Honor 8 is missing fast charging. ⇡ Specifications. To maximize battery life, always charge and discharge completely
Honor Review 8 - the most attractive Huawei smartphone of 2016. This device made a lot of noise last year as the most promising "flagship replacement" on the market.
The review is written based on using Huawei Honor 8 4GB / 64GB (FRD-L19).
Specifications Huawei Honor 8:
- Screen: LTPS, 5.2 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels, density 423 ppi, safety glass 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3
- Cameras: dual main (two Sony IMX286 sensors, RGB + monochrome), 12 megapixels, pixel size 1.25 microns, laser autofocus, aperture f / 2.2, lens, 6 lenses. Front camera 8 MP, f / 2.4
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 950, 8 cores, frequency up to 2.3 GHz, Mali-T880MP4 graphics
- RAM: 3/4 GB
- ROM: 32/64 GB, microSD support up to 128 GB
- Network: GSM, WCDMA, LTE, two SIM slots with two radio modules
- Communication capabilities: Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi (802.11a / b / g / n / ac), A-GPS, GLONASS, USB Type-C
- Battery: 3000mAh, fast charging
- OS: Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0 firmware
- Dimensions: 145.5 x 71 x 7.45 mm and weighs 153 grams
Shiny design
The first thing that comes to mind when looking at the Honor 8 is “Bah! Yes, they made the modern incarnation of the iPhone 4 on the Android! " A kind of "sandwich" made of two glasses and a metal frame. Sounds trivial by today's standards, but the devil is in the details.
It would seem that there is something difficult here - glass surfaces with a pronounced 2.5D effect, smooth aluminum ends with matte anodizing. Side keys and a fingerprint scanner combined with a programmable button. All this is complemented by a dual camera with laser autofocus and flash.
However, all together it looks harmonious, which is surprising. I never expected such a rapid leap forward from Huawei designers in this regard. Smartphone design is extremely difficult to find fault with. Commendable attention to detail.
Honor 8 is not unique, but harmonious design. Everything in its place
Honor 8 may not like it, but it never ceases to be attractive.
The only thing that confuses the exterior is the "Honor" logos on both sides of the device. If it is still understandable on the backdrop, then why put it in front is not entirely clear.
After all, Honor is not even Huawei that they already know about. Not all consumers realize that Honor is a sub-brand of Huawei. Therefore, once again, this is not worth trumping.
Another curious feature of the Honor 8 is that it does not look as impressive in the photo as it does live. Which is not surprising, because it is not a trivial task to convey how cool the back side of the smartphone “plays” with glare.
Huawei claims that behind the rear glass there is a special shiny coating made up of several layers, which provides such a bizarre game with reflections. It somewhat resembles the effect of the Galaxy S7 or S6 Edge, but in the Honor 8 it is implemented brighter.
I had a gold color option on my review. And here this game with reflections is fully visible to him.
Ergonomics
In addition to being beautiful, Huawei Honor 8 is also pretty damn comfortable in everyday use. That is not always the case with modern smartphones.
Smooth and rounded metal ends, glass on both sides, as well as the right weight and weight distribution are the main culprits of the Honor 8's good ergonomics.
Tactilely, the Huawei Honor 8 is a really attractive device. Glass pleasantly cools your hand when you take it off the table after. It is very smooth, like a polished mineral. This effect is achieved due to the high-quality oleophobic coating, both on the front and on the back of the phone.
For a 5.2-inch smartphone, the Honor 8 is quite compact. Small side bezels and a 7.5 mm case thickness contribute to this.
The convenience of use is the presence of a USB Type-C port. Huawei is in the forefront of smartphone manufacturers deciding to massively switch to new standard USB.
Also worth mentioning is the bright LED indicator in the earpiece slot on the front of the device. A trifle, but life makes it easier.
Of course, there is something to scold Honor 8 for. It is easily soiled, even in spite of the grease-repellent layer. You still need to wipe the phone, otherwise it will look untidy.
In addition, it is quite slippery, which must be taken into account in everyday use. This can cause concern for its safety, it can only be treated by purchasing a cover.
Solid screen
Honor 8 received a 5.2-inch LTPS screen with a FHD resolution (1920 × 1080 pixels), a density of ~ 420 ppi, there is no air gap between the glass and the display. The ratio of the screen area to the front panel area is 72.5%. That's more than most phones on the market.
High brightness at the level of 450-500 cd / m2 and solid contrast. Maximum viewing angles and quite decent color reproduction. Honor 8 is equipped with a decent screen, on par with many flagships on the market. By my estimates, it is at least as good as the screen in the Xperia XZ.
A screen that is not ashamed to put in a flagship smartphone
The only caveat is the small black borders around the screen. They could have been hidden.
Dual camera
Honor 8 is equipped with exactly the same main dual camera as the top-end Huawei P9 and P9 Plus. Two Sony IMX286 modules (12 megapixel color + 12 megapixel monochrome), aperture of each lens is f2.2, laser autofocus, no optical stabilization.
The main differences over Huawei's flagships are the lack of mention of Leica and a more simplified version of the camera app. Because of this, the manual mode is implemented in a different way, not as elegantly as in the cameras of Huawei flagships.
There is also no film simulation mode. Otherwise, everything is in place, including the wide aperture mode, which allows you to blur the background as on "adult" cameras.
The implementation of this function is far from perfect, it will be difficult to find a real application for it due to constant errors with background clipping.
Honor 8's camera is not ideal, but quite a useful photography tool
The Honor 8's main camera is capable of capturing acceptable quality footage in all conditions. It's not the best camera on the market, but most users won't be disappointed with its capabilities. What pleased me most of all was not the shooting quality itself, but its speed, as well as the “tenacity” of the autofocus, which is why the pictures are mostly sharp. The camera's automatic mode does not always adequately expose the white balance, but overall, everything is good.
