16 May 2017 – The Honor 8 was recently recognized for its sleek and beautifully-crafted design by the International Design Awards (IDA) in Los Angeles. Honor’s latest flagship smartphone received Silver (second place) under the “Media and Home Electronics” category for IDA’s 2016 competition.
The IDA’s annual competition recognizes, honors and promotes legendary design visionaries and uncovers emerging talents in Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic and Fashion Design on a global level. The rigorous judging process, which consists of over 1000 entries from 52 countries, awards professional and emerging designers for their achievements in terms of design, creativity, usability and innovation.
honor 8
Since its official global launch, the Honor 8 (Amazon) has received popular recognition from media publications and consumers. The device has been praised for its intricate design and flawless craftsmanship. The Sapphire Blue variant, especially, has garnered positive responses from the public for its unique and sleek appearance.
Malaysia was one of the first few markets to experience the Honor 8, the latest flagship device that accentuates the unique personality and style of digital natives. The device comes with a 2.5D glass body and diamond-cut aluminium alloy edges that create an ultra-narrow bezel.
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The Honor 8 (Amazon) is also unique due to its 3D grate design and 15-layer craftsmanship on the back of the device that reflects beautifully from any light source.
The Honor 8 (Amazon) combines stunning beauty with great power; the device runs on the Kirin 950 processor built on a 16nm architecture with 4GB RAM that provides flawless multitasking and seamless gaming.
The Honor 8 (Amazon) is a testament of Honor’s commitment to meeting the demands of today’s digital natives. A versatile device, the stunning and sparkling Honor 8 is a fashion statement on its own and an accessory that gives hardcore performance to fit the lifestyle of digital natives.
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April 14 2017 – Have you been wanting to experience the blooming season of spring in Malaysia but haven’t had the chance to do so? You will now get the chance to celebrate the start of a new season in the country with Honor Malaysia’s introduction of the Honor 8 Sakura Pink (Lazada)!
Malaysian users will finally get the chance to own the beautifully-crafted Honor 8 in Sakura Pink. This refreshing colour will not only make you stand out from other smartphone users, but it will also appeal to those looking for a fashionable device.
Or for those that are stuck with gift ideas for the upcoming Mother’s Day, this Honor 8 Sakura Pink (Lazada) smartphone would be a top choice to show your appreciation towards your mother and have her look pretty in pink!
The Honor 8 Sakura Pink
The beautifully crafted Honor 8 is Honor Malaysia’s latest flagship device and has garnered positive responses ever since it was introduced in the Malaysian market. The Honor 8 ensured that users won’t have to choose between a good-looking device and an all-powerful device. Now, with the introduction of the Sakura Pink variant, users won’t have to compromise on colour choices on their devices either.
Don’t let the soft colour fool you, this device is as strong as can be. The Honor 8 Sakura Pink (Lazada), stunning with its 2.5D glass body and diamond-cut aluminium alloy edges, is sold as the premium 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage model.
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Equipped with the same specifications as existing Honor 8 devices, this variant comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD (1080p) display, Kirin 950 chipset with an 8-core CPU up to 2.3 GHz with 16 nm FinFET architecture, dual-lens 12MP camera, and a 3000 mAh battery all for RM1,899 / ~US$ 419.
For those that are looking to have the Honor 8 Sakura Pink (Lazada) in their hands, we recommend that you act fast! The Honor 8 Sakura Pink (Lazada) is selling in limited quantities so here’s your chance to be the owner of a unique-looking device.
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Boasting a unique Aurora Glass finish on its back, the new honor 8 smartphone is truly a work of art that has to be seen to be appreciated. But it is not just a good-looking smartphone. The honor 8 also features a dual-lens main camera, like its brother – the Huawei P9. So join us as we take a close look at the honor 8 smartphone!
