version has improved photo quality. It still has a 4-sensor module, but the main 48-megapixel IMX586 sensor offers a large aperture ranging from f / 1.8 to f / 1.4 to capture more light than before. In addition, the 2MP camera, which was designed for portrait mode, is replaced here with a telephoto lens to achieve 3x optical zoom.
Autonomy has also been revised upwards. Instead of a 3750mAh battery, the Honor 20 Pro raises the bar to 4000mAh. You probably think 250mAh doesn't really matter, but think again. In the Viser test, the Pro model lasted 13 hours and 24 minutes, while the classic model lasted 11 hours and 22 minutes. The only downside to the Honor 20 Pro's battery is the lack of wireless charging.
pros: Best Honor Smartphone 2020 in terms of value for money, supports fast charging, high battery life.
Minuses: No 3.5mm audio jack, no IP rating for water and dust resistance, IPS matrix, not AMOLED.