Honor 90 Review Revisit: A Compelling Debut That Leaves Wanting for More

After a brief hiatus of three years, Honor’s back in India. But not everything is how it was. Honor is its own identity – it’s no longer in the shadow of Huawei. Moreover, the brand has licensed its name and technology to an entity dubbed HTech with ex-Realme fame Madhav Sheth at its helm. Honor’s only offering throughout 2023 has been the Honor 90. It is an interesting take on smartphones, with a strong emphasis on display and styling. But in a price and performance-centric market like India, it almost seems like the brand is testing the waters and seeing what sticks. Keeping that in mind, here’s us revisiting the phone at the end of the year to see if it makes sense to buy one now.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Display and Design

With a combination of a shimmery glass back, a polycarbonate frame, and a lightweight build, the Honor 90 hangs somewhere in the middle of a premium and affordable phone. The rear panel looks fresh with its shiny curved edges.

The Honor 90 is all about a good display. It has an AMOLED panel that can get seriously bright outdoors and to top it all off, it also has TUV Rheinland flicker-free certification. In simple terms, it reduces strain on your eyes while watching low-brightness content at night.

Display and Design

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Watching series and movies on Honor 90 was enjoyable, with bright and sharp colours and punchy green tones. It also supports HDR content, which works just fine for YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. Overall, the display and design are the best things about this device and we were impressed by them.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for the speaker as it has a single bottom-firing speaker. Yep, a mono setup on a smartphone worth 38 grand. The output sounded anemic compared to other phones in the same price range, including the Vivo V29.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Performance

Powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition – a slightly overclocked version of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 – the Honor 90 is certainly not the best performer in the segment. That said, it is still a good option for most people. The device has ample power for typical daily tasks such as messaging, email checking, social media browsing, and multitasking between apps without overheating or slowing down.

However, you may find the performance slightly underwhelming if you prioritise raw processing power. The long gaming sessions made the device slightly warm, and some minor lags were also noticeable, but not bad enough to ruin the entire experience.

Even on the benchmarks, the Honor 90 resulted in a very average score. Just through scores, one can determine that it was somewhat better than the Snapdragon 778G, but not better than the OnePlus Nord CE3 5G.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Software

Software Version	MagicOS 7.1
Android Version	Android 13

The Honor 90 boots MagicOS 7.1 out of the box and while it is a bit different from other UIs, it almost seems like a lovechild of iOS and MIUI. Apart from the regular Google apps, it also comes with its own YOYO assistant which suggests apps based on activity and time of the day on your home screen, and we found it quite handy at times. Including a voice assistant is a way to distinguish itself from other brands in the same space, and we appreciate that, as long as it is genuinely useful.

The software on Honor 90 functions well without any bugs or glitches. However, the phone comes with some pre-installed apps and bloatware. Also, the brand promised to provide Android updates for two years and security updates for three years, but that’s not as good as what most phones in this price range have started offering nowadays.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Camera

Primary Camera	200 MP Resolution Wide Angle lens (f/1.9)
Secondary Camera	12 MP Resolution Ultra-Wide Angle lens (Also works as a Macro Camera) (f/2.2)
Tertiary Camera	2MP Depth Camera (f/2.4)
Front Camera	50MP Camera(f/2.4)

The Honor 90 features a 200 MP Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor, and given the megapixel count, it better captures the craters on Mars too! Jokes aside, it can click detailed images during the day with great sharpness and saturation. The colours are on the punchier side, just like Realme and Samsung. Some people are into it, some people detest any ‘extra’ processing of photos and we fall into the former category as it saves us time to edit before posting on social media.

Camera Samples

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But, there’s a twist here as well – the lack of optical image stabilisation! Yes, at a time when phones under 20 grand offer OIS, Honor entirely turns a blind eye to it. Due to its absence, photos lack details and come out a bit blurry at times. You can still make them work in a pinch, but don’t expect your ‘gram fam to go wow.

Ultrawide Camera Samples

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The camera app has additional AI smarts that recognises different photo scenes and automatically adjust camera settings to boost colours. The portrait mode delivers decent results, and we quite liked the cutouts and the natural gradient of depth.

The front camera also managed to capture excellent images with sharp details and natural tones. However, there were times when it made our skin soft and introduced a little bit of noise when shooting in low light.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Battery

Battery capacity	5000mAh
Charging wattage	66W (Charger not included in the box)

The Honor 90 lasts almost a day on a single charge for most users. If you are a hardcore user, trying to test the limits of CPU by gaming and watching videos throughout the day, you might have to recharge it for a while in the evening to get on with your day.

You can use the 66W SuperCharge to juice up to 50% in about 20 minutes and up to 100% in less than an hour. However, the phone does not come with a charger in the box.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Verdict

For Rs 37,999, if you’re looking for a smartphone with an exceptional display, and a premium feel with elegant design, then the Honor 90 can be a solid choice. However, those prioritising raw performance may find it falling short of their expectations, and other devices in this price segment a bit more appealing. While the handset glides while handling everyday tasks, its limitations become visible when tackling more demanding workloads.

In other words, the biggest contention against the Honor 90 is its price, which puts it in the affordable flagship category that has no dearth of options, while its specs make it seem like a mid-ranger.

Honor 90 Review Revisit: Alternatives

If you prioritise a superior camera and a clean UI experience over fast charging, the Google Pixel 7A (Review) could be an ideal choice for you. Its slower charging speed can be a trade-off for these standout features to some users.

For those who can extend their budget a bit, the Nothing Phone 2 (Review) offers an all-rounded experience with its stylish design and impressive display panel. Another strong contender in this price range is the Samsung Galaxy A54, providing a compelling option for users seeking a well-balanced smartphone.

If gaming is your primary consideration, look no further than the iQOO Neo 7 Pro (Review) and POCO F5 (Review), two of the most value-for-money smartphones in 2023. Boasting flagship-grade internals, these devices can take your gaming experience to new heights.