Honor 70 review
The Honor 70 is a mid-range smartphone that marks a departure from Huawei's usual strategy. Released directly in Western markets with Google services on board, this device offers a more affordable entry point into the Honor lineup. As the successor to last year's Honor 50, it brings a few upgrades, including a refreshed chipset, larger battery, and new cameras. Design-wise, there's little change from its predecessor, but under the hood, improvements aim to elevate the user experience. This review will delve into the phone's features, performance, camera capabilities, and value for money in this competitive segment.
Build Quality and Design
The Honor 70 is a mid-range phone that boasts an affordable price tag in the Honor 70 lineup. One of its standout features is its build quality and design. Firstly, the phone's lightweight construction makes it comfortable to hold and use for extended periods. The back panel, made from frosted glass, provides a premium feel without adding unnecessary bulk. However, one notable change from its predecessor is the camera bump, which has been separated into two distinct modules. This design choice not only looks sleek but also makes the phone more durable. The plastic frame surrounding the device is glossy and contributes to its slim profile. The most impressive aspect of the Honor 70's design is how seamlessly both the back panel and screen curve into each other. This curvaceous shape gives the phone a unique visual appeal that sets it apart from its contemporaries. One area where the Honor 70 falls short is in terms of ingress protection. Unlike some other mid-range phones, this device doesn't offer any official IP rating, which might be a concern for users who value water and dust resistance. Overall, the Honor 70's build quality and design are notable strengths of the device. The lightweight construction, premium materials, and sleek design make it a pleasure to hold and use. However, its lack of ingress protection is a drawback that should be considered by potential buyers.
Battery Life
The Honor 70's battery life is a mixed bag. Despite boasting a larger 4,800mAh battery compared to last year's model, the overall endurance hasn't seen a significant improvement. In our tests, the phone managed to score a respectable 100 hours of endurance rating, which is decent for a mid-range device with this size battery. However, it's worth noting that the Honor 70 doesn't quite live up to its full potential in terms of battery life. Despite the larger capacity, the phone's power efficiency and thermal management seem to be holding back its performance. During our stress tests, we observed periodic dips in CPU performance, which resulted in a less stable experience. In real-world usage, you can expect around 8-10 hours of screen-on time with moderate use, such as social media browsing, email checking, and the occasional gaming session. However, if you're an avid gamer or someone who spends a lot of time on your phone, you may find that the battery life doesn't quite meet your expectations. The good news is that the Honor 70 does support fast charging, with a 66W charger that can replenish the battery from zero to 71% in just half an hour. This makes it easier to top up and get back to using your phone without worrying about running out of juice. Overall, while the Honor 70's battery life is decent, it doesn't quite live up to its full potential, and you may find that you need to charge it more frequently than you'd like.
Display
The Honor 70 boasts an impressive curved OLED display that measures 6.67 inches in size. It boasts a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, making it perfect for smooth scrolling and gaming experiences. The maximum brightness of the display is around 510 nits with a manual slider, which boosts to 790 nits in auto mode when used outdoors. The display's sharpness and contrast are noteworthy, with excellent color accuracy depending on the chosen color mode. Additionally, the Honor 70 supports 10-bit color and HDR10+ for enhanced visuals. However, it falls short in terms of adaptive refresh rate at 120Hz, which only adjusts to a lower frequency when interacting with the screen. One notable aspect is that the display curves into the phone's frame, giving it a sleek and premium look. The frosted glass back also complements the design, making it feel razor-thin. While there's no official IP rating for water or dust resistance, the Honor 70 still manages to feel solidly built. Overall, the display on the Honor 70 is a highlight of the phone, offering a great viewing experience with its high resolution and refresh rate. However, its limitations in adaptive refresh rate and audio capabilities are notable drawbacks that may impact user satisfaction.
