Newsletter
The HONOR 50 was announced quite recently. This smartphone represents the return of Google services to HONOR’s devices, after the company split from Huawei. The HONOR 50 arrived to the office recently, and I was able to get some initial impressions on it, plus snap some pictures for you to check out.
The HONOR 50 is the first HONOR phone with Google services in a long time
The HONOR 50 is the first smartphone in a long time to come with Google services. It ships with Android 11, and HONOR’s Magic UI 4.2 on top of it. You’ll find the regular suite of Google apps pre-installed, along with some of HONOR’s.
Now, the device itself is made out of metal and glass. The design is almost completely symmetrical between the front and back sides, even though it’s slightly off. The phone’s display and glass on top of it cut into the side a bit more than the back glass does.
You will feel the metallic frame every time you reach for the phone, and I don’t mind that. It makes it a bit easier to grab from the table, and it doesn’t really bother me when I hold it, at all.
The phone is just the right size and weight
The bottom and top sides are flat, but they don’t cut into your hand at all. The phone weighs 175 grams, which is also welcomed, as it’s a relief to hold after tons of heavy phones that weigh over 200 grams. Its size also seems just right, at least for me, this is the upper level for me, when it comes to height and width of a phone. The HONOR 50 measures 160 x 73.8 x 7.8mm.
The back side of the HONOR 50 does reflect what is around it, though not as much as you think. It handles fingerprints a bit better than your regular glass phones, while it also seems a bit less slippery.
The initial thoughts on the display are positive, even though it’s not as vibrant as some flagship panels are. Still, the difference is not that big, not to mention this is an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Touch response is excellent, and so are the animations HONOR implemented.
Its display camera hole does seem a bit larger than I’m used to, as I’ve been using flagship phones for quite some time now. That’s not a big problem, though, not at all, as I stopped noticing it almost immediately.
The HONOR 50 hands-on: initial impressions are good
I cannot really speak of touch rejection, the cameras, or battery life just yet. All of that will be talked about in the full review that will follow in the near future. I just wanted to touch base regarding some initial impressions, and share some images of the phone itself for you to check out. First impressions are quite positive, plus I’m really glad I can use smartphone from HONOR with Google services again. Stay tuned for the full review.