The honor 8 Smartphone Specifications
First up, we would like to point out that the honor 8 is available in 5 different models, with 3-4 colours, depending on the location. But they basically consist of two versions – a standard honor 8 model, and a premium honor 8 model. Check out their specifications :
Single nano SIM (L14)
Dual nano SIM, Dual Standby (L19)
Connectivity
4G : LTE FDD LTE Cat6 : 51 Mbps (UL), 301 Mbps (DL)
3G : WCDMA
2 G : GSM
Bluetooth : 4.2 BLE
OTG, VoLTE
4G : LTE FDD LTE Cat6 : 51 Mbps (UL), 301 Mbps (DL)
3G : WCDMA
2 G : GSM
Bluetooth : 4.2 BLE
OTG, VoLTE
WiFi Capability
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz dual-band)
Hotspot supports up to 8 devices
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz dual-band)
Hotspot supports up to 8 devices
USB Port
USB 2.0 with USB Type C interface
USB 2.0 with USB Type C interface
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, 3D fingerprint recognition, 0.4 second unlock with Smart Key customisation
Yes, 3D fingerprint recognition, 0.4 second unlock with Smart Key customisation
Infra-Red Transmitter
Yes, with Smart Control 4.0
Yes, with Smart Control 4.0
NFC Support
Yes, tag read/write, P2P transfer, mobile payment
Yes, tag read/write, P2P transfer, mobile payment
Audio
HiSilicon Hi6402 audio DSP with Dolby DTS and HiRes Audio support
Dual-microphone noise reduction
HiSilicon Hi6402 audio DSP with Dolby DTS and HiRes Audio support
Dual-microphone noise reduction
Battery
2,900 mAh lithium-polymer battery
18 W fast-charging capability
2,900 mAh lithium-polymer battery
18 W fast-charging capability
Dimensions
71.0 mm wide x 145.5 mm tall x 7.45 mm thick
71.0 mm wide x 145.5 mm tall x 7.45 mm thick
Weight
153 g
153 g
Launch Price
RM 1,699 (~US$ 425)
RM 1,899 (~US$ 475)
The standard honor 8 models are priced at RM 1,699 / ~US$ 425 with 32 GB of storage, and is available in either Pearl White or Midnight Black. The premium honor 8 models are priced at RM 1,899 / ~US$ 475 with 64 GB of storage, and either Sapphire Blue or Sunrise Gold colours.
Unboxing The honor 8 Smartphone
The honor 8 comes in a white two-piece cardboard box with a textured surface. The tall and thin design presumably allows more units to be placed side-by-side on a counter. The inner box slides downwards and is secured by a single clear security sticker. Be careful once that sticker is cut, because the inner box will slide right out!
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Inside the honor 8 box, you will find the following items :
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The honor 8 Smartphone Up Close
The honor 8 has a large 5.2″ LTPS display that covers almost its entire front – with a 72% screen-to-body ratio. To achieve that, honor eschewed the use of physical buttons, in favour of virtual on-screen buttons. In fact, it only has two physical buttons – a Power button and a Volume rocker switch on the right side.
The honor 8 has an infra-red transmitter at the top, which can be used as a remote control in conjunction with the built-in Smart Controller app. It is also the first honor smartphone to feature the new Type C USB interface. It is still a USB 2.0 port, but the Type C interface is bidirectional – you no longer have to worry about plugging the cable in the wrong way.
Even though the honor 8 is the same size as the honor 5C, they managed to squeeze in a 2,900 mAh lithium-polymer battery while reducing its thickness to just 7.45 mm. They even fit in the 3.5mm audio port, albeit at the bottom, together with the USB port.
Hybrid SIM
The honor 8 has dual SIM, dual standby capability. However, only the FRD-L09 and FRD-L19 models come with the hybrid SIM slot that allows for a second nano SIM card. These two models are only sold in Europe and Asia. The other models only support a single nano SIM.
Of course, the hybrid SIM slot means you have to choose between using a second nano SIM card, or a microSD card. You can’t use both simultaneously.
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Fingerprint Sensor & OTG Support
The honor 8 boasts a new 3D fingerprint sensor that can actually detect the ridges of the finger. This allows for more accurate detection of your fingerprint. With an auto-learning ability, the honor 8’s fingerprint sensor can recognise your fingerprint and unlock the honor 8 in just 0.4 seconds.
