Honor 50 in the test: Honor is back, and what's old is new again
RRP $ 615.00
“The Honor 50 represents the return of the new independent brand to Android phones with integrated Google Mobile Services. That's big, but the rest of the phone doesn't feel particularly fresh, despite the crazy color scheme and workmanship. "
advantages
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Nice 120Hz AMOLED screen
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Fast charging
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Lightweight and reasonably sized
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Fun video modes with easy editing
disadvantage
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No wireless charging
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No watertightness
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Single speaker
Comebacks are surprisingly common in mobile technology, with Nokia, BlackBerry, and even Palm returning after a while – with varying degrees of success. Honor, once owned by Huawei, is the latest established name to return. Technically, however, it hasn't gone away as it was just sold by Huawei for the chance to thrive on its own.
Since then, Honor has made agreements with Google, Qualcomm, and several other companies that are currently unable to work with Huawei. That means Honor is not only back, but now it has Google Mobile Services too. The Honor 50 is its first smartphone with Google Play and all of the other apps and services expected, so this seems like a fresh start. On the flip side, Honor could still be trying to figure out his own identity after being connected for so long.
draft
The version of the Honor 50 that you see in our photos is the special edition “Code” and everything I want to see in an Honor phone. The company has often incorporated eye-catching reflective back wall designs, and this is probably the brightest and most noticeable yet. The letters H, O, N and R give the design depth and sparkle in different shades of silver and blue, depending on the viewing angle and lighting. I think it looks excellent, but if it's not for you the phone is also available in black, green, or a slightly more subtle, sparkly tone called Frost Crystal.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It is thin at just under 8 mm and very light at 175 grams. This, along with the curved screen and modest width of 74mm, makes it very easy to hold and operate with one hand. The curve is pretty dramatic and a bit sharp if you grip the phone tightly. The quality of workmanship is excellent, as the glass panel and the rear panel are flush with the metal housing. The stadium-shaped, two-stage camera housing with two round modules on the back also fits perfectly with the reflective letter O design of the code.
Yes, the Honor 50 is on board with Google Mobile Services
The Honor 50 looks great, is not heavy, is well made, and comes in a variety of unusual colors for people looking to make a statement with their phone. However, if you've seen and held the Honor 30 Pro, then you've seen and held the Honor 50 too, as the two are closely related in terms of size and shape.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Another thing is that for Honor's talk about the phone marking its "Independence Day" and its definitive split from Huawei, the similarity in design and specification between the Honor 50 and the new Huawei Nova 9 is striking. It won't do much to convince someone that the two are firmly and definitively divorced.
camera
A 108-megapixel main camera leads the show on the Honor 50, plus an 8-MP wide-angle camera and a pair of 2-MP macro and depth cameras. The selfie camera has 32 megapixels and a 90-degree viewing angle. Honor promotes the camera system as one for aspiring vloggers and has incorporated several different video modes that all cameras use at the same time.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
First, let's talk about still images. The 108MP camera is very sensitive to light. In a variety of situations, photos will be underexposed or overexposed, and the wide-angle camera is even worse. Photos are better on a brighter, sunnier day, but some won't like how the blue skies are oversaturated. I do not mind; it definitely makes the photos pop, and I prefer that to the depressing tone of the photos taken when the sun wasn't shining.
However, if you look carefully, photos may be lacking in detail – there are also signs of over-processing. On the upside, I like the range of portrait and aperture modes that give either people or objects a bokeh effect. Edge detection is also solid.
The multi-camera video modes record with two cameras at the same time, so you can create video combinations with the main rear camera and selfie camera, including simultaneous recording, a picture-in-picture window, and other combinations. It's a gimmick, but it works. However, the user interface is a bit cumbersome and slow, so you will need a little patience to master the controls.
It's not something I would personally use outside of the review, but it would certainly be fun in large groups if you want to capture everything that happens around you. There is also a very easy to use editing suite that makes creating a final clip completely easy on your phone. The Honor 50 supports Bluetooth headsets in video mode, so you can use them instead of the internal microphone to record sound – which should result in better sound, especially when recording from a distance. Strangely enough, the Honor 50 only records videos in 16: 9 or 21: 9, but supports 4K at 30 frames per second (fps).
The Honor 50's still camera wasn't very inspiring
The Honor 50's video camera is fun, but only if you try your hand at the world of vlogging. Those who are more ambitious or experienced will quickly want more, as they only record in 1080p at 30fps in multi-cam mode. However, I'm not sure if it is used very often by the average person who makes videos. The Honor 50's still camera didn't inspire me much, but software refinement can improve its capabilities over time.
software
Yes, the Honor 50 is on board with Google Mobile Services. This means that it includes the Google Play Store, Gmail, Google Maps, Messages, and every other expected apps. Also, sign in to your Google account during setup so that you can use Google's cloud services. Using the Honor phone is exactly the same as any other Android smartphone in terms of Google integration.
