Honor is back in the game after a three-year break, but it has an uphill struggle to regain consumers’ confidence and loyalty. The Honor 90, which costs Rs 37,999, is aimed at the higher mid-range market. But does it really deserve its high price? Let’s go into the specifics.
Elegance and Ergonomics in Design and Display
When it comes to the design of the Honor 90, Honor has made no compromises. Its form is elegant, slender, and well-balanced, and it feels exquisite in the hand. When the Emerald Green color choice is exposed to sunshine, it shines like a diamond. However, there is one little flaw in the materials used: the glass back feels rather plasticky, and the frame is not metal.
Display Favorites
The Honor 90’s curved display gives the impression that UI components are hovering above the phone. It also includes PWM dimming, which reportedly lessens eye strain over prolonged use, however its usefulness is debatable. Nonetheless, the 120Hz display is clear and quite bright, with a 1.5K resolution that puts it on par with flagship-level quality.
Performance and Software: The Honor 90 is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition processor, which isn’t the most recent from Qualcomm. It falls behind the Gen 2 in various ways, however the Accelerated Edition suffix provides a modest performance improvement. The AnTuTu score is little around 6,00,000, which is decent but not remarkable.
Operator with Flair
The Honor 90’s performance in regular chores is impressive, owing to the well-optimized MagicOS 7.1 overlay. This user interface, similar to EMUI, maintains a familiar feel while improving fluidity. With Google’s applications and services and SwiftKey as the default keyboard, the device’s cooperation with Google and Microsoft offers the best of both worlds. However, an unwelcome update replaced the notification panel with an iOS-style Control Center, which some users may find bothersome.
The 200MP Wonder Camera
The Honor 90’s primary camera features a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor. On paper, this appears to be a dream come true. In fact, however, the main sensor produces acceptable daytime images with outstanding color fidelity but slightly lacks detail when zoomed in. A similar trend is followed by the night mode. While it will not disappoint most users, it falls short of the degree of quality one would anticipate from such a high-resolution sensor.
Performance vs. Price
With a price tag of Rs 37,999, the Honor 90 puts itself in a difficult position. While its display and software optimization are excellent, its specifications do not scream “flagship killer.” For a somewhat larger price, flagship killers such as the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ and the OnePlus 11R, both of which are packed with flagship-grade CPUs, are available. The Honor 90 has a more Samsung-like brand value than it does outright value for money. This phone may enchant you if you value a magnificent quad-curved display and well-optimized software. However, it is difficult to sell in a competitive market beyond these qualities.
Finally, while the Honor 90 makes a strong comeback in terms of design, display, and software, it falls short of providing the compelling value that customers have grown to expect in this price bracket. While its appearance may draw your attention, it faces fierce competition from other smartphones in its sector that provide greater performance and features for the price. Honor still has some ground to make up in order to re-establish itself as a major competitor in the smartphone industry.