On the other hand, the honor 8 (like the honor 5C) does not support USB OTG (On-The-Go) drives. If you plug any USB OTG flash drive into its USB port, it will not be detected. The honor 8 also requires you to use the Huawei HiSuite software to access its files from your computer. This also limits what you can copy out from the honor 8 smartphone.
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Cameras
The honor 8 has an 8 MP front camera with an f/2.4 lens. It will deliver a maximum photo resolution of 3264 x 2448 in the 4:3 format. Again, a wider 16:9 format will crop that to 3264 x 1840. It will record videos in 1080p quality with electronic image stabilisation.
Its killer feature is the dual-lens camera at the back. It is actually two individual cameras, each with a Sony IMX286 sensors with f/2.2 lens. One camera captures the image in monochrome, while the other captures the same image in colour. They are then combined to deliver sharper and more detailed pictures. The camera is supported by a dual LED flash, and a laser autofocus system.
The photos have a maximum resolution of 3968 x 2976 in the 4:3 format. If you prefer a wider format, the honor 8 will do that by cropping the image to 3968 x 2240 (16:9). It is capable of recording video in full HD quality (1080p) with electronic image stabilisation.
Aurora Glass
The honor 8 has a 2.5D glass body on both sides with diamond-cut aluminium alloy edges to create an ultra-narrow bezel. Its 3D grate design and 15-layer craftsmanship on the back of the device, combines with the glass/metal back to create what honor calls Aurora Glass.
The Aurora Glass back gives the honor 8 a very reflective surface at the back. The only catch – it naturally lacks the oleophobic coating of the front screen for a proper grip. However, that means its highly-reflective back is easily smudged by fingerprint smears, which detracts from its lustre.
The Initial Setup
This video will show you the initial setup process when you power up the honor 8 for the first time. If you do not need to restore a backup, the whole setup process should take about 5 minutes. Note how fast it takes to register a fingerprint.
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Available Memory & Storage
The honor 8 comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory. The Android 6.0 operating system and honor-preloaded apps take up about 1.3 GB of memory, leaving you with 2.4 GB (60%) of free memory. Very good!
This is a premium honor 8 model (FRD-L19), which comes with 64 GB of internal flash memory. This is expandable via a microSD card (up to 128 GB). Fresh out of the box, the honor 8 has 53.2 GB of available space (excluding the system files), of which 51.38 GB is free to use.
In the standard honor 8 models which come with 32 GB of internal flash memory, we can estimate that they will have about 19 GB of free space.
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Camera Performance – Photos
The honor 8‘s dual-lens camera has not one, but two, 12 MP Sony IMX286 sensor with reasonably fast f/2.4 lens. The photos have a maximum resolution of 3968 x 2976 in the 4:3 format. Check out these photo samples.
The honor 8 delivered excellent resolution in these photos. If you blow them up to 100%, you can see the amount of detail that is not possible in other smartphone cameras. The edge resolution (between elements of different colour), in particular, was very impressive. The amount of noise is also very low, even in dark areas.
While the honor 8 does not have the most user-friendly camera app in the industry, the photos produced by its dual-lens camera is very, very impressive. Even without turning on HDR, the colour are very vivid and visually pop out.
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
The honor 8 can record full HD (1080p) ideos with electronic stabilisation. This is an improvement over the honor 5X, whose main camera does not support electronic stabilisation. Here is a sample video we recorded of a piano performance by Mr. Yang I-Deun.
And this is a sample video taken at a street market.
The honor 8 did a great job maintaining focus and controlling exposure in the videos we took. Even bright backgrounds were not overblown. The honor 8 does not support optical image stabilisation, probably because it would prevent the dual-lens system from being in sync, but its electronic image stabilisation still did a decent job.
You should also notice that it records better audio than most smartphones. The piano music sounds richer, even through the background noise. And in the street market footage, the ambient sounds sound clearer and more authentic.
