Huawei sub-brand Honor has recently launched two popular smartphones in the Indian market, the budget-oriented Honor 7X and the affordable flagship, Honor View10. The company is now gearing up to launch another budget smartphone with four cameras, similar to the Honor 9i which was launched a few months ago in India. Honor has dropped another hint that the device in question here could very well be the Honor 9 Lite.
The Honor 9 Lite was launched in China in late-December and has a camera setup similar to the Honor 9i, which retails for Rs. 17999 in India. The company, in a press release, has conceded that the upcoming device will have a glass unibody, exactly like the Honor 9 Lite:
Ensuring its consumers to stay connected while in style, the new smartphone will be equipped with a sleek looking glass unibody with mirror effect rear glass, similar to what has been seen in premium smartphones like Honor 8 and Honor 9, and other smartphones like Apple iPhone X.
Teaser image shared by the company
The Honor 9 Lite shares a lot of similarities with the other two Honor devices in the sub-20K price categories, the Honor 7X and Honor 9i. The Honor 9 Lite has the same Kirin 659 chipset as the other two phones, a quad-camera setup like the Honor 9i and thin bezel-less design. THe differentiating factor here will be the build quality and most importantly, the price.
It has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding.
Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.
The Honor 9 Lite has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP + 2MP setup and both the setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.
The company has not hinted any date for the launch as of now and the price for the Indian market as well, is being kept under the wraps.
Smartphones of 2018 are expected to have better facial recognition technology along with a fingerprint sensor. Even though facial recognition has been a part of Android phones for a long time now, it has received mainstream attention ever since the iPhone X launched with Face ID. Smartphones like the OnePlus 5T was launched with features like Face Unlock, which the company claims is more for convenience rather than security.
Honor boasted about its facial recognition software during its London launch event back in December. The company has now announced that the Honor 7X, the budget-oriented bezel-less smartphone will soon receive a software update which enables Face Unlock. In India, the Honor 7X is priced at Rs. 12999 and apart from the LG Q6, the Honor 7X will have a proper Face Unlock feature that the OEM will enable.
Apart from the Face Unlock feature, there have been reports that Honor will launch the Honor 7X red colour variant in India, close to Valentines Day.
The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2, 4GB of RAM and two storage options of 32GB, and 64GB. The onboard storage is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot. Since the device has thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the below the dual-camera setup.
The Honor 7X runs Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 6.0 on top which gives a user more options for customising their phones.
The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. One of the cameras is equipped with a 16MP sensor while the other one is a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.
Huawei sub-brand Honor is set to launch a new smartphone in India with a dual-camera setup on the front of the device. The Devices expected to be launched is the Honor 9 Lite which was recently launched in China. There is no confirmation about the smartphone or its price in India but, Honor has already launched the Honor 9i with four cameras and the Honor 9 Lite could be the new entrant.
In China, it is priced at CNY 1199 (Rs. 11600 approx.) for the 3GB/32GB variant, CNY 1499 (Rs. 14500 approx.) for the 4GB/32GB variant and CNY 1799 (Rs. 17400 approx.) for the 4GB/64GB variant.
The Honor 9 Lite follows the same design language as the Honor 7X and the Honor View10. It has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, similar to the Honor 7X, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding.
Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.
The Honor 9 Lite has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP + 2MP setup and both the setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.
The Honor 9 Lite shares a lot of similarities with the Honor 7X and the price of the smartphone will be key to the success of the new device from Honor.
Xiaomi recently launched a red colour variant of the Mi A1 in India while OnePlus will also be launching a Lava Red colour option for the OnePlus 5T. In order to keep up with other OEMs, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor will soon launch a red colour variant of the Honor 7X in India, probably close to Valentines Day in February.
Since the device will be limited edition, only 20,000 units will be manufactured and it will be available in markets like India, USA, Western Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and Russia. In a press release, the company said:
Honor is partnering with Monster, one of the world’s largest headphone manufacturers, to give the first 100 purchasers of Honor 7X Red in each country/region the red co-branded Honor-Monster AM15 headphones as a special gift.
In the times of smartphones becoming better with every new release, specifications and performance of a lot of smartphones are almost always on par. The differentiating factors like an exciting new colour variant can sometimes tip a buyer towards one device over the other.
In the sub-15K category, the Honor 7X and Xiaomi Mi A1 appear to be competing head-on with each other. After the Honor 7X was launched in India, Xiaomi Mi A1 received a price cut to make it more comparable with the Honor 7X. Similarly, Honor could be competing with the red colour variant of the Xioami Mi A1 with its Red Honor 7X in India.
The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot. Since the device has thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the phone, just below the dual-camera setup.
The Honor 7X runs Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 6.0 on top which gives a user more options for customising their phones.
The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. One of the cameras is equipped with a 16MP sensor while the other one is a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.
It will be interesting to see if Honor retains the price of the Honor 7X for the red colour variant as well just like Xiaomi did. Also, with the 64GB variant priced at Rs. 15999, Honor might introduce the red colour in only the higher end model of the Honor 7X.
