By pricing the device at Rs. 29,999 Honor have really hit OnePlus hard, but does the phone really have the hardware and wherewithal to knock OnePlus off the perch as the ‘best value for money smartphone’?
Pros:
- Good camera
- Expandable memory
- Quad-HD display
- Full metal design
- Great battery life
Cons:
- Bulky & heavy
- Average audio
- No FM Radio
What’s Good
Last year’s Honor 8 was one of the most good looking smartphones and Honor has carried forward that design philosophy forward on the Pro. Although, this time thanks to the full metal design, there is a lot of sturdiness to the 8 Pro.
The 5.7-inch display sports quad-HD resolution and is vibrant enough, although struggles under direct sunlight.
The phone runs on the latest HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor coupled with 6GB RAM. It’s a rocket of a device and runs all kinds of applications with ease. Be it multi-tasking or gaming, no lags at all.
What really is a big plus point is that apart from the 128GB storage variant, it also comes with expandable memory up to 256GB and has a dual-sim option!
Honor have been stellar performers in the dual-camera department and this time also they have excelled. I was really impressed with the camera quality of the Honor 8 Pro.
It comes with a 12+12-megapixel rear camera setup which is capable of delivering some excellent results. Offers good stabilisation although colours tend to be a bit over-saturated. Has a lot of cool modes to play with like 3D creator which you can use to create animated doodles of yourself or others! Great fun!
I really liked the fact that Honor kept the thickness of the phone down to just 7mm after accommodating a 4000mAh battery. The stand-by time that I got was quite impressive. What really is the icing is the fast charging technology which charges 100 percent of the battery in 40 minutes.
What’s Bad?
Despite the fact that phone has become sturdier with the all metal design, it attracts more bulk and is heavier than its predecessor.
During the camera test I felt some modes made photos look too blurred or software treated. It was difficult getting that perfect effect and took at least 3-4 attempts to get the perfect picture.
The audio via the speakers is very muffled and also the phone doesn’t offer FM Radio, which is a bummer. What I could say the biggest problem with the phone is the word at the back ‘Honor’.
People aren’t aware of the brand and really don’t associate with it because they haven’t been that versatile and visible in the market. If Honor want the 8 Pro to be successful they really need to push the brand more aggressively. And remember, Honor is Huawei’s sub-brand, Huawei being the third largest smartphone maker in the world.
Worth Buying?
So is the Honor 8 Pro worth buying at Rs 29,999? Absolutely! What Honor have done well is priced the phone aggressively which makes it a fierce competitor to the OnePlus 5.
From a top-of-the-line processor to a fabulous dual-camera setup, it has everything a phone of 2017 should have. If you haven’t gone gaga already over the OnePlus 5 and are looking for a super-phone in the sub 30k, then do check out the Honor 8 Pro.
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