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the honor 8‘s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
honor 8
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Work Performance Score
(Average)
6350
6313
6105
4892
Web Browsing
8073
6257
5782
6908
Video Playback
4396
4287
3321
3218
Writing
6231
7166
7463
4629
Photo Editing
7352
8262
9694
5563
The honor 8 is powered by the top-of-the-line Kirin 950 SoC. These PCMark results show that the Kirin 950 proved to be more than a match for the Snapdragon 820 that powers the HTC 10, and the Snapdragon 652 that powers the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra. In fact, it was 30% faster in this benchmark than Samsung Galaxy S7 edge‘s Exynos 8890!
Battery Performance – PCMark
We then tested the honor 8‘s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
The honor 8 lasted just over 10 hours on the PCMark stress test. This is 1.5 hours less than the honor 5C, but is excellent considering it uses a more powerful processor and graphics processor, and comes with twice the memory. The HTC 10, for example, lasted just over 5.5 hours on the same test!
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Battery Recharging Performance
The honor 8 has a large 2,900 mAh lithium-polymer battery, with Fast Charging capability. honor claims that it will recharge from 0% to 47% in just 30 minutes. Let’s see if that’s true…
Our tests showed that the honor 8 will recharge from 17% to 100% in just 146 minutes (3 hours 26 minutes). This is decent, but not exceptional quick charging performance. It fully recharges the battery about 20% faster than the honor 5C, which does not support quick charging and uses only a 5 W charger.
That said, we can see that the honor 8 recharges fastest in the first 90%, before it tapers off to a slower recharging pace for the last 10 percent. Recharging 47% (from 17% to 64%) took 36 minutes in our test.
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Overall Performance – AnTuTu Benchmark
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
It was actually 12% and 47% faster than the HTC 10 in the UX and CPU tests, but its 65% slower 3D performance pulled down its overall results.
Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the honor 8‘s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
honor 8
ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra
HTC 10
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Gaming Score
18659
17719
23171
28650
Graphics
19993
21124
27512
33685
Physics
15127
11328
14925
18810
Graphics Test 1
122.5 fps
115.2 fps
136.6 fps
162.9 fps
Graphics Test 2
67.4 fps
76.3 fps
106.4 fps
133.1 fps
Physics Test
48.0 fps
36.0 fps
47.4 fps
59.7 fps
The honor 8 is roughly equal to the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra in gaming performance. This means the ARM Mali-T880 GPU in the Kirin 950 is about as fast as the Qualcomm Adreno 510 GPU.
Our Verdict
The honor 8 is more than just a more powerful version of the honor 5C smartphone. Yes, they are both 5.2″ smartphones powered by Kirin processors from HiSilicon, a Huawei company. But the honor 8 is really a whole different beast targeting a different market.
The honor 8 is very fast, and comes with 4 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of internal flash storage. On top of that, its dual-lens camera produces excellent photographs and videos. It even comes with a new 3D fingerprint sensor that activates the phone in just 0.4 seconds.
The honor 8 also looks the part of a premium smartphone, thanks to its Aurora Glass finish. This is honor’s top-of-the-line smartphone for those who want nothing but the best without paying through the nose.
Now, all that extra capability comes at a price, and it comes to no surprise that the honor 8 costs twice as much as the honor 5C. Even so, it costs less than half of what their competitors charge for equivalent smartphones.
If we have any gripes, it is the lack of USB OTG support and the requirement to use the Huawei HiSuite to manage files using a computer. This unnecessarily makes it a pain to access the files in the honor 8 smartphone.
honor continues to impress us with their ability to focus on creating no-nonsense Android smartphones with practical features. Even the dual-lens camera proved to be a practical way to improve the quality of photos and videos taken using a smartphone.
We like the honor 8 enough to give it out coveted Editor’s Choice Award. Congratulations, honor!