Front camera 8 megapixel, lens aperture f / 2.4. The quality is above average, but you can find better front cameras among competitors.
Shooting a video is not the most strong point cameras Huawei Honor 8. Maximum resolution 1080p and 60 fps, not the ultimate dream, especially against the background of competitors who can shoot in 4K. The quality of the shooting, I would call it acceptable, but the sound - high.
Examples of photo shooting (12 megapixel, ratio 4: 3):
Download photo sources:
An example of video shooting (FHD, 60 fps):
Controversial software
Huawei Honor 8 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat (the update was released in February 2017) with a proprietary shell EMUI 5.0.
A lot about software I will not write here, below there is a link to detailed review proprietary shell EMUI 5.0 on Android 7.0 Nougat, which runs Honor 8 and a number of others huawei smartphones (P9, Mate 9 and others).
The Honor 8's shell design is controversial but extremely functional. Here everyone decides for himself what is more important to whom - "real Android from Google" or a wide range of resources.
I can't mention one unique feature of the Honor 8 that other Huawei devices do not have. We are talking about a round function key "Smart Button" with a built-in fingerprint sensor (the sensor, by the way, also has gestures) on the back of the smartphone.
The rationale behind this button is that by tapping you can open various applications or service functions of the phone. There are only three interaction options: tap, double tap, and tap and hold.
Extremely convenient function... For example, a double-click is to hang up the camera, and a long-press to open a popular application (I have it a reader).
Decent performance and runtime
The heart of the Honor 8 is the HiSilicon Kirin 950 octa-core chipset with graphics subsystem Mali-T880 MP4. The platform is manufactured according to the 16-nm process technology, like the older one.
Huawei is following the path of Samsung and Apple, using only in-house processors for its core products. It is foolish to deny that despite the skepticism of the market towards this venture a couple of years ago, Huawei managed to create a truly competitive solution from Kirin in the mobile processor market. Kirin is now one of the most technologically advanced mobile platforms.
The performance of the Kirin 950 shouldn't be complained about
The Honor 8 is capable of handling the vast majority of tasks. In everyday use, performance problems are not observed, the interface flies, demanding games run without lags. It was not possible to find lags in popular titles, which does not exclude the possibility that problems may arise in some games.
The benchmark test results revealed that the Kirin 950 is only 10-15% inferior to the Snapdragon 820/821, and that is mainly in scenarios involving graphics computing.
In the variant with 4 GB LPDDR4, there were usually no problems with insufficient memory. Sometimes there were bugs with some applications, when they seem to hang in memory, but when they are selected, they are loaded anew. But the problem is not systemic.
Autonomy.
A 3000 mAh battery lasts Huawei Honor 8 for about 20 hours in my rhythm of use (constant synchronization, a bunch of social networks and instant messengers, a lot of YouTube and music via wireless headphones, few calls). This is about 4 hours of screen time (the backlight is always set to Auto).
If you use the energy-saving mode, then you can increase the operating time by another couple of hours.
Not impressive, but quite good runtime. Here, the Honor 8 does not surprise, but does not disappoint either. Average result.
Communication, sound and competitors
To the quality of speech transmission and cellular communication no claims. Rather, one can even praise the Honor 8 in this matter. The speech of both interlocutors during conversations is heard remarkably.
High voice quality is a hallmark of premium Huawei. Hence and good sound when recording a video or voice recorder.
For fans of dual-SIM phones, I have good news - Honor 8 is equipped with two radio modules, which means that two SIM cards will be active at once. Not everyone needs this, but nevertheless, it is better when such an opportunity exists than it is not.
As for the sound quality of the Honor 8, the situation is twofold. On the one hand, everything seems to be good, but when compared with the flagships on Snapdragon 820, the difference will not be in favor of Honor 8. There is no separate audio chip, and the built-in one is not something valuable if you want to get high-quality sound in your phone.
The Honor 8's speaker is loud and of high quality. There was no wheezing or distortion in my sample. I liked the sound.
Competitors
The most slippery topic when talking about Honor 8. The thing is that an army of worthy analogues has formed against this smartphone. average price on Huawei Honor 8 64 GB of RAM 4 GB is 27,700 rubles, which throws it into the thick of battles for the attention of buyers.
Here are some of the most interesting examples (the average prices in Yandex Market at the time of writing the review are given):
- OnePlus OnePlus 3T 64 GB - 26 500 rubles
- Xiaomi Mi5S 64 GB - 19 500 rubles
- Huawei P9 Dual 64 GB - 29 500 rubles
- Samsung Galaxy S7 32 GB - RUB 38,000
- HTC 10 32 GB - 35 900 rubles
- Sony Xperia X - 30,000 rubles
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) SM-A520F - 25,000 rubles
- Meizu Pro 6 64 GB - 28,000 rubles
From this far from complete list, the most powerful competitors of the Honor 8 are the OnePlus 3T and Huawei P9 64GB, which cost the same money (- / + 2000 rubles), but offer noticeably more opportunities.
***
After a long time exploring the Honor 8, there is no ambiguity in the experience. The device is really useful, of course, with its pros and cons, but the latter cannot outweigh all the advantages.
Visually, Honor 8 does not stop pleasing, either in a day or in a month of use.
The only annoyance in Honor 8 is the shell, which is clearly not for everybody. Of the minor flaws, I will note only not the most the best camera and the lack of moisture protection, which Huawei for some reason bypasses, hesitating to implement in its products.
The Honor 8's most dangerous enemy is its price. For the money that they ask for this device even on Ya. Market it is unreasonably expensive. Competitors in this price range are too strong, offering an even higher price / design / performance ratio than the hero of this review. Alas.
