Honor had been on a roll in 2017! After launching phones like the Honor 8 Pro and the Honor 9i, the Chinese smartphone maker ended 2017 on a high with the launch of their latest flagship the Honor View 10.
I got my hands on the phone a few days ago and have been using it as my primary. So, here are my first impressions of the Honor View 10.
Specifications
- Display: 5.99-inch full HD
- Processor: Hisilicon Kirin 970 octa-core
- RAM: 6GB
- Android 8.0
- Storage: 128 GB (expandable)
- Rear camera: Dual 16+20-megapixel
- Front camera: 13-megapixel
- Battery: 3750mAh non-removable
- Price: Rs 29,999
Design & Display
There’s definitely more fluidity to the design of this new Honor phone. Over its predecessors the Honor View 10 manages to holds its own in terms of sturdiness. The edges are more pronounced and sharpened which makes the phone good to hold.
It fits well in the hand and is heavy at 172 grams.
The 5.99-inch display is full HD and very vibrant. Binge watchers will like this screen. It does tend to struggle a bit under direct sunlight but that’s not a deal-breaker is it?
Performance & Storage
Plenty of space on the Honor View 10 as it not only comes with 128GB of on-board storage but also supports expandable storage up to 256GB.
Powering this device is a Hisilicon Kirin 970 octa-core processor coupled with 6GB of RAM inside. I didn’t encounter any lags as such even while playing HD games. It’s running on Android 8.0 on top of EMUI 8.0.
I also didn’t get much time to dive deeper into the artificial intelligence in the phone. Yes, it does come bundled with a lot of ‘extra’ features but I am yet to discover the ‘extraordinary’ in the View 10.
The phone comes with facial recognition though it’s a pain to make it work (probably it’s my face and not the phone).
Camera & Battery
The Honor View 10 sports a dual lens rear camera with a 16 plus 20-megapixel camera combination. It’s loaded with multiple modes to play with. I am impressed with the way Honor has made this camera. Some stiff competition for the likes of the OnePlus 5T.
On the front you have a 13-megapixel camera that comes with portrait and moving picture mode. Huff... there’s just so much to explore on this camera!
Despite being good, the design has its flaws. The bulge on the back camera is unwarranted. It becomes very inconvenient to put it on flat surfaces without fearing damage to the lens and isn’t very pleasing to the eye.
Under the hood is a 3,750mAh battery which is not removable. Though it may not look that much on paper, it was enough to get me a full day’s charge. It also comes with fast charging that helps the phone charge up to 60 percent in an hour (hmm... would I call that fast?).
Initial Verdict
So, this is Honor’s way of telling OnePlus that it’s ready for the challenge. Pricing the phone at Rs 29,999 is indeed an aggressive move but I feel Honor is playing this one a bit too close for comfort.
It’s in direct competition with the likes of the OnePlus 5T, but with the extra ‘AI’ features and a slightly bigger battery, Honor’s slightly lesser price tag just seem a sweeter deal.
But Honor, try making your phones a bit lighter and also scratch the camera bulge off from the next phone’s design. Pretty please.
This story has been updated with the price of the Honor View 10
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