I like Honor. They’re clever, produce good handsets and they price them sensibly. In certain ways it’s like the early days of branded HTC handsets. HTC were always keen to show us their kit and they wanted to impress. They were proactive and eager. Now Honor are doing the same.
Today was the European launch of a handset that has already been launched in the US – the Honor 8. It features two 4-core processors, a 5.2″ Full HD screen, two 12 megapixel rear shooters (there’s a separate RGB and monochrome sensor), 8 megapixel selfie camera and a price-tag of £369.99.
Three UK will be ranging the handset exclusively here in the UK in both blue and midnight black via their various sales channels from September 9th. Buy it from them and you’ll get all the Feel at Home stuff (I tested this abroad recently here) which lets you use your phone abroad for no extra cash in 42 destinations. Tariff details to come.
We’ll have more details from the Honor 8 launch shortly, but the Honor 8 details are very decent indeed. It’s encased in glass and there seems to be a lot of goodness from the Huawei P9 we reviewed. There’s that Full HD 5.2″ screen, which we believe is the same unit, and the CPU is a Kirin octa-core CPU chipset containing an i5 co-processor. It comes with the high quality finish that we’ve seen on the Huawei kit too (for those unaware, Huawei are the people behind the Honor handsets) – a diamond-cut metal frame, 2.5D curves and a protective and flawless finish which adds a reflective colour to the paint job.
The camera setup is two 12 megapixel sensors, and yet again we’re familiar with this on the Huawei P9. Don’t forget, the Huawei P9 is £449 from vMall, whereas the Honor 8 is £369.90. Now, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that Honor told us it’d cost £369.99 and it’s actually selling on their own store for 9p less. That’s a bit of a discount, if nothing else eh 😉 However, what we should point out is that, considering how similar this is to the P9, it’s around £79 cheaper.
The dual-sensor arrangement has one RGB sensor for colours and one for detail. This adds more light and increases the dynamic range – plus you get a stack of filters and professional photography options including “slow-mo”, “food mode”, “HDR” and “super night” to name just a few. We tested this out on the P9 previously and you can see some of the resulting images.
A Selfie mode with an 8 megapixel camera is up front and, as mentioned before, there’s those two 4-core CPU’s. The first is a 4 x 2.3GHz one, and the second being a 4 x 1.8GHz one. They work together to prolong battery life and the 4 x 2.3GHz CPU is only powered up when it needs to be.
A fingerprint sensor, dual band WiFi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), 4GB RAM and 32GB of onboard memory also feature, and you can whack a microSD card in for another 128GB of storage. Power is supplied by a 3,000 mAh battery.
Get the device today from vMall and you can choose from a Pearl White, Midnight Black or Sapphire Blue one. It also includes an “Anniversary Package” worth £69.99. At Amazon, the Honor 8 will be bundled with an Amazon Fire TV Stick free of charge (while stocks last).
The new flagship device combines stunning design with state-of-the-art technology and superior camera specs
London – Honor’s newest flagship device, the much-anticipated Honor 8, has officially launched in Europe, bringing state-of-the-art mobile and camera technology into the hands of digital natives, at a price tag of just £369.99.
Every generation has its own idols, its own point of view on the world and its own rules. The Honor 8 has been specifically designed by Honor, the leading e-commerce smartphone brand for digital natives, to meet the ambitious, fast-paced lifestyles of this generation. It combines breakthrough design with supreme speed, high-quality camera capabilities and smart functions, making it the perfect match.
Premium materials and design
Encased in glass, which is made from fifteen layers of Process on the back, the handset’s sleek 5.2 inch design has an unrivalled finish. Within the layers are lithography and 3D grating coatings that come together to create lots of fine prism lines. Although invisible to the human eye, these generate bright colours for a stunning visual experience. Thanks to its 2.5D curves, the glass fits seamlessly into a diamond-cut metal frame making the device exceptional to hold, and acts as a protective layer against occasional drops and rough handling.
Two cameras join forces for extreme quality
Following with previous models, the device holds a dual camera with two 12 MP sensors; one RGB sensor to capture colours and one monochrome sensor for detail. Minus an optical filter, the monochrome sensor captures three times more light than normal, improving the dynamic range of the image and reducing noise – even in darkness – delivering unparalleled picture quality. The two sensors also enable photographers to utilise a range of filters, from setting focus after the shot to changing the appearance of the Bokeh effect.
On top of this, the Honor 8 camera supports an extensive set of functions and filters, from light painting and beauty mode to panorama frames, slow-mo, food mode, HDR, super night and water mark. In a world where we now turn the camera on ourselves, the Perfect Selfie mode will enhance every smile, pout or pose which, when combined with an 8 MP shooter on the front, promises a shareable snap. Perfect every photo or finesse video content with a whole host of editing tools to make your content stand-out whether you post it on Instagram, add it to your blog or print it for your walls.
Power in your hands
The Honor 8 has been built with a Kirin octa-core CPU chipset containing an i5 co-processor, which work in tandem to increase processing speeds, response times and battery life, making sure you are powered-up when you need to be (4x 2.3 GHz). Supporting this further, the device supports Wi-Fi connections on both bands (2.4GHz/ 5 GHz).
Smart features at your fingertips
Knowing that speed is key, Honor has made sure you can access a full set of functions in the blink of an eye with its unique Smart Key function: the fingerprint sensor acts as a multi-purpose button, where you tap, double tap or tap and hold to start apps like WhatsApp or Pokémon Go. Everything you need to keep your daily routine ticking is at your fingertips. Its Type-C USB sets a new standard in charging ports, bringing an end to fiddling with cables, as the plug fits in no matter how you turn it, on top of enabling super-fast charging in only 30 minutes from 0-50%. Honor 8’s fingerprint sensor has a self-learning capability, meaning the more it is used the faster it will perform, reaching less than 0.4 seconds.
High specs at an affordable price
The Honor 8 is available from August 24 on Honor’s vMall for an incredible offer of just £369.99, including an anniversary package worth £69.99 (while stocks last). Shoppers can choose from three colors: Pearl White, Midnight Black and Sapphire Blue. At Amazon, the Honor 8 will be bundled with an Amazon Fire TV Stick free of charge (while stocks last).
Selected online retailers like Clove, Ebuyer and Expansys will also stock the Honor 8 Sim-free along with it being available on contract exclusively at 3 in the next coming weeks.
Key specifications
Kirin 950 chipset in flagship-grade 16 nm FinFET production
Four 2.3 GHz high-performance cores and four 1.8 GHz high efficiency, energy saving cores
4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard memory, expandable up to 128 GB via microSD card
3,000 mAh(Typ.), 2900 mAh(Rat.) battery
5.2-inch Full-HD LTPS display
12MPx2 main dual camera with separate RGB and monochrome sensor, capturing more, HDR mode, Slow-Mo, pro-mode, etc…