Is it far from the outlet, but your favorite smartphone is already discharged? A familiar situation for many millions of smartphone users. And you yourself are to blame! Developers also need to optimize energy consumption Huawei Honor 8 took care of this. Perhaps this explains its popularity, in particular, on AliExpress.
So how not to be left without communication at the most inopportune moment? Overview of basic tips:
The Phone Manager is an indispensable assistant that can significantly reduce unnecessary costs at the moment.
Using the main button "Optimize", you can turn off unnecessary applications and functions yourself or use ready-made modes:
- Performance mode will maximize the unloading of the processor and network - important when playing games or watching videos online;
- Smart Mode - Balance network / processor load and performance. This is an everyday routine;
- Energy saving mode - you can only call and drop a message. Well, this is already an extreme measure - so to speak, on the "last gasp" of the phone.
Additional methods
Not enough? Then it is worth turning off applications that consume more energy than are useful. Indeed, even in automatic mode, the smartphone does not block protected applications, which gladly destroy the last charge in the background, and we are perplexed. Down with currently unclaimed programs - you just need to go to the appropriate section and disable them. There's a handy switch there.
The most insatiable applications can be found through the same "Phone Manager", using the "Energy Control" section. You can turn off the most daring ones with one touch. The Wi-Fi mode is also regulated here.
Does not help? The Honor 8 has a new energy-saving feature to conserve precious power. It adjusts the screen resolution through graphics processor... Let the quality be lower, but in nature you can safely watch videos or play games. There is a special section where you can downgrade to 720 × 1280.
When traveling outside the city, it is better to turn off bluetooth, Wi-Fi, sync with other devices and screen brightness. Airplane mode will also be superfluous. All this will significantly reduce the load on the battery and increase the time until the next charge. 
Another aspect: you need to properly charge the battery. Naturally, the phone comes with charger, but if it fails, then a replacement should be selected based on their technical parameters Huawei Honor 8 specified in the documentation, and most importantly, buy the original charger. Otherwise, the lithium battery will quickly fail.
In principle, if the power of the charger is lower than the recommended one, it's okay. It just takes a little longer to recharge and keep the battery charge less. And no energy economy will help. If the charging power is slightly higher, this will also not damage the battery, but will significantly reduce its service life. And the price of the original battery is considerable.
All these simple ways will help to increase the time spent on a phone without recharging and the life of the battery itself. The main thing to remember is that tomorrow you can pay much more than you save today. Therefore it is better to buy quality smartphone, eg, on Aliexpress.
Please share if you liked:
You may be interested in learning more:
Dual 12MP cameras, 5.2-inch FHD LCD, rear-mounted fingerprint reader, 4GB RAM, 3,000mAh battery. This is what the Huawei P9 and Honor 8 have in common. Differences: Honor has a slightly lower level system-on-a-chip (Kirin 950 instead of Kirin 955) and it is stated that Leica was not involved in the work on the camera. And this is extremely curious - taking into account the identical characteristics and the principle of operation of the module, one can find out whether the influence of the famous Germans was so great or is it still a classic "trade in name".
Well, yes, the key difference is design. Here Huawei turned around, creating something reminiscent of the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium - with a mirrored rear panel and vibrant colors.
|
|
|
|
|
Honor 8 and Huawei P9 side by side |
||
In China, Honor 8 was presented last month, the world premiere was traditionally delayed - it will take place on August 24. So you have a chance to read the review of this smartphone not only before the start of sales, but also before the official presentation. The version of the device is full-fledged European, with russification and local services.
⇡ Specifications
| Honor 8 | Huawei P9 | Honor 7 | Google Nexus 5X | Xiaomi Mi5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.2 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 424 ppi, capacitive multitouch | 5.2 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 424 ppi, capacitive multitouch | 5.2 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 424 ppi, capacitive multitouch | 5.15 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 427.75 ppi, capacitive multitouch | |
| Safety glass | no information | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| CPU | HiSilicon Kirin 950 (four ARM Cortex-A72, 2.3 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53, 1.8 GHz) | Huawei Kirin 955 (four ARM Cortex-A57 cores @ 2.5 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.8 GHz) | HiSilicon Kirin 935 (four ARM Cortex-A53 cores, 1.5 GHz + four ARM Cortex-A53e cores, 2.2 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (four cores ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz + two cores ARM Cortex-A57 @ 1.82 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 (two Kryo cores, 1.8 GHz + two Kryo cores, 1.36 GHz) |
| Graphics controller | Mali-T880 MP4, 900 MHz | Mali-T880 MP4, 900 MHz | ARM Mali-T628 MP4, 600 MHz | Adreno 418, 600 MHz | Adreno 530, 624 MHz |
| RAM | 4 GB | 3/4 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB | 3 GB |
| Flash memory | 32/64 GB | 32/64 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16/32 GB | 32/64 GB |
| Support memory cards | there is | there is | there is | no | no |
| Connectors | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack | microUSB, minijack 3.5 mm | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack | USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack |
| SIM card | one nanoSIM / two nanoSIM | one nanoSIM / two nanoSIM | two nanoSIM | one nanoSIM | two nanoSIM |
| Cellular 2G | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | |
| Cellular 3G | HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 | HSDPA 800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100 | HSDPA 900/1900/2100 | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz |
| 4G cellular | LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps): ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40 | LTE Cat. 6 (300/50 Mbit / s): ranges 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 | LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps): ranges 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41 | LTE Cat. 12 (up to 600 Mbps): ranges 1, 3, 7, 38, 39, 40, 41 | |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| NFC | there is | there is | no | there is | there is |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
| Sensors | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR sensor | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, approximation, accelerometer, barometer, digital compass | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer | |
