HONOR 90 5G, analysis – review with opinion and characteristics

We have tested the latest premium mid-range smartphone from HONOR. This is our in-depth review of the HONOR 90 5G.

Throughout 2023, HONOR has surprised us with several particularly interesting products. From a HONOR Magic5 Pro which became one of our favorite high-end smartphones for its excellent camera system, until a great large-format folding like the Magic Vs. Now, the company wants to find its niche in the intermediate segment with the HONOR 90.

After being launched in China, the HONOR 90 is now landing on the global market with a design and features inherited from the brand’s most expensive models, including a large OLED screen with quadruple curvea camera system led by a 200 megapixel sensor or one of Qualcomm’s latest reference processors.

For all these reasons, the HONOR 90 arrives to position itself in the complicated segment of the mid-premium rangeand the reality is that on paper it has everything necessary to become a worthy rival to the most relevant models in this sector. We have tested them over the past few weeks, and this is all you need to know about him.

Price of and where to buy it

HONOR 90 is available in three colors: black, green and white, and in two different memory and storage configurations. Each variant has a different price:

• HONOR 90 8GB + 256GB: 549 euros
• HONOR 90 12GB+512GB: 599 euros

The new series of flagship smartphones for HONOR’s mid-range lands in Spain from the July 6th. Since its launch, a pre-purchase period through which it was possible enjoy a series of exclusive benefits Alabama purchase any of the two devices that make up the series through HiHonor.

Those who decide to take advantage of the promotion will get a 50 euro discount by pre-purchasing any of the devices. In addition, when you pre-purchase HONOR 90, you will receive a free tablet HONOR Pad X8 as a giftvalued at 199 euros and six months of screen coverage free.

Spec Sheet

Design and screen

The back of the green HONOR 90 has a smooth matte finish / Image: Christian Collado

Of the HONOR 90, the first thing that catches our attention is its design. Although the company has decided to keep the aesthetics of the family almost intact, in this model we find changes that make its physical appearance look and feel more refined.

If you don’t like curves, I’m afraid this mobile is not for you. Both the back, finished in glass, and the front, They have very pronounced curvatures along the four sides, which merge with the plastic trim with glossy finish that surrounds the entire body of the phone. On this occasion, we have been able to test the green color model With a frosted glass back with a matte effect, which prevents fingerprints and dirt from being easily marked.

Subjective opinions aside, it is undeniable that the curves translate into an excellent hand feelsimilar to what we already got with the Magic5 Pro when we were able to review it. It is also a thinner and lighter mobile than usual, two features that help make it even more comfortable to wear.

The HONOR 90 screen is curved along its four ends / Image: Christian Collado

camera modules they retain the dual ring format that we have been seeing in the models of this series for some time. This time we see a chrome effect around the camera systems, of the same color that we find on the edges of the device.

The good news continues when we turn the phone over and see its big screen 6.74-inch diagonal, with OLED technology and Full HD + resolution. It is undoubtedly one of the best screens that we have seen in a smartphone of this category, with a maximum brightness level at the level of some of the best mobiles on the market, good sharpness and excellent viewing angles. The color representation is accurate, and HONOR’s effort must be appreciated when it comes to bringing to the screen of this smartphone all the functions aimed at caring for the eyesight that we already saw in its most expensive models.

The screen is accompanied by a fingerprint unlock system integrated. It’s about a optic readerpositioned a couple of centimeters above the bottom edge of the screen, which does the job and does a good job of speed and accuracy in identifying fingerprints.

hardware and performance

A Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is hidden inside the HONOR 90 / Image: Christian Collado

Under the hood of this HONOR 90 is the processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1a chip focused on the mid-range that, in this case, is associated with 12GB of RAM and an internal storage of 512GB. There are also other variants with less internal memory capacity.

