[In-depth Review] HONOR 50 - The Smartphone that begins an attitude, "Go Beyond."

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At the moment, everything is happening for HONOR. The HONOR 50 is the company's first global smartphone since going independent. The fact of the matter is that HONOR has come to rest, rolling with a smartphone that follows its established strategy of iconic design, near-flagship level of performance, and affordability.

Design

While being a mid-range phone, the HONOR 50 has a premium aesthetic appeal. It has a compact frame and a screen that curves into the long sides. With a thickness of 7.78mm and a weight of 175g, the device fits effortlessly into a pocket as well as settles extremely comfortably. Its 6.57-inch display is housed in a chassis that is 160 mm tall and 73.76 mm wide. It has a nice design, but it lacks an IP designation for dust and water resistance, as do many sub-flagship smartphones.

A unique coupling of camera modules, formed of two circles, can be found on the phone's rear. The upper section features a single 108MP camera, while the bottom part includes a 2MP depth sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. Also, there is a flashing LED. A power button resides on the right side, with a volume rocker above it.

Personally, I like the aesthetic of the HONOR 50, which is a really ergonomic phone to be used for long periods of time.

Display

The HONOR 50 has a 6.57-inch Full HD OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz. It's curved on both sides quite a bit. Content is clear and crisp on-screen, with a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels (392ppi) and an 89.6% screen-to-body ratio. There's ample brightness, as well as a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, a touch-sampling rate of 300Hz, and compatibility with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. The refresh rate of the screen can be set to change dynamically or stay the same at 60Hz, which can both help keep the battery life up.

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Camera

Point and shoot photos came out really well using the default settings on the HONOR 50's rear cameras. You get vibrant, accurate colours with a good balance between light and dark areas of the shot. This sensor is super-strong, performing well in a variety of different lighting conditions and delivering good levels of detail. Slow motion and light painting are still missing from the application; maybe, this will be fixed in the next update!

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Moving on to the ultra-wide camera, the field of vision is excellent, and the photographs are excellent when combined with appropriate lighting. For the best results while shooting in low-light situations, use the HONOR 50's Night mode setting. Compare and contrast the two photographs below, both taken in the Forum Mall and with and without the feature active. If you add Night mode to the mix, these flaws are fixed very well. Apart from that, the 2MP depth and 2MP macro sensors deliver acceptable photographs that can be shared on social media. The depth sensor's edge detection isn't perfect, but it still gives good results.

Normal shot

Night Shot

Selfies taken with the 32MP camera were just as good; the system will recognise when there are more people in the image and convert it to a larger field of view to accommodate them. On the front camera, there's a beauty setting and a bokeh option to help you take the greatest selfies imaginable. When I took a few test images, they all came out bright and flattering, so if you're looking for a good front camera, you'll find it here.

Battery and charging

The battery life of the HONOR 50 is excellent. Even with the 120Hz refresh rate and the always-on display activated—two of the most significant battery drains on any smartphone—the 4300mAh battery here will comfortably survive a full day without needing to be recharged.

With the included 66W charger, it took just under 40 minutes to charge from Zero to 100%. That’s amazing, and it means you won't have to worry about running out of time to recharge it before leaving for work.

Performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is a special chip since it makes a difference between upper mid-range and flagship processors. I was not dissatisfied. Daily tasks, such as watching movies and listening to music, as well as surfing numerous social media apps, were completed without lag, and the HONOR 50 appeared to be capable of doing the job of playing mobile games. You'll also have 5G connectivity here, as you'd think at this cost in 2021, so you'll be totally future-proofed with high-speed internet while you're out and about. Unfortunately, there are no dual speakers offered, but the speaker is rather loud in comparison to its predecessors.

Magic UI 4.2

HONOR’s MagicUI 4.2 overlay and a slew of apps come pre-installed on Android 11, along with Google Mobile Services. The return of these GApps is a game-changer, repositioning HONOR's devices as a viable alternative rather than a curiosity most discarded. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops its own personality over time with new features and software updates for its devices.

The Conclusion

With Google Mobile Services on-board, the HONOR 50 is a respectable -- if not show-stopping -- mid-range 5G handset. The design is pleasing, the curved OLED screen is very good, and the 120Hz refresh rate is welcome, the battery is very reliable, and the main camera sensor is strong too. The vlogging camera features might not appeal to everyone, but they are fun to experiment with, it’s only really let down by the poorer quality secondary cameras and the lack of some practical touches such as an IP rating, headphone jack, and SD card **** and I applaud the absence of third-party bloatwares.

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The attitude "Go Beyond" is truly intended for HONOR devices, as well as fans and competitors all over the world. As little more than a mid-range smartphone, this is really a move in the right direction, and I see no flaws with it. I've always admired the company's flagship products, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.

Below are my other HONOR 50 articles

Unboxing and Reviews

HONOR 50 Updates

HONOR 50 Photography

Wallpapers