| The fingerprint scanner | there is | there is | there is | there is | there is |
| Main camera | Dual module, 12 megapixels, f / 2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording | Leica, dual module, 12 megapixels, f / 2.2, phase detection autofocus, led flash, 4K video recording | 20 MP, ƒ / 2.0, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, Full HD video recording | 13 MP, ƒ / 2.0, laser autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording | 16 MP, ƒ / 2.0, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 4-axis optical stabilization, 4K video recording |
| Front-camera | 8 MP, fixed focus | 8 MP, fixed focus | 5 MP, fixed focus | 5 MP, ƒ / 2.0, fixed focus | 4 MP, fixed focus |
| Food | Non-removable battery 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery 10.26 Wh (2700 mAh, 3.8 V) |
Non-removable battery 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) | |
| The size | 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm | 145 x 70.9 x 7 mm | 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5mm | 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm | 145 x 69 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 153 grams | 144 grams | 157 grams | 136 grams | 129 gram |
| Hull protection | no | no | no | no | no |
| operating system | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, native EMUI 4.1 shell | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, native EMUI 4.1 shell | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 6.0 Marshmallow, MIUI shell | |
| Actual price | Approximately 30-35,000 rubles | 40,000 rubles | 23-25,000 rubles (depending on the version) | 22-27,000 rubles (depending on the version and store) | 26,000 rubles (32 GB version), 32,000 rubles (64 GB version) |
⇡ Appearance, ergonomics and software
It is almost impossible to create something really unusual in the form factor of a typical smartphone - a candy bar with a touch screen. But you can somehow find your own style, which is also very difficult to do. At one time, this happened, for example, with Sony - especially in the Z series with round power buttons. But with the release of the sixth iPhone, Apple just didn't work out - the Cupertino smartphones merged with the general mass, and with the release of the s-variation the situation, of course, did not change. So the task, as we can see, is not trivial. But Huawei more or less copes with it - at least the features of the Mate and P series devices are recognized. In part, this was transferred to smartphones of the Honor sub-brand. But in the case of the Honor 8, the situation is special - here the Chinese designers have clearly decided to play on the Asian love for everything shiny.
Particularly impressive is the gold version, which ended up in our hands. The gadget shines on both the front and back - the body is covered with glass on both sides. The edges are also gold. Beauty, and only! .. If you do not touch the smartphone with your hands. Stock up on a cloth right away if you want your Honor 8 to always sparkle and throw gold dust in your eyes - just like the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium mentioned at the beginning, the surface is covered with fingerprints instantly and does not look so impressive. It's hard to tell how things are with the blue and black versions, but I'm afraid it's about the same. Full color list: Sunrise Gold, Pearl White, Sapphire blue, Midnight Black.
Honor 8, back panel: at the top there are two camera lenses with dual LED flash and laser autofocus, below is a multifunction button with a fingerprint reader
The fact remains - if Huawei wanted to somehow divide the technically similar P9 and Honor 8 between an older and more serious business audience and young people, then the company definitely succeeded. Given that the location functional elements, down to the details, such as the side strips of the antenna routing, the edges around camera lenses, for example, are essentially identical. The main changes are the layout of the second antenna moved down from the rear surface and the fingerprint scanner, which has changed in form and functionality. The power button and the grill of the main speaker have also changed, and “cogs like Apple's” have left the bottom edge.
The devices are very close in size, but Honor 8 is half a centimeter thicker and 9 grams heavier (153 versus 144), which, however, does not affect the experience of its use in any way - it is still the same compact, convenient for one-handed operation and fits perfectly into any pocket gadget.
Only now it is very slippery. Dangerously slippery, to drop it, in my opinion, is too easy, be careful and better not touch it with wet hands.
So, the fingerprint scanner - it has become round, like on the Mate 8, but in addition to this, it received not only a touch-sensitive surface, but also a surface that is flexible to mechanical pressure, this is a full-fledged button, and a multifunctional one. It reacts differently to single, double and long presses, and the called functions can be changed. By default, in the version officially sold in Russia, a single press opens home page "Yandex", and for a long time - "Odnoklassniki". And generally speaking start screen, which also included, for example, News Mail.Ru and the Sberbank application, makes you want to rush to the theme store for the EMUI shell and find there something with Palekh or Khokhloma patterns. Unfortunately, there is nothing of the kind so far, but the smartphone is still shining with Russia - and it's nice, you can always delete applications, but careful adaptation to the region warms the soul.
|
|
|
The fingerprint scanner itself is traditionally good for Android 6.0 - it works quickly and almost flawlessly. Moreover, Huawei offers more than one scenario for using it: in addition to unlocking the device, you can also turn off the alarm with it, take pictures, answer a call, open access to personal files and unlock individual applications.
The Chinese company Huawei boasts a wide variety of smartphones produced. The company offers phones belonging to the budget segment and luxury devices. It should be noted that both in the creation of premium models and in the production budget smartphones, Huawei phones are of high build quality and reliable operation. Among the huge variety of models from Huawei, it is worth highlighting the Honor 8 smartphone - the phone turned out to be not quite ordinary, and clearly stands out from the entire Honor line of smartphones.
The Huawei Honor 8 review should start with a description of the device's dimensions: the phone is 145.5 millimeters long, 71 millimeters wide, and 7.5 millimeters thick. The device weighs 153 grams. The phone display has a diagonal of 5.2 inches.
Thanks to the dimensions and the moderate size of the display (5.2 inches), the phone is quite comfortable to use. High ergonomics is achieved thanks to a thin body and rounded sides - the buttons are easy and convenient to press, you can reach any point on the screen with your thumb. Holders of small palms can turn on the on-screen "smart" button, with which you can call up a reduced menu. Options are available to users to move the screen and keyboard.
The device of the function keys is also worth noting - the touch buttons are placed in the display frame, the phone's functionality allows you to independently determine their order, and add a button that is responsible for calling the notification panel.
