Honor 20 Left - Honor Pro On Right

Honor’s 20:20 vision 

Although parent company Huawei may, at the time of writing, controversially find itself in the role of pawn in a trade war between the US and China, the new phones keep coming with its sub brand Honor unveiling a trio of additions in the Honor 20, Honor 20 Pro and the Honor 20 Lite. ePhotozine was at the launch in London’s Battersea Park, which focused almost exclusively on the Honor 20 and Pro version, to bring you this report… 

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Once again, photographic capability and design is at the forefront of a smartphone launch; the former being described as ‘professional grade’, while the latter features a claimed world’s first via the depth-inducing effect of the dynamic holographic design that features on the glass back of the Honor 20.

The company states that the production process is so complex that (fittingly, given the product name) only 20 out of 100 – or 20% – of back covers produced meet its stringent standards. Glass back aside, at the other side the Honor 20 series features an all-new 6.26-inch display, providing a 91.6% screen-to-body ratio, with a smoothed edged design for improved sleekness and an anti-fingerprint surface.

Secreted within said screen is a 4.5mm camera lens, while the screen itself is subtly curved to provide what’s claimed to be both a better handgrip and an improved viewing experience. Furthermore the L-shaped positioning of the Honor 20 series’ camera lenses is said to allow for a bigger battery size whilst maintaining the phone’s sleek aesthetic and holographic design. Naturally the phone/s are being made available in a choice of several colours.

Honor 20 Pro - Quad Camera Close Up

With the tagline of 'capture wonder', the Honor 20 Pro features a 48MP AI Quad Camera with f/1.4 lens, a 16MP 117 degree wide angle option plus 8MP telephoto and 2MP macro. At the front there's a 32MP AI front camera, while the whole thing is powered by an all day 4000 mAh battery. The operating system is Magic UI 2.1.0. Memory comprises 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM.

Honor 20 Pro Key Features

• 16mp ultra-wide-angle, f/2.2
• 48mp main camera, f/1.4 with 4-axis OIS
• 8mp 3x telephoto camera, f/2.4 with 4-axis OIS
• 2mp macro camera, f/2.4, 4cm macro focus
• 32mp f/2.0 front selfie camera, in-screen
• Super Night Mode
• 6.26inch screen
• Kirin 980 Processor
• Fingerprint sensor and NFC
• 4000mAh battery
• Android 9.0 Pie

Huawei Honor 20 Pro Hands-On Photos of Equipment

The Honor 20 handset by contrast again features the 48MP AI Quad Camera, with f/1.8 aperture lens plus 16 megapixel 117 degree wide angle lens, 2MP depth assist and 2MP macro capture. The display is 6.26 inches. Memory comprises 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM. The OS is Magic UI 2.1.0 compatible with Android 9.

Honor 20

Honor 20 Key Features

• 48mp f/1.8 main camera
• 16mp f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle
• 2mp f/2.4 macro, 4cm macro focus
• 2mp f/2.4 depth assist
• 32mp selfie camera, in-screen
• Super Night Mode
• 6.26inch screen
• Kirin 980 Processor
• Fingerprint sensor and NFC
• 3750mAh battery

Huawei Honor 20 Hands-On Photos of Equipment

Honor President George Zhao says: "Honor is a brand that is five years old. We grew the brand for young people. We want to be the benchmark for young people. I'm happy to introduce some new members of the Honor family. We combine innovative technology with status and fashion. Today I'm really proud to launch the Honor 20 series."

Other features of the new handsets include, for the Honor 20 Pro, the aforementioned three layer holographic design with a colour layer, a depth layer and a glass layer. It also adopts a four sided 3D curved glass design. The 6.26 inch display has a 5.3 inch form factor.The screen can also be unlocked in 0.3 seconds via side mounted fingerprint sensor. You can also talk to the Virtual Assistant within a second of powering up. The Pro comes in two colours: Phantom Blue - a blue and green combination - and Phantom Black - a combination of black and purple.

The Honor 20 comes in 3 colours: Sapphire Blue, Midnight Black and Icelandic White.

Furthermore, there is a Moschino affiliated Honor 20 Pro option for those who want a status symbol.

"I can guarantee you this phone is amazing," says George.

"Interchangeable lenses are too costly and too heavy, hence our Pro grade quad camera system for the Honor 20 Pro. The one Honor phone can give you four different experiences."

We also get dual 4 axis OIS, while the sensor itself is a half inch Sony one. "An AI Ultra Clarity mode lets you zoom and zoom again," according to George. "The Honor 20 Pro has the world's biggest f/1.4 aperture size."

An AIS Super Night Mode can combine up to 16 exposures to form one clear image, shooting handheld without the aid if a tripod. We also get up to ISO204800 light sensitivity. According to Honor, all these features make the Honor 20 Pro the "most powerful smartphone camera yet."

Even the wide angle camera supports the AIS Super Night Mode. The Honor 20 Pro also supports a 3x optical zoom. Alternatively there's up to a 30x digital zoom. Further photo modes include a handheld moon shot option.

Honor made much at the launch of the level of detail the 20 Pro offers in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S10 and iPhone XS... with a live demo showing the Honor handset a clear winner in almost zero light and also at 10x zoom when shooting handheld in artificial light.

The company says that according to independent testers Dxomark it has a score of 111. "We know that is a super good result. Our team work day and night to deliver that photo performance to the customer."

Speed wise the new phones are said to be smooth and powerful with up to 43% faster tap response. Read speed has also been improved by 20%. The 20 Pro in particular also features a Graphene Sheet Cooling System.it also uses GPU Turbo 3.0 for a 'buttery smooth gaming experience.' Sound wise we get a 9.1 surround sound system for music lovers.

Price wise the Honor 20 is €499 / £399 for the 6GB + 128GB version. For the Honor 20 Pro the price is 599 Euros / £549. The Honor 20 Lite is already available to order for €299/£250, from Amazon UK.

HONOR 20 Lite Phantom Blue

The Honor 20 Lite version offers 3 colours, 6.21 dewdrop screen, 32MP selfie camera and 24MP main camera. Price wise we're looking at 299 Euros.The firm says the phone is designed to be more accessible to young people. 

Honor 20 Lite Key Features

• 6.21inch screen
• 32mp selfie camera, dewdrop
• 24mp main camera
• 8mp ultra-wide-angle camera
• 2mp additional camera

Huawei Honor 20 Lite Hands-On Photos of Equipment