HONOR is on a roll in the Philippines as they aggressively expand throughout the country. This time around, they are introducing the HONOR 90 – a direct follow up from last year’s HONOR 70. It tweaks the sleek design of its predecessor while having significant upgrades headlining of which is its new 200MP f/1.9 main camera.
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition |
| Screen | 6.7-inch AMOLED, 2664 x 1200, 120Hz |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB |
| OS | Android 13, MagicOS 7.1 |
| Rear Camera | 200MP f/1.9 Main, 12MP f/2.2 Ultrawide, 2MP f/2.4 Depth |
| Front Camera | 50MP f/2.4 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 5G |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, USB-C |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 66W HONOR SuperCharge |
| Others | In-Display Fingerprint Scanner |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 74.1 x 7.8mm |
| Weight | 183g |
| Colors | Diamond Silver, Peacock Blue, Midnight Black, Emerald Green |
The HONOR 90 continues the minimalist approach to packaging. The smartphone is accompanied with the usual accessories including a silicone case, a SIM ejector pin, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a 66W HONOR SuperCharge power adapter.
HONOR has made pretty looking smartphones in the past and that doesn’t change with the 90. It looks sleek and distinctive unlike other entries in the market that just look the same. Two thirds of the rear is textured while the upper part is smooth all of which are glossy that attract dust and fingerprints if unprotected.
The brand says that the camera bumps are inspired by the lunar phases with overlapping circles and ellipses. They are unique but this does mean that the bumps are larger than they should be.
The HONOR 90 remains incredibly thin measuring at only 7.8mm at its thickest point. Its edges are curved, and when paired with its thin profile, feels good in the hand. All of its buttons are clustered at the right-hand side making all controls reliant on your thumb.
Though the HONOR 90 looks pretty, it lacks some quality-of-life features like dual speakers. It only relies on its bottom-firing speaker for audio. Accompanying it is a USB-C port and a dual-SIM tray. Unfortunately, there’s no support for MicroSD expansion.
Another gorgeous aspect on the HONOR 90 is its display. It is a 6.7-inch 2664 x 1200 120Hz AMOLED display that looks stunning. The edges are curved to give it a premium look and feel but some users may prefer a boxier look. They have also reduced flicker to nearly zero thanks to its 3840Hz PWM dimming that minimizes strain on the eyes.
Colors look great but they are slightly boosted under the default vibrant profile. Those who want a muted display palette can turn it down to the standard profile on its settings menu. The higher resolution from the standard FullHD+ there also add to the sharpness of the viewing experience.
Brightness can reach up to 1600 nits outside so you can easily view content even if the sun is blistering. Under normal usage, however, it peaks at around 494.45 cd/m2, which is plenty bright for a smartphone. Color coverage is less than ideal as it caps out at 70.70% DCI-P3 when we measured it.
Audio is where the HONOR 90 5G starts to stumble. It only relies on its bottom-firing speaker for audio while some of its midrange peers have adopted the dual stereo speaker setup. Speaker quality is serviceable but nothing special. Vocals are clear but bass is nearly non-existent and it has a tendency to get slightly tinny at higher volume.
The HONOR 90 is based on Android 13 with the brand’s own MagicOS 7.1. They haven’t done anything drastic this iteration but they are implementing improvements on their multi-device integration. You can now continue tasks on other HONOR devices like their notebooks or tablet. Functionalities also include sharing of input devices like mouse or keyboards using the HONOR Computer Manager.
You get plenty of customization options on the OS as well as proprietary apps that come pre-installed. Large folders offer quicker access to apps designated inside it. Overall, still a seamless and largely unchanged from the standard Android experience. It also has Google Mobile Service allowing you access to all Google services without any workarounds.
One of the headline features of the HONOR 90 5G is its cameras – specifically the 200MP f/1.9 main shooter. The main lens is backed by a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. There’s no dedicated telephoto lens but the primary camera supports up to 2x lossless zoom. Up front is a single 50MP f/2.4 selfie camera.
The camera app is standard affair offering most of what you need. Video tops out at 4k30ps while bumping it down to 1080p raises the framerate to 60fps. The 200MP mode can be activated via High Resolution and there’s also Dual View Video among others.
Its 200MP f/1.9 primary lens is powered by a 1/1.4-inch sensor and takes 12MP shots after binning. It supports EIS but does not come with OIS. The default 12MP photos look great with well saturated colors and good detail. Low light performance is pretty decent as well with great shadows and colors. While there is no OIS, its EIS more than makes up for it in producing steady shots.
200MP photos look detailed though they have less saturation than the 12MP shots as they do not pass through binning. There is a bit of delay when taking shots as the smartphone processes the large image and the file size can get substantial at around 40MB each.
The 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera might have less pixels than the previous entry but it’s a step up in performance. Photos look sharp and there’s good correction at the edges to avoid excessive warping. Colors, however, look dull compared to the main lens. Fortunately, they have fixed the chromatic aberration on the 70 this generation.
The HONOR 90 sports the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition SoC paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage. It is one of the first smartphones to arrive in the Philippines with this chipset and the accelerated edition means that it can run 100MHz more than the base variant.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is a direct upgrade from the Snapdragon 778G+ that most midrange smartphones from last generation use and has a smaller 4nm lithography. Benchmarks do reflect that upgrade as AnTuTu Benchmark scores on the HONOR 90 nearly more than 160,000 points over the previous iteration of the smartphone.
Gaming performance is rock solid as the HONOR 90 5G is able to average at least 30fps on Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail at their Highest and Very High graphics settings, respectively. There is a problem, however, as games that support higher refresh rates do show the option but the output is still limited to 60fps. We’re not sure if it’s an issue from the brand’s side or the developer’s side, but we hope this can be patched in a future update.
Despite its thin profile, the HONOR 90 5G manages to sport a 5,000mAh battery. Longevity is pretty decent allowing for a full day of use on a single charge with average use consisting of browsing via WiFi and data as well as occasionally playing games.
Topping up the battery is easy as it supports 66W HONOR SuperCharge. The smartphone was able to charge itself back up to full from 5% in under an hour without much heat. It does get slower when it hits 80% but that’s to be expected in most fast-charging devices.
The HONOR 90 5G offers an attractive smartphone experience with its beautiful design, great display, top-notch cameras, and good performance. The 200MP camera is definitely a highlight as it delivers sharp photos with good detail regardless of lighting conditions. It also remains slim despite having a 5,000mAh battery that fills quickly thanks to its 66W HONOR SuperCharge.
As with any midrange smartphone, there are some compromises. The lack of dual stereo speakers is the most noticeable as it does elevate the entertainment experience by a lot. There’s no dust or water resistance rating so be careful while handling the device. We also would prefer a dedicated telephoto lens instead of a 2MP depth sensor but the 2x lossless zoom of the main camera makes up for it.
We’re pleased with HONOR’s string of smartphone releases and that doesn’t change with the HONOR 90. It perfectly blends top notch performance and feature while just cutting enough fat to make its price more palatable for everyone looking for a competent midrange smartphone.
The HONOR 90 5G is priced starting at PhP 24,990 in the Philippines. It is now up for pre-order until August 25, 2023 where you will get a free JBL Flip 6 worth PhP 7,499. You can get it via HONOR’s Lazada and Shopee flagship stores or any HONOR concept stores and authorized retailers nationwide.
