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Huawei Honor 8 review

8.1/10 AVG.
RATING
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Huawei Honor 8
Huawei Honor 8
Huawei Honor 8
Huawei Honor 8
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8.1/10
Informr score
The Huawei Honor 8 currently has an Informr score of 8.1 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 32 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

What's good

  • Beautiful 15-layer glass back offers unique patterns
  • Snappy performance
  • Good low-light camera performance

What's bad

  • Tends to slide on uneven surfaces
  • Auto-brightness adjusts even in steady lighting
  • Screen color on the cool side

Huawei’s Honor lineup is meant to bridge the gap between budget and flagship phones. While the Honor 8 doesn’t offer quite as much of a discount as previous generations, it does manage to offer a premium experience for a lower price tag. Rather than offering plastic like many budget phones, it has metal sides and glass front and back. The back has a 15-layer glass design, which refracts light to what reviewers describe as a “shimmering pattern.” Huawei boasts each Honor 8 catches the light differently, so no two phones are exactly alike. Despite the materials, the rounded corners and slightly curved back provided them with a good grip though the add it does tend to slide around on uneven surfaces.

The 5.2” 1080P LTPS display might not have wowed experts, but it didn’t disappoint them either. For the most part it offered them with excellent sharpness and punchy colors. Although they noticed it tended to be a bit on the cooler side, colors were mostly accurate. Their only complaint was with the auto-brightness setting. It would often adjust screen brightness even if the ambient lighting didn’t change. As well, it often took several seconds to brighten the screen when waking up the phone.

An octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM keeps the Honor 8 running smoothly. Experts had no issues with lag and found it was very responsive and smooth even when multitasking. Gaming performance was just as good although they mention it might not be as futureproof as flagship phones. In terms of battery life, they were able to get around a full day of use with moderate use. Heavy users might see the batteries drain much faster – around 4 hours – but it luckily comes with quick-charging capabilities.

Although the Honor 8 does come with dual-sensor camera, the Leica lens are gone replaced with Sony RGB and monochrome 12MP sensors. So why two lens? The RGB captures the color while the monochrome captures more light for better detail. On paper, this should provide punchy pictures with plenty of detail. In comparison to the Huawei P9, reviewers noticed photos were a bit soft and washed out. Still, on its own they were quite impressed with the good contrast, dynamic range and low light performance. And thanks to the ability to adjust the aperture, they were also able to capture decent depth-of-field in their pictures.

Overall, critics were impressed with how much the Honor 8 offered at its price range. Android Authority states “…the Honor 8 is indeed a great value for the money…” The Guardian adds, “The Honor 8 is an excellent smartphone that balances a premium look, feel and performance.”


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.3 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.3 GHz
5.2"
Screen Size
Screen Size
5.2"
12+ MP
Camera
Camera
12+ MP
3000 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Expert Reviews
Expert Reviews

The Honor Pad 8 is every bit as good as many other Android tablets that came before it, and with reliable battery life, a colour-accurate display and solid build, it does a lot right. However, its foibles are too great to ignore. The lack of HDR and microSD expansion are irksome, but the real deal-b...

- Nathan Spendelow, Expert Reviews
Gadgets 360
Gadgets 360

the Honor 8 is nearly as good as it looks on paper, with the only exceptions being the lack of VoLTE support (for now), the missing FM radio, the slippery body, and slightly underwhelming low-light camera performance. However, on the whole, it’s very compelling.

- Roydon Cerejo, Gadgets 360
TechRadar
TechRadar

The Honor 8 is the fanciest-looking Android phone yet out of China, with an awesome, light-refracting glass design and high-end specs, but other less shiny budget phones offer better value.

- Matt Swider, TechRadar
Make Use Of
Make Use Of

With premium hardware and unique software features, the Honor 8 manages to offer a lot of value for a low price. It’s a fantastic option for anyone who wants a flagship smartphone without breaking the bank.

- Riley J. Dennis, Make Use Of
Talk Android
Talk Android

So, for all intents and purposes, the Honor 8 is just a rehash of the Huawei P9, right? Wrong. While it shares many of the same components, the Honor 8 is an improvement on the P9 in my eyes. I enjoyed using the camera more and felt I achieved better results with it. I also found the actual experien...

- Peter Holden, Talk Android


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions


We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei Honor 8 user manual here.


Huawei backs up the Honor 8 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.


If your Honor 8 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Huawei support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Huawei's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.




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Quick view

Screen Size
5.2"

The Huawei Honor 8's screen size is 5.2 inches with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.3 GHz

There is a HiSilicon Kirin 950 Octa core 2.3 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Update Available: 8.0 Nougat) operating system (OS).

Camera
12+ MP

You can take photos with the phone's onboard 12+ MP camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 8+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
32 GB

Internal memory is 32 GB. An external, MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 128 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
3000mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion), 3000 mAh battery. Huawei's performance ratings are 900 minutes, 518 minutes Wi-Fi surfing.

Honor 8 Specs

Overview
Release Date August 17, 2016
Regions Available USA, Canada, United Kingdom
Operating System Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Update Available: 8.0 Nougat)

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor HiSilicon Kirin 950 Octa core 2.3 GHz
Internal Storage 32 GB
RAM 4 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
TTY/TDD Yes
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 1.5 W/kg
Body: 1.69 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Standard Battery, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
Mobile / Cellular Data
4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Unknown
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Unknown
SIM card size
Nano-SIM
Dual SIM No
Connectivity
USB USB Type-C
USB OTG Support No
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared Yes
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, OPP/FTP, HFP, HSP
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 128 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
12+ Megapixels
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (Dual LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Effects, Geotagging, Multi-shot, Night mode, Panorama, Self-timer, Dual camera feature (12 MP 2nd camera), HDR, Time lapse, Slow motion recording
Video Recording Formats
3GP / 3GPP, H.264 / AVC, MPEG-4, WMV, ASF
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
8+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
No
Video Recording Parameters
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology AMOLED
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel Density 424 pixels
Size 5.2 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touch screen
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)
Battery Capacity 3000 mAh
Removable Battery Yes
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging No
Video Playback Time Up to 450 minutes
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Up to 518 minutes
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Up to 900 minutes
Standby Time Up to 15 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Aluminium
Colors Pearl White, Sunrise Gold, Midnight Black, Sakura Pink, Sapphire Blue
Dimensions [H x W x D] 14.6 x 7.1 x 0.7 cm (5.8 x 2.8 x 0.3 in)
Weight 153 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof Unknown
Rugged design No
IP Rating No
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Yes
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key No
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor No
More
Additional Information Other Names (AKA):

Additional Sensors: Fingerprint sensor
Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Manual (PDF)
Huawei Honor 8 Reviews
Where to buy Huawei Honor 8
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