Mechanical power and volume buttons have standard layout... This allows you to tap them blindly. The "mechanics" of the buttons makes pressing clear and soft. The fingerprint scanner is also in a familiar place for most users.
Design
Huawei Honor 8 has a truly flagship design: a thin metal body, smooth contour lines, a glass coating on both work surfaces (matte 2.5D glass is used), rounded matte sides. There are also no complaints about the build quality - it is flawless. The device does not creak or deform. 
The front panel of the smartphone is covered with glass, except for a narrow slot above the screen - there is a speaker grill there. Immediately below it, on the right side, you can find an LED indicator that informs about missed events. The phone has practically no screen frames, their thickness is less than 1 millimeter. The top and bottom are indented by 13 millimeters. On the upper indent, in addition to the earpiece and the missed events indicator, there is a front camera peephole, proximity and lighting sensors. Right below the screen, in the center, is the Honor brand logo.
The back of the smartphone is also covered with glass. It covers both the camera lenses and the frame of the laser focusing system. As with the outside, the rear glass has slots for dual flash and fingerprint recognition systems.
The body of the phone has matte rounded edges. Between the front and rear windows, there is a small milled bevel and a very thin plastic frame. Four inserts can be found on the sidewalls: two at the top of the device, and two at the bottom. In addition to the aesthetic purpose, they provide antenna performance mobile phone.
The right side of the smartphone is equipped with power and volume buttons. The button that is responsible for turning on the mobile phone has a relief pattern. 
In the upper part of the left side, there is a basket for a memory expansion card of the device, and a nano SIM card. It is possible to install a second SIM card, however, you will have to refuse to use a memory expansion card. To remove the card slot, you must use the push mechanism. This operation is carried out using a special metal clip that comes with the mobile phone.
The upper edge of the smartphone has only an infrared emitter and a noise canceling microphone.
Below you can find a connector for charging the phone and synchronizing the device with a computer, to the left of it is a 3.5 mm audio line-out, and to the right is the main speaker.
According to the manufacturer, Honor 8 L19 is a model designed for the European market. It will be available to customers in the following colors: gold, white, black and blue.
Display
The smartphone is equipped with a 5.2-inch display. The advantages of the screen include high-quality anti-reflective coating, high brightness, and good color rendition. The screen of the device has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (FullHD format). This allows you to watch videos, play, and read with high comfort eBooks... For active smartphone users, there is an eye protection function, thanks to it, the level of ultraviolet radiation of the display is automatically reduced, thanks to this, eye fatigue is prevented. 
Sound and communication
The Huawei Honor 8 review would not be complete without mentioning the characteristics that allow it to communicate with other subscribers. The smartphone works in 2G and 3G networks. In addition, the device is capable of operating in networks with increased speed LTE CAT 6.
As for the sound of the smartphone, it is quite loud and clear. Well, the sound in the headphones was not impressive: regardless of the quality of the headset, the sound is almost completely devoid of bass, but the volume is quite consistent with the status of a smartphone.
Camera
The phone has three cameras. Two main, and one frontal. The dual rear camera technology is exactly the same as in the P9, but a different module is used. If you shoot in the daytime, then the photos without processing are similar to those taken with professional equipment. Taking pictures in low light conditions, of course, leaves its mark on the quality of the photo - noise appears, but the picture quality and color depth remain at their best.
The mobile phone, thanks to the high-tech device of dual main cameras, allows you to shoot video in FullHD format, with a maximum frame rate of 60 frames, in average quality, and excellent stereo sound. When shooting clips, the focus function is automatically activated.
The front camera of the phone allows you to take high-quality self-portraits and shoot videos in 720p quality.
Performance
The Honor 8 review should be continued with a description of its "filling". The technical characteristics determine the performance of the device. The smartphone is equipped with a processor with eight cores, half of which operate at a frequency of 2300 MHz. In addition, the phone has 4GB of the latest random access memory DDR4, 64GB and 32GB versions exist. It is also possible to expand the basic memory capacity by installing expansion cards. The maximum amount of expandable memory is 128 GB. 
The phone has operating system Android 6.0, traditionally, the EMUI 4.1 graphical shell is installed on it.
Autonomy
The smartphone is equipped with a non-removable lithium battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh. During normal operation of the device, the smartphone is capable of working for about 16-18 hours. If you play on the phone, the battery will run out after 3-4 hours of intense gaming battles, well, watching videos in high definition, the battery can last seven hours.
Features:
Huawei Honor 8 models L09 and premium version L19, have whole line features. These include the case covered with glass, moreover, not only the front of the smartphone is covered, but also back cover... Both surfaces are oleophobic, but fingerprints are difficult to remove the first time. The disadvantages of the glass cover include the fact that the device is scratched rather quickly.
Among other things, the smartphone has some pretty interesting features, such as water resistance and fast charging. Not all competitors are able to offer similar technical solutions for their smartphones. 
The complete set of the smartphone corresponds to its status: documentation, warranty card, synchronization wire (it is also part of the 2A charger), headset, and a "paper clip".
Finally
Concluding the review of the smartphone, it is worth noting that the characteristics of the device are more than positive: bright and attractive design, unusual technical solutions and high performance, open the user to ample opportunities for solving everyday tasks. The advantages include the compact size of the device. The disadvantages of the phone include the lack of wireless charging, soiling and vulnerability of the glass coating (scratches and fingerprints), and insufficient bass sound in the headphones.
