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Honor has been living in the shadow of Huawei since it was sold off in November 2020 to save the brand from sanctions imposed by the US.
Fortunately, it didn’t suffer the same fate as its previous mother company, as its devices still run on Android OS, including Google Mobile Services, and most importantly for consumers, full access to the Play Store.
Honor stands out as the same youthful brand, targeting an audience who are big on content creation with its 200MP camera and AI Vlog master tools through its latest offering.
The mid-range device was officially launched at a media event in Sandton on August 23, with local pricing and availability revealed: The Honor 90 will cost R14 999 and go on sale on September 1. It will be bundled with the Honor Watch 4, valued at R3 499.
Mid-range devices offer more attractive price points than flagships with some premium features thrown in, alongside a few sacrifices.
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City Press was hosted at the MEA event in Dubai last month, and we’ve been testing the device since.
What makes the Honor 90 stand out
The Honor 90 is being punted as the first “AI vlog smartphone” due to features that can automatically stitch videos together without requiring editing skills or the need to purchase third-party apps.
It is equipped with a trio of lenses on the rear: a 200MP main sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide and macro lens, and a 2MP depth camera. It is complemented by a 50MP selfie camera.
Given that “vlogging” is the essence of this phone, the rear and front cameras both shoot in 4K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels).
The Honor 90 has a 6.7-inch display and is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor with an Adreno 644 graphics card; 12GB of RAM, plus 7GB expanded (up to 19GB total); and 512GB of storage.
It has a large 4900mAh battery with 66W of wired charging, NFC for contactless payments, and dual SIM, including additional eSIM support with 5G capabilities.
It also claims to protect your eyes through its 3840Hz PWM dimming feature for a ‘flicker-free and risk-free’ experience when used at its maximum 120Hz screen refresh rate.
Putting the AI to work
As someone who edits videos on mobile exclusively and pays attention to detail and uses paid-for apps, I tested it like I had no skillset. I shot a bunch of videos and put the AI straight to work.
After individually selecting the videos to stitch together, I hit the “AI Instant Movie” button and within a few seconds, I had a fully edited video. I was amazed at the results.
Before you accept the final edit, you can change the music, go into templates – there are loads – and you can edit each snippet individually; it’s very granular.
You can also create a vlog using still images; the AI turns it into a vlog with panning effects. If you were afraid to dabble in videos, the Honor 90 offers an intuitive interface to help you get started.
I used the same selected videos of my cat to generate different results to see its capabilities, and they are really good if you have no editing skills. Transitions feel professional and you have control of final tweaks.
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Another feature being punted is the “AI noise reduction” tool that removes background noise while enhancing your voice when speaking.
I tested this in the best place I could – in front of my pool with the pump switched on. The video playback from a recording with the feature switched off and on was clear in its clean-up. I could still hear the birds, but the loud background sounds were gone, and my voice was enhanced.
This feature could be useful to content creators, vloggers, film-making students, or travellers who shoot in noisy airports or tourist attractions.
Does the Honor 90 live up to its claims?
It also delivers where most other phones fall short: 512GB of storage capacity considering there is no expandable storage; and the addition of eSIM support, a feature found on premium devices.
I couldn’t really tell if the PWM dimming worked since I wear glasses with a blue light filter and dim the screen anyway.
As mentioned earlier, mid-range phones come with sacrifices. In this instance, you’re getting a plastic phone without a toughened Gorilla glass-like protection, a 2022 chipset, and no wireless charging or optical zoom.
If you were a fan of Huawei looking for a replacement with touches of familiarity, don’t pass up the Honor 90.
Its R14 999 price tag bundled with Honor Watch 4 comes with six months of insurance that covers one screen fix. It will be available through Vodacom, MTN and Telkom Mobile on September 1.
In a highly competitive segment, the Honor 90 gets the price right and shines at what it claims to be good at, which far outweighs the sacrifices.
The Honor 90 is one of the most stand-out devices that we reviewed this year – it’s a very compelling proposition.
