Speak Up, Make some Noise!
The fourth and final season of this epic saga we call the HONOR 90 5G Review! Like the others, we will follow a linear review in which the last part is where we talk about the speakers, the conclusions, and pros and cons.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
SPEAKERS:
As we mentioned in our At a Glance series, the Honor 90 comes with a single bottom-firing speaker, unlike other phones in its price range which come with two—usually one at the bottom and the other at the top. Honor did not specify any enhancements or modifications to these speakers.
We aren’t YugaTech so we are not going to hide the actual music that played on these speakers and replace it with a royalty-free substitute. No copyright law is going to stop us from completing this honest and unbiased review.
There is a disadvantage when your phone only has one speaker. That is, it’s not going to sound as loud or immersive, and these two problems are present in the Honor 90 5G’s only speaker. It’s not the loudest-sounding speaker we’ve heard. In fact, it’s actually quiet, even at the loudest volume. It also tends to have way too strong mids and weak bass. Though, we can at least say that the speaker has decent clarity. We’d say it’s on par with the TCL 10 5G’s speakers, though the TCL 10 has slightly louder speakers and even stronger mids.
CONCLUSION:
The Honor 90 is a gem in a lot of areas, starting with its luxurious and premium design, wide and revolutionary 3840Hz PWM OLED display, and of course, its camera system. While the company highlights the 200MP more, we’d say the real star of the show here is the 50MP Selfie camera. The Honor 90 has everything a vlogger needs to make a great video including 4K@30fps recording for both the selfie and primary camera, excellent noise reduction, and sharp and realistic-looking images. What it lacks in night shot prowess makes up for it in its ability to make everything detailed and sharp, even at 10x zoom.
We’re also impressed and surprised to see that the 3840Hz frequency is not a gimmick. It actually works as advertised and the display is indeed very comfortable to use even for longer periods. It may not be the brightest OLED screen we’ve had, but that factor alone compensates for it.
Its performance is solid but it’s far from the best from its price point. It’s prone to throttling too. Also, MagicOS has a slightly higher learning curve compared to ColorOS or Samsung’s OneUI, unless the user is already familiar with EMUI. Though Honor and Huawei have parted ways, their DNA still shows strong, and it’s quite evident with the UI. In comparison to ColorOS, MagicOS is less cluttered, looks cleaner, and definitely has way fewer ads.
If there’s one primary weak point, it’s its single bottom-firing speaker. It’s not awful sounding but it is weak and quiet with very high levels of mids and weak bass. Its battery is also average for a midranger and despite the 66W rating, it charges within an hour. Not slow, but we expected something faster.
Oh, one last thing. Did you know the Honor 90 supports E-SIM Cards? This makes the phone, currently, one of the rare instances where E-SIMs are available outside of select flagships. Of course, you can still use your physical SIM Card if you want.
PROS:
- Efficient and effective 3840Hz Hi-Frequency PWM Dimming
- MagicOS, despite the higher learning curve, is easy to get by and is not cluttered
- E-SIM is supported
- 12GB RAM and 512GB Storage at a sub-25K price point
- Sharp and Natural Colour Reproduction
- Top-notch 50MP Selfie Camera with 4K video recording
- Granular details even at 10x Zoom
- Portrait mode has (mostly) accurate edge detection
- EIS feels closer to OIS, even if the phone lacks it.
- Very accurate AI Noise Reduction
- Camera app has several features and modes useful for vloggers
CONS:
- Its display is not the brightest among midrange phones
- Without a case, the phone is slippery to hold
- Performance is mediocre at best. Chipset is prone to throttling
- 200MP mode is not practical for social media use and is very heavy
- Awful Night Mode quality
- Weak and quiet single speaker
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