Despite all the advantages of the device, just a description of the device, where, at best, there is also a photograph of the model, is not enough. For example, many users are concerned about the question: "is it worth buying a smartphone from China." The secret of "uncertainty" lies in the bad reputation of Chinese goods, but it is improving every year. Of course, a waterproof, stylish and productive, and, most importantly, a phone with an adequate price will find its user, including in Russia, whoever buys it. Those who are not sure about the quality, and possibly the performance of a smartphone, should watch the Russian video review on the L09 and L19 models. The release date for these models was scheduled for July 2016, and over the past year, the smartphone has won a huge number of fans, including in Russia. The cost of a smartphone for January 2018 is 19,990 rubles.
Video review Huawei Honor 8
Specifications
| Main characteristics | |
| Model code | L09 and L19 |
| Shell | EMUI 4.1 |
| Body material | metal + plastic + glass |
| SIM card type | Nano sim |
| Number of SIM cards | 2 (Dual Sim) |
| Mode of operation of SIM cards | simultaneous |
| Weight (g) | 153 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD mm) | 145.5mm x71mm x 7.45mm |
| Screen | |
| Screen type | color TFT |
| Diagonal (inches) | 5’2 |
| Screen resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Pixels per inch | 424 |
| Memory | |
| Built-in memory | 32 GB / 64 GB |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| MicroSD card support | yes, up to 128 GB (combined with a slot for a second SIM card) |
| Platform | |
| OS | Android 6.0 |
| CPU | Kirin 950 |
| Number of Cores | 8-core processor |
| Photo / Camcorder | |
| Main camera (MP) | 12 MP + 12 MP, f / 2.2 |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Flash | Yes, LED |
| Video recording | 1920 × 1080, 60 fps |
| Front camera (Mp) | 8 megapixels |
| Wireless network | |
| 2G | 900/1800/1900 MHz |
| 3G | there is |
| 4G | 4G LTE, LTE-A Cat. 6 |
| LTE frequencies | Band 1, 3, 7, 8, 20; TDD: Band 38, 40 |
| Operator compatibility | Yota, Beeline, Megafon, MTS, Tele2 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Audio Video | |
| Playable audio formats | * .mp3, * .mid, * .amr, * .3gp, * .mp4, * .m4a, * .aac, * .wav, *. ogg, * .flac, * .mkv |
| Playable video formats | * .3gp, * .mp4, * .webm, * .mkv |
| Sensors | |
| Illumination | Yes |
| Approximations | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Compass | Yes |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes |
| Accelerometer | Yes |
| Locating | |
| GPS | GPS / AGPS / Glonass |
| Calls | |
| Ringtone type | Polyphonic, MP3 |
| Vibrating alert | Yes |
| Food | |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 3000 mAh |
| Battery holder | Non-removable |
| Additional Information | |
| USB | USB Type-C |
| Date of announcement | 11.07.2016 |
| Set | |
| smartphone, headphones, charger, USB cable, instructions. SAR - 1.6 W / kg |
|
Our review: Huawei Honor 8 - stylish flagship
Huawei's PR department consistently sends us samples for testing, which we happily use. And today we present to you an overview of the flagship model of the Honor line - Huawei Honor 8. The smartphone features unique design, powerful filling, dual cameras with laser autofocus, and an excellent display. More details below.
Characteristics
Are common
- ShellEMUI 4.1 on Android ™ 6.0 (upgrade available to EMUI 5.0 on Android 7.0)
- Body materialPlastic + Metal
- SIM card typeNano
- Number of SIM cards2
- Mode of operation of SIM cardsSimultaneous
- Weight g153
- Dimensions (WxHxD mm)145.5 x 71.0 x 7.45 mm
- Battery capacity (mAh)3000 mAh
Screen
- Screen typeLTPS LCD TFT 2.5D
- Gloved operationYes
- Diagonal (inches)5.2
- Screen resolution1920 × 1080
- Pixels per inch423
- Gorilla GlassCorning Gorilla Glass 3 ™
Memory
- Built-in memory32 GB, 64 GB
- RAM4 GB
- MicroSD card supportUp to 128 GB
Platform
- CPUKirin 950
- Number of Cores8
- Video processorMali T880
Cameras
- Main camera (MP)Dual 12 MP + 12 MP, f / 2.2 Autofocus
- FlashYes, LED
- Video recording1920 x 1080, 60fps
- Front camera (Mp)8 MP, f / 2.4
- Video recording1920 x 1080, 30fps
Wireless network
- 2G850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- 3GHSPA + up to 42 Mbps
- 4GLTE Cat6 up to 300 Mbps
- LTE frequenciesFDD: Band 1, 3, 7, 8, 20; TDD: Band 38, 40
- Wi-Fi802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz
- Wi-Fi DirectYes
- BluetoothBluetooth 4.2, BLE
Sensors
- Sensors: Illumination, Approach, Gyroscope, G-sensor, Compass, Hall, Accelerometer, Fingerprint, NFC, Infrared
- Geolocation: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
Appearance and assembly
Huawei smartphones are sent to us without a kit, so I cannot evaluate the bundle, and as usual I start right away with the appearance.
Honor 8 is positioned as a flagship model, and all flagship models must have a unique design, with premium materials and unique design solutions.
The "glass sandwich" design is not new, it traces the features of the Samsung Galaxy S6 / S7, and even a little Apple products, but among the majority of models, the Honor 8 stands out for its appearance.
Honor 8 is available in 5 colors - white, blue, pink, black and gold. I got the last option, and in my subjective opinion it is not the most successful in the line. So much gold and glitter will appeal to magpies and glamorous socialites, but not to "a man in his prime." Judging from the photos, the same blue and black colors look just great, but I will keep telling you what I have.
Both the front and the back, the Honor 8 is enclosed by a 2.5D, durable Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Thanks to this, as well as the well-chosen ratio between weight, thickness and size, it is very pleasant to hold it in your hands. As soon as you take your smartphone in hand, you feel like you are holding a solid gadget.
