Honor has officially launched its new Honor 70 smartphone during a keynote at IFA 2022. It was a great event with good energy and the first Honor event we physically attended in a very long time.
The new Honor 70 is a mid-range (549-599 Euros officially, or about ~$550-$600) smartphone that aims to provide a high-end design feel with its build quality, looks, and materials. At the same time, it wants to up the camera experience of this smartphone category to the next level.
Design-wise, we think it’s a success, and we’ll let you judge for yourself. Still, the industrial design has a lot of hallmarks of more expensive phones, such as the curved display, the matte glass back cover (anti-fingerprint), and the iconic dual camera modules in the back.
It is better built than many smartphones in the same price range, and that’s a fact, regardless of whether or not you like the aesthetic of the design. The only downside we see is the lack of water-protection certification (IP Rating).
Inside the attractive camera, the technicalities appear very attractive thanks to its camera hardware that consists of a 54MP (Sony IMX800, primary) and a secondary 50 MP f/2.2 (ultrawide + macro) camera.
The primary camera is the workhorse and should capture reliably good pictures in all lighting conditions. The f/2.2 ultrawide is probably best in broad daylight, but it’s okay since people typically capture vast landscapes and things like that.
We’re looking forward to computing its CAMERA HW score and looking at the value-proposition of this camera (score/price) to reveal its market positioning that seems advantageous based on the public specs.
The Selfie 32MP camera looks like the one Honor has used in previous phones, so you could go and check the Honor 60 Reviews to have a good idea of what it is capable of. As of late, we’ve used our phones to participate in video meetings, and they perform much better than any laptop we’ve seen, even the costly ones.
A Snapdragon 788G Plus computing platform has been selected to handle all that imagery and more. As its naming indicates, it is Gaming-capable and is one of the most potent Snapdragon Series 7xx chip. Its features nearly rival the more expensive 8xx series, but the computing speed is typically lower to hit the sub $650 price.
Most people won’t see a huge difference when using everyday life apps such as browsing and youtube. When handling the newest games and the highest video recording resolutions, computing power does matter.
The 4800 mAh battery capacity and 66W charging power are great, with the charging speed seemingly way above average in this category. You might want to note that wireless charging is not present, in case this is an essential factor in your workflow.
Overall, the Honor 70 is a well-rounded mid-range ($600) smartphone, and indeed the best of its category at IFA 2022. To evaluate these mid-range phones honestly, you must look at the overall value-proposition because you won’t be able to have all the features crammed in one device, which will induce a higher price.
The design, build quality, computing power, and camera prowess are very attractive at this price point.