Huawei Honor 8 is the newest member of the Honor lineup, bringing flagship specs in a mid-range device. The phone should be looked as a premium device placed in the mid-range segment. Let’s see if the model is good enough to be picked over the new Galaxy Note 7, and the main differences between the two models. Remember, the Galaxy Note 7 suffered serious battery problems, making whole shipments withdrawn. The phone can’t be picked up at the moment, but Samsung should start selling it again before the end of October.
Dimensions, Design
The Honor 8 features a 5.2-inch screen, and its dimensions are pretty standard for a 5.2-inch device (145.5 x 71 x 7.5 mm). For instance, HTC 10 sporting the same sized screen has almost the same dimensions (145.9 x 71.9 x 9 mm). On the other side we have a 5.7-inch screen Galaxy Note 7, being less than a centimeter taller (153.5 mm), a couple millimeters wider (73.9 mm) and .4 millimeters thicker (7.9 mm) than the Honor 8. A great accomplishment by Samsung, since the Galaxy Note 7 has a much larger screen and 500 mAh larger battery.
The design is striking on both models. The Honor 8 features an all-metal body, with dual-camera sensors and a fingerprint scanner looking like they are printed on the body. On the front, aside from the screen, you can find only a speaker, an Honor branding, selfie camera and proximity sensor. Overall, the Honor 8 is one very attractive smartphone.
The Galaxy Note 7 is also one attractive device. Thin body, a huge dual-curved screen dominating the front, no bezels, and a brilliant full metal chassis give the Note 7 a premium look that will attract many eyes.
Hardware, Display
The Honor 8 is equipped with a Huawei-made Kirin 950 SoC (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex A53 along with Mali-T880 MP4). Kirin chipsets are extremely powerful in processing segment, but still, fall behind other flagship SoCs when it comes to GPU performance. Nevertheless, Mali-T880 packed inside the Honor 8 should run all, even the most demanding, video games. The Honor 8 comes with a choice between 3GB/4Gb of RAM and 32GB/64GB of expandable (SIM 2 slot) internal storage.
The Note 7 comes with Samsung’s Exynos Octa 8890 (4×2.3 GHz Mongoose & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 along with Mali-T880 MP12). The GPU used is much more powerful than the one found in the Honor 8 since it packs more cores. The phone has 4 gigs of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded. Overall, the chipset used in the Galaxy Note 7 is one of the most powerful solutions available.
The Honor 8 has a 5.2-inch 1080p, LTPS (Low-Temperature PolySilicon) LCD display, offering faster response time and bright colors. The Galaxy Note 7 is equipped with a 5.7-inch, 1440p (2K) Super AMOLED display, featuring rich colors and deep blacks. Since the screen is so big, it’s perfect for watching movies or reading books. Gaming will also be a joy on this screen.
Camera
Huawei Honor 8 packs a dual camera setup similar to the one found on the P9 (two camera sensors, one RGB, one BW, featuring superb bokeh effect). The sensors count 12 MP each (f/2.2) and support laser autofocus, HDR, and a dual-LED flash. The camera is capable of recording 1080p@60fps videos, as well as 720p@120fps (slow-mo) videos.
The Galaxy Note 7 comes with the same camera sensor featured on the S7/S7 Edge. Offering 12 MP (f/1.7), the camera doesn’t have the highest resolution, but a large aperture size combined with supreme optics will provide excellent photos. The camera supports phase detection autofocus, OIS, Auto HDR, and a LED flash; it is capable of recording 2160p@30fps as well as 720p@240fps (slow-mo) videos. The selfie camera counts 5 MP (f/1.7) and supports Auto HDR.
Battery, Software
The Honor 8 comes with a large 3000 mAh battery and runs under Android Marshmallow. The Galaxy Note 7 has a 3500 mAh battery – the main reason for problems the Note 7 faced when it got launched – and runs under Android Marshmallow; the update bringing Android Nougat should be launched before the end of 2016.
Both phones come with a fingerprint sensor and a fast charging feature. The Galaxy Note 7 also has an iris scanner, and the phone is water resistant (IP68 certification).
Conclusion
Overall, Huawei Honor 8 is a great device, sporting a great metal body, a dual-camera setup and pretty powerful processor. The Galaxy Note 7 is the top phablet currently (well, better to say, available again starting October) available. It all comes to the screen size; if wanting a device with a usual (5-inch, 5.2-inch) screen, get an Honor 8. If wanting a huge, sharp display along with supreme hardware, pick the Galaxy Note 7, as soon as it arrives on the market again.