The Honor 7X was launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 12999 which makes it one of the best bang for the buck Android phones in the market right now. Unlike a lot of its competitors, the Honor 7X has a nearly bezel-less display, and a tall 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor 7X runs Android 7 Nougat with EMUI on top which gives a lot of customisation options to the user.
The Honor View10, launched in early-December at an event in London will go on sale in India on 8th of January at a price of Rs. 29,999. The price of Rs. 29,999 makes this the most affordable budget flagship available in the market right now. The OnePlus 5T and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 are priced at Rs. 32999. Registrations for the device started on the 28th of December and it will be available in two colour variant, Midnight Black and Navy Blue.
Ever since the OnePlus One was launched back in 2014, the Chinese smartphone maker’s devices have been considered to be the flagship killers. Year after year, the company has launched Android phones with high-end specifications at nearly half the price of devices by other tier brands. While 2017 saw a lot of flagship devices being launched under Rs. 40000 bracket, the OnePlus 5 and then the OnePlus 5T priced at Rs. 32999 for the 64GB variant remained a fan favourite.
However, Honor has recently announced the price of its Honor View10, the Kirin 970-powered affordable flagship phone. At a price of Rs. 29,999 the Honor View10 has a high-end chipset, dual cameras, nearly bezel-less display and an emphasis on AI. All of that, and it is still cheaper than the OnePlus 5T. So, does the Honor View10 take the crown of the best affordable flagship? Let’s find out:
Design
Both the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 share a similar design language. Both the devices sport a tall display, thin bezels and dual-cameras at the back. The dual-cameras on both the devices protrude a little which means that a case might be necessary to protect the camera glass. The OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 have matte finishes to the back which means the devices can be a bit slippery but, both the companies provide a clear case inside the box.
OnePlus 5T
Display
The OnePlus 5T is a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 5 with a modern 18:9 aspect ratio and thin bezels. The Honor View10 also has thin bezels and a tall display and even manages to retain the front-facing fingerprint sensor, something that the OnePlus 5T had to give up for smaller bezels. Both the devices have a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px, however, while the Honor View10 has an IPS LCD panel, the OnePlus 5T has an Optic AMOLED panel.
Software
After photos and sound, software is the most subjective aspect of a smartphone. Just like some people prefer bass-heavy sound over a flat soundstage, some people prefer the bells and whistles of a custom skin over stock Android OS. There is no denying that the OnePlus 5T will always be ahead when it comes to software updates but, EMUI on the Honor View10 has come a long way since its inception as well. The Honor View10 has a slight advantage thanks to the NPU present in the Kirin 970 chipset. Honor has been able to add some nifty features that take full advantage of AI. For example, thanks to Honor View10’s facial recognition software, the phone only displays a preview of notifications on the lock screen only when it recognises the face, otherwise, the notifications remain hidden.
This is just a small example of what implementation of AI does to the overall user experience. However, if you are a stock Android enthusiast then the OnePlus 5T is ideal for you.
Performance
Honor View10
Both the devices are powered by two flagship chipsets. The OnePlus 5T has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6 or 8GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of storage. The Honor View10 has the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The storage on the Honor View10 can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card while the OnePlus 5T doesn’t provide an option for expanding the onboard storage.
Both the devices run day-to-day tasks with ease and even high-end gaming is buttery smooth on either device. If you want a device for heaving gaming, then neither of the phones will disappoint your gaming needs. Thanks to the tall displays on both the devices, multitasking is a joy and the snappy processors made sure both the devices held up well in extreme multitasking situations.
Camera
Photographs are extremely subjective, and both the devices have a dual camera setup at the back albeit, different implementations. The OnePlus 5T, unlike its predecessor, has a 16MP and 20MP setup with an f/1.7 aperture which OnePlus claims, will result in better low-light photographs. The Honor View10 has a 16MP RGB sensor and a 20MP Monochrome sensor with both having an f/1.8 aperture. Here are a few camera samples of both the devices:
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Specifications
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Price
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At the end of the day, the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 are two great phones with best in class specifications and an affordable price tag. Honor seems to have struck gold with its pricing and the real question here is whether stock Android is worth the extra money or not. If yes, then the OnePlus 5T should be your choice. But, if you are on a tight budget, the Honor View10 has a lot more to offer in terms of user experience and will cost less than the OnePlus 5T.
The Honor View10, launched in early-December at an event in London will go on sale in India on 8th of January at a price of Rs. 29,999. The price of Rs. 29,999 makes this the most affordable budget flagship available in the market right now. The OnePlus 5T and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 are priced at Rs. 32999. Registrations for the device started on the 28th of December and it will be available in two colour variant, Midnight Black and Navy Blue.
The Honor View10 has a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor View10 has minimal side bezels and thin top and bottom bezels.
Under the hood, the device has the Kirin 970 chipset with a Neural Processing Unit, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom of the device along with a USB Type C port. The front of the device also has a home button which houses the fingerprint sensor.
The Honor View10 also has facial recognition which is becoming more prominent since the launch of the iPhone X. The facial recognition works similar to the Face ID on the iPhone X, the accuracy of which, will be extensively tested in the coming weeks.