But there are also downsides to this design. Firstly, fingerprints are collected very easily, and on the gold version of the smartphone it is noticeable outrageously well. Secondly, in the absence of metal frames around the glass, the chance of an unsuccessful fall on it with all the ensuing consequences is very high.
The bezels around the screen are made in the same color as the rest of the device and are quite compact.
Above the screen, there is a front camera, sensors, a speaker grill, behind which an LED is also hidden.
At the bottom of the smartphone there is only the mark of the Honor brand.
The reverse side under the 2.5D glass is a 15-layer mirror panel with 3D effect. This effect is manifested in the play of light depending on the angle of inclination. However, the effect on the gold case is not as noticeable as on the company's demonstrations.
At the top, from the very edge, there are two cameras, laser autofocus illumination, as well as dual LED flash... Below is a recessed multifunction button / fingerprint scanner. The button is located well and it is convenient to reach it with the index finger.
The button distinguishes between short, long and double presses. By default, a long press opens applications from Yandex and mail.ru companies, but, thank God, this can be easily changed in the settings.
The front and rear windows are connected to each other along the entire perimeter with a rounded metal frame.
At the bottom end there are USB Type C (unfortunately, not 3.0, but only 2.0), speaker grill and spoken microphone, as well as a 3.5mm headset jack.
Above is an IR transmitter and an additional microphone.
The smooth volume rocker and the embossed power button are traditionally located on the right edge at the level of the right thumb.
At the top of the left side, there is a combined tray for two NanoSIMs, or one NanoSIM and a MicroSD memory card.
Screen
Flagship smartphones flagship display. Responsible for displaying the picture is a 5.2-inch IPS screen (LTPS LCD TFT) with FullHD resolution of 1920 × 1080 without an air gap and with an anti-reflective coating. The pixel density is more than a comfortable 423 dpi. The screen shows excellent picture quality, with natural and vivid colors,
The backlight has a wide range of settings; at its maximum level, comfortable reading is provided even on a bright sunny day.
The smartphone has an eye protection mode that reduces UV radiation, which reduces eye strain.
The screen is protected from scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and from prints by an oleophobic coating, the effectiveness of which, however, is not impressive.The touchscreen is very fast and accurate, with support for up to 10 simultaneous touches.
Well, the screen of Honor 8 is excellent and it can be safely attributed to the advantages of a smartphone.
Cameras
Honor 8 equipped with a main dual camera with a color and monochrome sensor, f / 2.2 aperture, 1.25 micron pixel size, which, judging by the technical characteristics, inherited from the older model Huawei P9, although there is no "Leica" inscription.
In addition to the traditional for Huawei smartphones combination of phase (PDAF) and contrast (CAF) focusing technologies, laser focusing is also added, which is used for close objects. The manufacturer claims that the ISP technology used in the smartphone increases the speed of focusing, shooting and processing photos. Subjectively, it is. The camera focuses instantly, the pictures are taken very quickly, the focusing accuracy is excellent.
The camera application, as in other Honor models, is rich in functionality, interesting tools and shooting functions.
Settings, as before, for some reason only in portrait orientation.
In the camera application, you can adjust the virtual aperture, the value of which changes from f / 0.95 to f / 16, which allows you to adjust the depth of the photo. In addition, this shooting mode allows you to change the focus point and depth of field after the photo is taken.
At the same time, there is a whole list of interesting options for effects that replace the usual blur with an artistic one.
Result:
Since the setting is virtual, there may be errors - the blurring is not what is needed.
As in other models of the manufacturer, the professional mode is interesting, which allows you to change almost all possible shooting parameters.
When shooting during the day (12 + 12 MP, f2.2 aperture) on the Honor 8, the dynamic range is widest, you don't even need to turn on the HDR mode: there are practically no dark undefined areas in the photo, or light ones without information. The colors and white balance are great.
The smartphone is equipped with a dual flash with warm and cold LEDs. This greatly improves the auto white balance and produces natural and accurate images.
In low light levels, noise and soap are noticeable, but color rendition and dynamic range remain at a good level, colors are juicy and bright.
The HDR mode, as before, does not give such a significant result, but this is due to the fact that even without HDR, the dual camera is capable of excellent pictures with an even exposure throughout the frame.
The smartphone can shoot video with a maximum resolution of FullHD at a frame rate of 60. The video quality was also liked by its color reproduction, clarity, and fast and accurate focusing. At the same time, the smartphone writes stereo sound quite good quality... True, there is no optical image stabilization, and this is noticeable in the video.
The 8-megapixel selfie camera has an f2.4 aperture. With judicious use of the enhance mode, the pictures are good, but no more. When shooting in the dark, the screen can act as a flash - a white background with maximum illumination turns on.
Maximum video resolution at front camera 720 RUR The video quality is average.
Hardware and performance
The core of the Honor 8 hardware is the HiSilicon Kirin 950 chipset: 16 nm process, 64-bit, 8 cores (4x2.3 GHz A72 + 4x1.8 GHz A53), Mali-T880 graphics.
Do I need to talk in detail about the fact that the performance is enough for all possible tasks and the coolest 3D games, and that the smartphone is very smart and bug-free? I think we'll limit ourselves to the benchmark results.
Sound
Honor 8 has only one external speaker, but it should be noted that it sounds very clean. The volume level is pretty good, although there are examples that are much louder. At the maximum volume level, even when listening to the "heavy" wheezing was not noticed.
As for the sound in high-quality monitor headphones, devices based on HiSilicon chipsets have never impressed me with their sound. This time, the sound also does not shine with depth, but it is quite clear without obvious frequency blockages. Music in good headphones can
Traditionally, there are no problems with the "conversational" component. The presence of a number of noise reduction and sound enhancement algorithms makes telephone conversations comfortable.