Honor's own MagicUI 4.2 is installed over Android 11. In terms of design and layout, it hasn't changed much from MagicUI 3.1 installed on the Honor 30 – this just added Google-Ness. There are other references to Honor's past, with the always-on screen having the same customization as the feature on Huawei phones, down to some of the same icons and animations. However, the always-on screen is one of my favorite parts of MagicUI because it is easy to personalize and information on the lock screen is clearly displayed.
I didn't experience any reliability or app issues with the Honor 50, and notifications came through with no issues. It was a steady partner during my time on the phone.
Screen and performance
The Honor 50's screen is exactly what we expect from a mid-range phone today: it's an AMOLED panel with a switchable refresh rate of 60 Hz or 120 Hz; has a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels and 300 Hz touch sampling; and it's colorful, dynamic and responsive.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
It even does very well with the latest Google Pixel 6 Pro, showing the same eye-catching colors with a slightly warmer tone – at least when the Vivid setting is enabled. It is also possible to optimize the temperature of the screen or choose a mode with sRGB or DC-P3 color cards if it does not suit your needs. Jo Yuri's Glassy video pops off the screen, but the phone loses points for its single speaker on the bottom of the phone.
Honor fitted the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor with a 5G modem, and my test model has 6GB of RAM. It's a fast performer, but the operating system never feels snappy, and I've found that it can stumble when closing games and other energy-intensive apps. This may be more of a software optimization problem than a lack of processing courage. Honor's own GPU Turbo X tweaks make it great for gaming, and I really enjoyed Asphalt 9: Legends, especially because the phone is easy to hold and the screen is beautiful. It's a shame it doesn't have stereo speakers to really take advantage of its media prowess.
Battery and charging
I was a little concerned that the 4,300mAh battery wouldn't be powerful enough to last more than a day, but the Snapdragon 778G and MagicUI have to be pretty conservative with power. With normal use, I could turn the phone off overnight and it would have enough juice for the next day. This was especially impressive as I use the phone at the 120Hz refresh rate all the time.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
The 66W SuperCharge fast charging is established Honor technology and very welcome. It got the battery up to 70% in 22 minutes, which is more than enough for a single day. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging – a feature I would consider standard on most mid- to upper-range phones today.
Price and availability
The Honor 50 costs 529 euros or about 615 US dollars for the 6 GB / 128 GB model and 599 euros / 695 US dollars for the 8 GB / 256 GB model. It will be available to order from Honor on November 4th. Honor's plans for a widespread release are not yet clear, so don't expect it to hit the US anytime soon. It can be imported from the UK or Europe if you are interested.
Our opinion
The Honor 50 embodies the phrase “everything old is new again”, because despite the new start of Honor as an independent brand, the Honor 50 feels very familiar. The shape of the phone is essentially the same as the Honor 30 Pro, just with a different camera model. MagicUI 4.2 is identical to older versions of the software except that Google has been added. Even the 66W SuperCharge function is a holdover from the Huawei era.
Don't take these as negative; the fast charging is excellent, the software is reliable, and the design is modern and fun. But it feels a bit normal to Honor, and I wanted to see something completely new from the company. Maybe that will come later, and if so, the Honor 50 offers a great reintroduction to how the brand delivers competent, pretty, but not always outstanding smartphones.
That lack of real novelty poses a problem, however: during the Honor's absence, the cellular market has changed and there are a lot more phones out there at the same price point as the Honor 50 that are better value for money. Yes, Google is back on board, but that only brings the Honor 50 back to the same level as many other phones. While that's good news for Honor as a brand, it doesn't make the phone stand out from the rest.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes sir; Check out either the OnePlus Nord 2 5G or the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. Both are slightly cheaper than the Honor 50, but you don't have to sacrifice anything in terms of functionality and performance. If you are outside of the US, you should also consider the Realme GT or GT Neo2. The $ 449 Google Pixel 5a is worth investigating if you're looking for a great camera, and at $ 599, the new Google Pixel 6 is also challenging the Honor 50.
If you're not using an Android phone, take a look at the $ 699 Apple iPhone 13 Mini. As an Android alternative in the same price range, the OnePlus 9 combines a great screen, fast charging, an improved camera and great software in a pretty design.
How long it will take?
We ask Honor about the software update obligation. To be competitive, it must provide major version updates for at least two years and security updates for three years. The Honor 50 is not waterproof or a rugged phone, so if you are unlucky it could be damaged.
There is something else to consider, and that is the talk of Honor finding its way into the US Entity List, which would prohibit Google, Qualcomm, and others from working together. This is the ailment Huawei wanted to overcome by selling Honor, and while it is only a vague threat at the moment and may not affect the Honor 50 directly, it is an unknown that undermines the brand's plan for a broad global reintroduction could.
Should you buy it?
No. While the Honor 50 is perfectly acceptable, it doesn't stand out from the competition with one notable feature and misses some essentials that can be found on other phones at a similar price point.
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