Camera
The camera department is where the Honor 70 truly shines. This mid-range device boasts an impressive array of upgrades over its predecessor, the Honor 50. Firstly, the primary camera has been upgraded to a 54-megapixel sensor, which produces excellent results in various lighting conditions. Photos taken with the main cam are characterized by their sharpness and fine detail, with saturated colors that truly pop. Dynamic range is also commendable, with well-balanced highlights and shadows. One notable feature of the Honor 70's camera setup is its ability to take close-up shots using the ultra-wide-angle lens, rather than a dedicated macro camera. These photos are lively and detailed, with great sharpness and punchy colors. In low-light conditions, the main cam performs admirably, producing images that are both sharp and detailed. The night mode feature also deserves special mention, as it subtly enhances contrast, saturation, and sharpening while keeping shadows slightly brighter and light sources more balanced. The added processing time is a small price to pay for this minor but noticeable improvement. Ultra-wide-angle photos taken in the dark benefit from a wide enough dynamic range, good contrast, and plenty of color sharpness. Night mode on the ultra-wide produces images that are both sharp and detailed, with excellent saturation and fine detail. The front-facing camera also deserves praise, delivering selfies that are impressively sharp and detailed, especially for this price category. The ability to record videos in up to 4k resolution using both rear cameras is a welcome feature, as is the clever solo cut mode, which uses AI to track and spotlight one person within a group. In conclusion, the Honor 70's camera setup offers above-average performance for its price point. While there are some minor drawbacks, such as slightly softer edges on ultra-wide-angle photos or a less sharp main cam in certain conditions, overall, this camera department is truly impressive and a major selling point of this device.
Price and Value
The Honor 70 is a mid-range phone that boasts an impressive feature set, but its price tag might be a turn-off for some users. Priced similarly to flagship devices, the Honor 70's $599 starting point feels steep considering what you get. While it offers a lightweight design, great curved OLED display, decent battery life, and above-average cameras, there are still better options available in this price range. One of the biggest downsides is that you can find other mid-range phones with stereo speakers and more powerful chipsets that handle thermals better, all for the same price. The Honor 70's single speaker setup doesn't quite live up to expectations, producing dull and lacking sound quality. This is particularly noticeable in a crowded market where audio performance is becoming increasingly important. Additionally, the Honor 70's chipset upgrade from last year's model isn't substantial enough to justify the premium pricing. While it still delivers solid performance for an upper mid-range device, the lack of significant improvement might leave some users feeling underwhelmed. In terms of value, the Honor 70 falls short of expectations. You can find other phones that offer similar features and even more impressive specs at the same price point. For instance, flagship killers with stereo speakers and more powerful chipsets are available in this range, making it difficult to justify spending top dollar on the Honor 70. Ultimately, while the Honor 70 is a solid mid-ranger, its price tag might be a bit too steep for some users. Until it becomes more affordable, those looking for similar features at a lower cost will likely find better options elsewhere.
Performance
The Honor 70's performance is an improvement over its predecessor, but it still lags behind flagship-grade devices. The phone is equipped with a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset, which provides a slight increase in clock speed compared to the previous model. This translates to decent, yet not exceptional, overall performance. In our testing, we found that the Honor 70's CPU performed similarly to last year's model under normal usage conditions. However, when subjected to heavy stress tests, the phone struggled with thermal management, leading to periodic dips in CPU performance. This is a concern for users who plan to push their device to its limits. Battery life has also been affected by this issue. The Honor 70 features a larger 4,800mAh battery compared to last year's model, but we were unable to notice any significant improvement in battery endurance. Our testing yielded the same 100-hour endurance rating as last year's phone, which is merely decent for a device of its size. On the bright side, charging speeds have improved with the Honor 70's inclusion of 66W fast charging. Despite the larger battery, we were able to charge from zero to 71% in just half an hour. In terms of camera performance, while not exceptional, the Honor 70 delivers decent results. The new 54MP main camera and 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus are notable upgrades over last year's model. Photos from the main camera exhibit good sharpness, detail, and saturated colors, although some users may find the dynamic range to be slightly more contrasty than expected. Overall, while the Honor 70's performance is an improvement over its predecessor, it still falls short of what we expect from a flagship-grade device. The thermal management issues are concerning, and the battery life remains merely decent.