Similar to the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the Honor View10 also concentrates a lot on AI. For example, while on a call, AI will differentiate between the user’s voice and background noise to make sure the user’s voice is clearer. This is thanks to the presence of the Kirin 970 chipset which has a Neural Processing Unit on board.
Because of its facial recognition technology, the Honor View10 also has iPhone X-like animojis, which Honor claims are much more accurate than iPhone X since it tracks the user’s tongue as well.
Powering the device is a 3750 mAh battery and supports 5V / 4.5A fast charging. Honor claims the phone will be 50% charged in 30 minutes thanks to Honor Super Charge technology.
The Honor View10 has a dual camera setup at the back and has a single camera at the front. The back of the devices houses a 16MP RGB sensor and a 20MP Monochrome sensor with both having an f/1.8 aperture. The primary camera setup records 4K videos at 30fps. At the front of the phone is a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.
At an extremely competitive price of Rs. 29999, the Honor View10 will definitely test the resilience of the OnePlus 5T which has so far been a popular choice for people looking for an affordable flagship Android device. The Honor View10, just like the OnePlus 5T has a flagship chipset, dual cameras but, also has all the bells and whistles of AI, which are missing from the OnePlus 5T.
Huawei Honor launched the Honor 7X in India at a starting price of Rs. 12999. Up until then, that price segment was dominated by the likes of the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5s Plus, both of which offered similar specifications and software experience.
Before the Honor 7X was launched in India, the Xiaomi Mi A1 was soaring high at a price tag of Rs. 14999 which was cheaper than the Moto G5s Plus, however, a few days after the Honor 7X was launched, the price of the Mi A1 decreased. In order to keep a level playing field, Xiaomi reduced the price of the Honor 7X to Rs. 13999 and right now, it is available for Rs. 12999 on Flipkart. With the price tag no longer a factor, let’s see which phone comes out on top.
Design
Hands down, the Honor 7X wins in the design department. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is not a bad looking phone but, when kept next to each other, the Mi A1 looks dated. The Honor 7X has a modern design with thin bezels and even though the company could’ve used the bottom bezel to house a fingerprint sensor instead of its branding, the Honor 7X looks sleek and more pleasing to the eye than the Xiaomi Mi A1.
Display
The Honor 7X has a 5.93-inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution and 407ppi. The Xiaomi Mi A1, on the other hand, has a 5.5 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution and 403ppi. Despite a taller display, the Honor 7X has a slightly high pixel count than the Xiaomi Mi A1. In terms of display, the Honor 7X wins the battle again thanks to its 18:9 aspect ratio which comes in handy while multi-tasking and content consumption in general. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has the 2016 standard 5.5-inch display which cannot seem to hold up against the Honor 7X.
Software
After photos and sound, software is the most subjective aspect of a smartphone. Just like some people prefer bass-heavy sound over a flat soundstage, some people prefer the bells and whistles of a custom skin over stock Android OS. There is no denying that the Xiaomi Mi A1 will always be ahead when it comes to software updates but, EMUI on the Honor 7X has come a long way since its inception as well. Both the phones offer a different software experience for different sets of people.
Performance
The Xiaomi Mi A1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card. The Honor 7X is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage (for the Rs. 12,999 variant) which can also be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. Just as you would expect, bot the devices handle day-to-day tasks with ease although the 18:9 display makes normal usage much more fun on the Honor 7X. During gaming again, the display of the Honor 7X comes into play as it enhances the user experience while the Xiaomi Mi A1’s experience is adequate but, nothing to ride home about.
Benchmark scores tell a similar story. In Geekbench, the Xiaomi Mi A1 scores 883 in single-core and 4267 in multi-core set. The Honor 7X on the other hand scores 909 in single-core and 3511 in multi-core tests.
Camera
Photos are extremely subjective and the same case is in this comparison as well. Watch our full comparison for photo samples and decide for yourself. Here are a few sample shots from both, the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Honor 7X.
Honor 7X
Honor 7X
Honor 7X
Honor 7X
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi Mi A1
While specifications on paper might not tell the whole story, the two phones are a solid option in the price category. The Mi A1 has a dated design but stock Android OS while the Honor 7X has a modern design, thin bezels but a heavily skinned custom OS.
Specifications
Honor 7X
Xiaomi Mi A1
Price
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Rs. 13999
Display
5.93-inch
LTPS IPS LCD
5.5-inch
LTPS IPS LCD
Resolution
2160 X 1080 px
407ppi
1920 x 1080 px
403ppi
Battery
3340 mAh
3080 mAh
OS
Android 7.1 Nougat
EMUI
Android 8.0 Oreo (Beta)
Stock Android OS
Chipset
HiSilicon Kirin 659
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
GPU
Mali-T830 MP2
Adreno 506
RAM
4GB
4GB
Storage
32GB/64GB (Expandable up to 256GB)
64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)
Primary Camera
16MP + 2MP depth sensor
12MP (f/2.2) + 12MP (f/2.6) telephoto lens
Primary Video
1080P @ 30fps
4K @ 30fps
Secondary Camera
8MP
5MP
Add-ons
Fingerprint Sensor
Tall display and bezel-less design
