Despite its parent Huawei currently being faced with a very hard time, following the trade ban imposed by the U.S government and Google cutting ties with it, Honor hasn’t delayed the launch of its latest flagship lineup – the Honor 20 series. The Chinese giant has today unveiled on stage in London the Honor 20, Honor 20 Pro, and a mid-ranger Honor 20 Lite to cater to all segments of users.
Honor 20 Series: Price & Availability
The Honor 20 series has been priced starting at 499 euros (roughly amounts to Rs 39,000) in the European market. The 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant of Honor 20 is going to retail at the said price, whereas their 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant of the higher-end Honor 20 Pro will retail at 599 euros (roughly amounts to Rs 46,500).
The Honor 20 series will become available in three color variants, namely Phantom Black, Phantom Blue, and Icelandic White.
Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro
Starting off with the design, Honor 20 series has adopted a 3D triple mesh technology to give the rear panel its shiny finish (dynamic holographic design) where you can see some vertical lines. It includes three layers- a glass layer, color layer, and depth layer (with micro-crystals that reflect light) to make the rear design a reality.
The Honor 20 Pro features a 6.26-inch Full-HD+ punch-hole display, which the company touts is the smallest selfie punch-hole on any device. There’s a 32MP selfie sensor sitting inside the punch-hole camera.
Both of the phones in the Honor 20 lineup are powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 980 chipset, coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Honor hasn’t opted for an in-display fingerprint sensor, but has instead packed a physical fingerprint sensor into the power button. It runs Android 9 Pie-based EMUI 9.0 but who knows for how long?
As for the camera department, which is the highlight of the device, Honor 20 Pro packs a quad rear-camera module. It includes a primary 48MP (f/1.4) Sony IMX586 sensor, coupled with a 16MP ultra-wide angle lens (f/2.2) with 117-degree FOV, an 8MP telephoto lens (f/2.4) with 3x optical zoom, and finally, a 2MP macro lens for crisp close-up shots.
I mean, if that wasn’t enough, there’s laser auto-focus and dual-OIS onboard as well. The primary sensor not only has a massive 1/2-inch sensor size and the widest f/1.4 aperture, but also features 4-axis OIS for better photo and video capturing. The telephoto lens also features OIS onboard. There’s a Super Night mode, AI Clarity mode, and a lot more.
Honor 20 Pro offers 30x digital zoom capabilities, following into the footsteps of its parent. There’s also a moonshot mode onboard, but it’s backed by AI capabilities as compared to P30 Pro’s periscope lens.
With 30x digital zoom and a large 1/2-inch Sony sensor, the telephoto camera's Handheld Moon Shot allows you to capture the moon's beauty with no extra equipment. #HONOR20Series #CaptureWonder pic.twitter.com/Dd60ZWnRgO
— HONOR (@Honorglobal) May 21, 2019
Further, Honor states that the wider aperture enables them to capture 50% more light as compared to the iPhone XS, with ISO going up to 204,800. This means you can replicate the low-light magic that we’ve seen with the Huawei P30 Pro on this device as well, which was shown on stage at the event.
There were the camera specs of the Honor 20 Pro and the same hasn’t been carried over for the Honor 20. The primary sensor onboard is still the 48MP Sony IMX586 but with an f/1.8 aperture, the 16MP ultra-wide angle lens and the 2MP macro lens stays too, but the fourth sensor is now a depth sensor. Also, there’s no stabilization added to any lenses on the Honor 20.
The Honor 20 holds a 3,750mAh battery pack whereas Honor 20 Pro packs in a larger 4,000mAh battery pack, with 22.5W Honor Supercharge support in tow. This is going to translate to 50% charge in just under 30 minutes. Honor 20 series also supports virtual 9.1 surround sound system for improved audio experiences.
Here’s a quick recap for some of the key specifications of the Honor 20 and 20 Pro:
| Honor 20 | Honor 20 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.26-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD | 6.26-inch Full-HD+ IPS LCD |
| Processor | Kirin 980 | Kirin 980 |
| RAM | 6GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX586 + 16MP ultra-wide angle + 2MP depth sensor + 2MP macro lens | 48MP (f/1.8) Sony IMX586 + 16MP ultra-wide angle + 8MP telephoto lens + 2MP macro lens |
| Selfie Camera | 32MP | 32MP |
| Operating System | Android 9 Pie-based EMUI | Android 9 Pie-based EMUI |
| Battery | 3,750mAh | 4,000mAh |
Honor 20 Lite
Honor isn’t making consumers wait around and is also debuting a new mid-ranger to go along with the Honor 20 series. This smartphone is named the Honor 20 Lite and there’s certainly a number of key differences here, starting with the waterdrop notch which has replaced the punch-hole here.
The Honor 20 Lite (which will be called the Honor 20i in India) features a 6.21-inch FHD+ screen with a dewdrop notch that houses the 32MP selfie shooter. There’s a triple camera setup on the rear, which includes a 24MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra wide-angle sensor with a 120-degree FOV, and a third depth sensor.
This smartphone is powered by the Kirin 710 chipset, coupled with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. You get all the bells and whistles one expects to find inside a mid-range smartphone, including a Super Night mode for enhanced low-light photography.
It will be available in three different color variants namely, Phantom Blue, Phantom Red, and the classic Midnight Black. The Honor 20 Lite has been priced at 299 euros (roughly amounts to Rs 23,000). So, what are your thoughts on the Honor 20 series? Let us know down in the comments section.
