For the last few yr , $ 600 , $ 650 , or peradventure even $ 700 was all you needed to get a steel new top - of - the — line sound . But in 2018 , a lot of mass are lead to task with a unmanageable choice : shell out another $ 200 or $ 300 to hit the increased price tags flagship are now demanding , or finalise for something a flake more low-priced . And at first , this proposition might go likeanother thwarting facial expression of an increasingly dotty product bicycle , but it does n’t actually have to be that fashion . That ’s because there are mid - range phones like the $ 500OnePlus 5Tand this raw Honor View 10 , that can make that second pick feel less like a compromise and more like a good way to stop getting shaft .
consider 10
What is it ?
All images: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo
A metal - back mid - range smartphone with an 18:9 exhibit
damage
TBA , but likely around $ 500
Like
Solid anatomy , two-fold cams , headphones jack
Do n’t Like
Still no official Mary Leontyne Price or release day of the month , no receiving set charging or water system - resistance
A quick coup d’oeil down the spec list reveal that all the most important stuff and nonsense is there : from the View 10 ’s surplus - tall 5.99 - inch 18:9 LCD video display , to the built - in front - mounted fingerprint reader , sturdy aluminum build , and the ready to hand headphone diddly-squat down below . Even the amount of store and storage you get are quite telling , as the View 10 comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of reposition standard , with the latter being doubly what you ’d get on a standardOnePlus 5Tor the pricey $ 900Galaxy Note 8 . And in display case you still need more room for apps and photos , the 2d slot in the double SIM tray supports microSD cards too .
In fact , the sentiment 10 ’s freehanded flaws are minor omission , like its lack of wireless charging and water - resistance , and the inauspicious limitation of not have CMDA meshing compatibility , which entail this phone is n’t an pick for people on Verizon or Sprint . The other really frustrative affair is that despite being herald at the terminal of 2017 , we ’re still hold off on prescribed US pricing and accessibility . It almost for certain has nothing to do with the espionage concern leveled at Honor ’s parent companyHuawei . Huawei hasrun into major difficultieswhen trying to partner with US aircraft carrier to sell its latest flagship , but Honor has always relied on verbatim - to - consumer sale .
My only other quibble with the View 10 is the way of life Huawei ’s EMUI 8 skin looks . It ’s one of the most radical divergence from stock Android available today , with its rounded notice cards , lack of an app drawer and iOS - manner Share menus . Thankfully , all these thing can be customise in the headphone ’s configurations , let in the overall spirit and feel of the UI via the Theme app . I just wish I did n’t have to spend so much fourth dimension toy with everything out of the box .
Then there are other things like accolade ’s claim of enhanced AI that are meant to amend how the phone functions . It ’s a feature article borrowed straight from Huawei ’s in style flagship , theMate 10 Pro . However , in tangible life , the effects of the phone ’s extra smarts are often quite hard to make out . Honor claims that simple machine determine algorithms will automatically tune your phone for better battery life and verify performance still feels snappy a year or more down the road , but it never does so in a room where you notice it happening , which often leaves you wondering if it ’s really happening .
The two exceptions to this is a usage version of Microsoft ’s Translator app , which uses the Honor 10 ’s Kirin 970 ’s neural processing social unit to extradite on - the - fly exchanges using either , written , spoken or even textbook bewitch in a picture . In my myopic time I spent testing it by spitting admittedly poorly pronounced Chinese at the Honor 10 , it almost always came back with the right answer . However , once again , when compared side - by - side with other big translating apps from Google and others , it was hard to tell how much weighty rise the View 10 ’s AI was really doing .
On the other hand , the View 10 ’s AI - raise photographic camera makes it easy to evidence when the telephone ’s atomic number 14 smarts are helping . Using range recognition , the telephone set can name a smattering of different subjects like CAT , dogs , industrial plant , food and more . And when it does , it ’ll bulge out up a little corresponding icon in the bottom of the earphone ’s camera UI , while using that knowledge to automatically adjust camera options to get the practiced photo potential . When it work , it really does finger a snatch like magic trick . In a side - by - side guesswork between the View 10 and the OnePlus 5 triiodothyronine , after aright determine I was taking a photograph of a plant life , or what ’s well fuck as my indolent attack to use technical school to grow basil indoors , the View 10 produced a shot with secure white Libra the Balance and more particular in the shadows for a more pleasing prototype overall . It ’s not a night and Clarence Day improvement , but it is noticeable .
But when not wait on by AI smarts , I found colour from the View 10 were often more muted than those from the OP5T. And in miserable - light , thing were n’t even tight , as grounds by a dimly dig of everyone ’s favorite cuddly sci - fi birds in the slideshow below . Though , to be fair , that ’s not entirely unexpected as the OnePlus ’ lower-ranking photographic camera was design specifically to amend low - light picture taking . The View 10 seek to counterpunch with a 2d rearward cam of its own that sports a 2x zoom lens of the eye , similar to what you ’d get on theiPhone XorGalaxy Note 8 . It ’s not anything I ’d call essential , but it does give you a little more creative exemption when it come up to bourgeon stuff far out .
accolade even caps everything off with a comparatively large 3,750 mAh electric battery , which did a fine job in our rundown run as it kept the View 10 going for just over 10 60 minutes ( 10:04 to be exact ) . That time compares moderately favourably to results from the Note 8 ( 10:13 ) and the iPhone x ( 9:56 ) , though it ’s still an hr short of the Pixel 2 XL ( 11:17 ) , OP5 T ( 11:22 ) , and its more expensive sibling , the Mate 10 Pro ( 11:13 ) , which were three of the longest persistent telephone set I quiz last yr .
Is the Honor View 10 as sleek or tech - laden as the Galaxy Note 8 or iPhone X ? No , and it ’s not really that close . But as those phone persist in to push the price of flagship equipment even high , they are also leaving a lot of citizenry simply see for a effective equipment behind . And the Honor View 10 is just that , a solid earphone with good specs , tons of storage , and some nice bonus such as dual stern cams , a earpiece jack and a bit a AI smarts . Now here ’s hop Honor hold on sandbag its US liberation , so that hoi polloi can have even another good option for resisting the hike of the A-one premium smartphone . Not everyone wants a OnePlus 5T.
README
The View 10 sports a braggy , shiny 6 - in 18:9 display and brush aluminum back , but does n’t have wireless charging or any form of water - resistance .
Huawei ’s EMUI 8 can be a fiddling jarring for masses used to stock Android , but it ’s quite customizable .
Colors from the rear Cam River can reckon dull , especially when not enhance by the camera ’s AI , but the secondary 2x zoom River Cam is a nice incentive .
Only works on GSM networks ( i.e. AT&T and T - Mobile ) .
Still no official US pricing or dismission date , despite getting announce in November 2017 .
SPEC DUMP
running game EMUI 8 ( based on Android 8 Oreo ) • Kirin 970 SoC • 6 GB RAM • 128 GB reposition • 18:9 6 - in 2160 x 1080 LCD presentation • dual - SIM tray with microSD card support • 16 - MP/20 - MP dual rear end cams • 13 - MP front Cam River • 3750 mAh battery • earpiece jack • USB - hundred port • mono speaker system • 6.18 x 2.95 x 0.27 inches • 6.01 ounces
AndroidConsumer TechHonorHuaweiPhonesSmartphones
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