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On the 6th of September, 2016, honor officially launched the honor 8 smartphone in the Malaysian market, right after the global launch in Paris. Boasting the unique Aurora Glass back cover, the new smartphone is really a work of art that has to be seen to be appreciated. Let’s check it out!
honor Ambassadors & Launch Gambit
honor tapped Brooklyn Beckham, model, budding photographer and eldest son of David Beckham, as their global ambassador. But locally, honor Malaysia selected a few of their most ardent fans as their ambassadors. Check out who they are, and watch the honor 8 launch gambit!
The honor 8 & honor 5A Smartphones Revealed
Now, Allen An, E-Commerce Director of honor Malaysia, reveals the honor 8 smartphone. Join him as he explains the new smartphone’s key features!
The honor 8 Smartphone Key Features
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Intricate design with flawless craftsmanship
The honor 8 has a 2.5D glass body on both sides with diamond-cut aluminium alloy edges to create an ultra-narrow bezel. Its 3D grate design and 15-layer craftsmanship on the back of the device, combines with the glass/metal back to create what honor calls Aurora Glass.
Dual-lens camera system
The honor 8 boasts a dual-lens 12MP camera with dual ISPs, 1.25 μm pixels, and a f/2.2 aperture at the back. Selfie fans will be delighted with the 8MP front-facing camera with 1.4 μm pixels.
With great beauty, comes great power
The honor 8runs on the Kirin 950 processor with an 8-core CPU up to 2.3HGz with 16nm FinFET architecture.
Price & Availability
The honor 8 comes in four colour variants – Sapphire Blue, Sunrise Gold, Pearl White and Midnight Black.
The Pearl White and Midnight Black standard variants come with a 4GB RAM and 32GB storage space, priced at RM1,699 / ~US$425. The premium Sapphire Blue and Sunrise Gold variants with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage space are priced at RM1,899 / ~US$475.
All four colour variants will be available for sale on September 8.
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In our Kirin 950 and Kirin 650 technology report, you will be able to watch the full technical briefing and check out the performance of the Kirin 955 compared to the Exynos 8890. We will also share with you the presentation slides for your perusal. Enjoy!
Kirin 950 & Kirin 650 Technical Briefing
We were invited to an exclusive briefing on the unique features of the Kirin 950 and Kirin 650 family of processors (more accurately, System on a Chip or SOCs). The briefing was conducted by Mr. Zhou Chen, the Director of the Kirin Chipset Solution Planning, HiSilicon Wireless Terminal BU of Huawei.
Mr. Zhou Chen and his colleague also demonstrated the performance advantage of the Kirin 955-powered Huawei P9 Plus smartphone against the Exynos 8890-powered Samsung Galaxy S7 edge smartphone. Check it out :
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Key Features Of The Kirin 950 Family Of SoCs
Manufactured on the TSMC 16 nm FinFET+ process technology
Processor : 4 x ARM Cortex-A72 cores (2.3 GHz to 2.5 GHz) + 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.8 GHz)
Graphics Processor : ARM Mali-T880 GPU (900 MHz)
Motion Co-Processor : i5 sensing co-processor
Memory Support : LPDDR3 or LPDDR4 SDRAM
Dual 14-bit ISPs (960 MP/s) with standalone DSP
HiFi audio DSP
4K video decoder (supports H.265)
5 Mode LTE Cat6 modem, with RF band of 450 MHz ~ 3.5 GHz
Key Features Of The Kirin 650 Family Of SoCs
Manufactured on the TSMC 16 nm FinFET+ process technology
Processor : 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (2.0 GHz) + 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.7 GHz)
Graphics Processor : ARM Mali-T830 MP2 GPU (900 MHz)
Motion Co-Processor : i5 sensing co-processor
Memory Support : LPDDR3 SDRAM
LTE Cat7 modem, with support for VoLTE and pseudo base station protection
Features SPLC intelligent voice enhancement technology
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Kirin 950 & Kirin 650 Briefing Slides
Huawei has kindly provided us with the slides for their Kirin 950 and Kirin 650 technical briefing, which we sharing with you here. They should allow you to have a clearer picture of the video presentation above.
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