Shell
The Honor 8 is shipped from the factory with Android 6.0 on board with its own EMUI 4.1 skin. We have already written a lot about such a combination in our previous reviews, for example, in the Huawei Y6II review. I'm not interested in talking about her again. Almost immediately after turning on and connecting to WiFi, the smartphone happily announced an available update to EMUI 5.0 on Android 7.0 with a size of 2.2GB. Well, let's download and the whole further story will be about the latest version of the firmware.
The updated shell is significantly different from previous version... The first thing that caught my eye was the notification curtain. At the top is a strip of control buttons, on a swipe of which the full panel opens. Thus, the most requested functions can be made more accessible by placing them in the first row. The icons themselves became more compact, it became more difficult to hit them, and besides, I did not like the poisonous font color at all, earlier the colors were softer. Some kind of return to the past.
The notifications themselves are now on white "stickers" with rounded corners, the solution is also a bit controversial, although popular with some manufacturers. At the same time, when there are a lot of them in the curtain, they are grouped by the application from which the notification is coming.
Generally white background in the shell has now increased. The settings menu is now also more compact, and tips have been added at the top to help the owner set up their smartphone for maximum use.
In the settings, you can configure the operation of the multifunctional button-fingerprint scanner - from different types pressing, until you slide your finger across it in a certain direction.
Now you can choose between the traditional EMUI arrangement of application shortcuts on desktops, or the classic item in the lower panels with a list of all installed applications... This is a definite plus.
The set of all kinds of gestures and movements of the smartphone has significantly expanded, which can be customized at your discretion. So, for example, by bringing the smartphone to your ear, you can answer a call or dial a number with a contact window open. In this case, if a Bluetooth headset is connected to the phone, the phone can automatically switch to the earpiece speaker.
You can also set the volume to decrease when you pick up the smartphone, or turn it off if you turn the phone face down.
In the same settings, the ability to work with multiple windows was hidden, which was lacking, for example, the Huawei MediaPad M2 tablet.
Another interesting innovation is the clone app. This function allows you to run applications (for example, instant messengers and social network clients) under different accounts. True, so far only whatsapp and facebook are on the list.
There are also a number of interesting tools such as smart screenshot, operation in a case, operation with one hand, smart headset, work with gloves, etc. In this regard, Huawei developers have done a great job.
To use the capabilities of the built-in IR transmitter, the smartphone has a built-in application - a universal remote control. In the application, you can add virtual remotes for a huge number of supported devices, from TVs and set-top boxes to split systems and projectors. There is also the possibility self-study remote control.
Bottom line: after the update, the software shell received a significant addition in functionality, new, sometimes controversial, graphic solutions, as well as a more optimized version of Android 7.0.
Wireless interfaces and communications
The device operates in 2G / 3G / 4G networks in all frequency ranges required in Russia. The main feature of the smartphone is the presence of two radio modules, hthis is an extreme rarity today. Thus, two SIM cards do not work alternately, but in parallel. But the fact that with two radio modules the slot for the second SIM card is combined with MicroSD looks somehow illogical.
The work of wireless modules, like all Huawei models, deserves positive reviews. The Signal + and Wi-Fi + functions significantly improve the quality of the connection by switching to the fastest and most powerful network.
Wi-Fi module supports two network ranges 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, which is definitely a plus.Honor 8 has an NFC module with support for writing and reading NFC tags, P2P transfer, SIM / HCE-based payments together with a fingerprint scanner. I also have no questions about the work of the GPS / Glonass pair, the satellites are located quickly, the connection is good.
Work and autonomy
A 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery is responsible for the autonomy in the smartphone. Combined with the well-proven Smart Power 4.0 design, low frequency processor cores as well as a coprocessor, this provides up to 1.5 days of battery life at typical usage. With a fairly active use of the smartphone, I had a working day.
Battery test in PCmark:
Honor 8 supports fast charging technology 9V / 2A, in 30 minutes the smartphone charges up to almost 50%.
The fingerprint scanner pleases with instant recognition, as well as the ability to customize the functions of the multifunction button, which it is in combination with.
The heating of the case, even in top-end 3D games, is negligible.
Outcome
Well, Huawei has managed to release a memorable flagship for its Honor line of smartphones. Honor 8 first of all, it is distinguished by a unique design, high-quality materials of manufacture, thoughtfulness in the details. The smartphone is pleasant to hold in your hands, which owes it to the rounded glass and excellent ratio between size and weight. To match the flagship status, the device has a high-performance chipset, an excellent display, and all the necessary sensors. The smartphone will also delight the owner with its photo capabilities. A nice little thing in our time is also the presence of an IR transmitter with an application for controlling all kinds of devices.
Of course, there were some drawbacks. So, the stylish glass back surface of the smartphone has obvious drawbacks - soiling, susceptibility to scratches, the risk of breaking if dropped. Therefore, such beauty will most likely have to be hidden under a cover, or at least wrapped in a transparent silicone pad. With two separate radio modules for SIM cards, it looks completely illogical to combine the slot of the second SIM card with MicroSD. The sound in the headphones was still not impressed, but it did not disappoint either, but I personally expected external stereo speakers in such a device.
Summarize.
pros
- Stylish and memorable design, high-quality materials of manufacture
- Solid modern display with FullHD resolution
- Powerful filling and high performance
- Lack of serious heat in games
- Good sounding external speaker
- Upgradeable to Android 7.0
- High quality images, instant focusing, rich functionality of the camera application.
- The presence of a separate radio module for each SIM card
- Large set of sensors
Minuses
- Soiled glass easily collects fingerprints
- The back surface is, however, prone to scratches. Her fate in the fall also raises questions.
- Gold color is still not for everybody, but other colors look beautiful
- Average headphone sound quality
- Lack of stereo speakers (for this price)
- Combined slot for a second SIM card and MicroSD