The performance of this processor is good, although without reaching the level of other more modern ones that we have been able to test recently. Without going further, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 of the POCO F5, despite being very similar on a technical level, gives us extra ease which is appreciated

Despite this, It cannot be said that the performance of the HONOR 90 is bad. Everything runs smoothly and at the speed expected from a device of this price, and except for the occasional problem (which, I’m afraid, is more software-related than hardware-related), it’s hard to fault how it works. Of the device.

It’s not the best gaming chip in the world, and it probably isn’t the industry’s best performer over time, either. For that reason, we would have liked to see a most modern chipmore recent or one belonging to a slightly higher range, capable of ensuring better performance. In that sense, I think the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 would have been a perfect choice to ensure a more affordable experience over time.

For the rest, HONOR is right to provide its new device with a 5000 mAh capacity batterywhich, added to the efficiency of the processor, translates into a very good autonomybeing able to overcome the day of use without too many problems. Likewise, the 66W fast charging It allows you to recharge the entire battery in less than 40 minutes.

MagicOS 7.1 is the version of the HONOR operating system that gives life to the HONOR 90 / Image: Christian Collado

All of this is backed by Magic OS 7.1the latest version of the brand’s operating system based on Android 13, which we already saw in the models launched by the brand at the beginning of the year.

Once again, we are before a emui versionHuawei’s customization layer, with small modifications. The software comes loaded with useful functions and features, but the interface seems somewhat outdated, with elements that are too large and animations that are somewhat “clunky”.

cameras

A large 200-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor leads the HONOR 90’s camera system / Image: Christian Collado

Much of the appeal of the HONOR 90 5G lies in its photographic section. The brand has equipped its new device with a main camera system led by a 200 megapixel resolution sensor and a size of 1/1.4 in.

The sensor is an ISOCELL HP3, one of the latest 200-megapixel sensors released by Samsung, and targeted for use in top-tier smartphones.

The rest of the sensors on the back of the HONOR 90 are one of 12 megapixels in charge of ultra-wide shots, and a 2-megapixel sensor for depth shots.

HONOR has done a good job with the main camera of the HONOE 90. The excellent capabilities of the sensor in terms of detail capture, sharpness and color rendering are coupled with a naturally processedwhich does not over-saturate the colors, although it does tend to add a little more artificial sharpness than necessary.

We would have liked to see, yes, a HDR effect not so exaggerated in some scenes, especially those in which the camera faces complex scenes in terms of light. If the backlight is too bright, it is easy to see “halos” around foreground subjects or objects.

At night, the camera also does a good job, in line with what we have been seeing in the most recent models of the brand. And it is that the experience with this HONR 90 at a photographic level is not very different to the one we get with the Magic series.

The secondary camera with ultra wide angle lens it also does its job and is capable of capturing detailed, colorful and good quality images.

Despite not having a dedicated telephoto lens, the main camera of the deviceThanks to its high resolution, it allows zoom up to two times with little loss of quality. HONOR also wanted to take advantage of this capacity including a portrait mode which uses 2x zoom by default.

For her part, the 50 megapixel front camera allows to capture very good quality selfieswith a wide dynamic range, good levels of detail and consistent colorimetry compared to the main camera.

Photo and video gallery with HONOR 90

Conclusion

The back of the HONOR 90 in green / Image: Christian Collado

Using an HONOR 90 is not much different from using an HONOR Magic5 Pro in general terms. The screen is excellentthe performance is solvent, the main camera is very good and the autonomy is at the level of the references of the segment.

To all this we must add one aggressive pricing strategyespecially during its first days on sale, during which it is possible to get hold of the device with a 50 euro discount, in addition to obtaining a tablet of 200 euros as a gift.

For all this, it is a very good alternative to the mid-range of the most relevant firms today, which above all is committed to a unique aesthetic and a multimedia section worthy of praise.

This device has been thoroughly tested independent thanks to a transfer by the brand. The article contains purchase links for which Andro4all may receive a commission. join up to the Andro4all bargain channel to find out about the best deals before anyone else.