Released in June 2023, the Honor 90 5G boasts a number of impressive features, making it a strong contender in the mid-range smartphone market. However, some aspects hold it back from being a clear frontrunner. Let’s delve into the details to see if the Honor 90 5G is the right phone for you.
Stunning Display and Design
The Honor 90 grabs attention with its sleek and modern design. Available in four colors (Midnight Black, Emerald Green, Diamond Silver, and Peacock Blue), the phone features a curved AMOLED display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz. This translates to smooth visuals and a more responsive user experience, especially while gaming or scrolling. The display itself measures 6.7 inches with a sharp 1200 x 2664 resolution, offering excellent clarity for watching videos or browsing the web. Honor even touts the display as being the first with “Eye Risk-Free” technology, but independent verification of this claim is lacking.
Powerful Performance (mostly)
Under the hood, the Honor 90 5G is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition processor. This chipset is capable of handling most everyday tasks and even some light gaming with ease. While not the top-of-the-line processor, it offers a good balance between performance and battery life. The phone comes in three RAM configurations (8GB, 12GB, and 16GB) alongside 256GB or 512GB of storage, providing ample space for your apps, photos, and videos.
Camera System: A Mixed Bag
The Honor 90 boasts a triple-lens rear camera system with a headline-grabbing 200MP main sensor. However, some reviewers have found that the camera system falls short of expectations. While the 200MP sensor sounds impressive on paper, it doesn’t necessarily translate to superior photos. Image processing can be hit or miss, and low-light performance is just average. The 12MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensor are decent but not class-leading. The 50MP front-facing camera is a positive for selfie enthusiasts, but again, results can be inconsistent.
Battery Life and Charging
The Honor 90 5G packs a 5000mAh battery, which should provide all-day use for most users. Light users might even be able to stretch it to two days on a single charge. The phone supports 66W fast wired charging, allowing you to quickly top up the battery when needed. However, wireless charging is noticeably absent, which may be a drawback for some.
Software and Other Features
The Honor 90 runs Android 13 with Honor’s own MagicOS 7.1 on top. MagicOS offers a user-friendly interface with some additional features compared to stock Android. However, some reviewers have noted bloatware and occasional bugs. The phone also boasts a variety of connectivity options, including 5G support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and an under-display fingerprint sensor. Unfortunately, the phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you’ll need to use either USB-C headphones or a wireless adapter.
