Honor 7 InDepth Review of Features Pricing and Performance

Design and Build

The Honor 7 boasts a sleek and sophisticated design, emphasizing both aesthetics and durability. The phone features a glass front protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, an aluminum back, and an aluminum frame, ensuring a premium look and feel. Measuring 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm and weighing in at 157 grams, the device is comfortable to hold and operate. It also supports either a single Nano-SIM or a hybrid dual SIM model, providing flexibility for users.

Display Quality

The device is equipped with a 5.2-inch IPS-NEO LCD display, offering a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio, translating to a pixel density of approximately 424 ppi. This ensures vibrant colors, deep contrasts, and sharp visuals, making it ideal for media consumption. The screen-to-body ratio stands at about 72.4%, providing a balanced visual experience without unnecessary bulk.

Performance and Software

Under the hood, the Honor 7 is powered by the Kirin 935 chipset, built on a 28nm process. The octa-core CPU includes four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.5 GHz, paired with a Mali-T628 MP4 GPU. This combination offers robust performance for everyday tasks and moderate gaming. Originally shipped with Android 5.0 Lollipop, the device is upgradable to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and it runs EMUI 3.1, Huawei's custom interface, providing a smooth user experience with added functionalities.

Camera Capabilities

The Honor 7 features an impressive camera setup for its time, with a 20 MP primary camera equipped with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and a dual-LED dual-tone flash. This camera setup enables high-quality photography with features like HDR and panorama modes, and it supports 1080p video recording at 30fps. The front-facing camera is an 8 MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and LED flash, also capable of 1080p video recording, making it suitable for selfies and video calls.

Battery Life

Powered by a non-removable Li-Po 3100 mAh battery, the Honor 7 supports 18W wired charging capability. It offers a standby time of up to 350 hours on 3G and a talk time of about 8 hours and 20 minutes on 3G, providing decent battery life for moderate usage. This ensures that users can rely on the device throughout the day without the constant need to recharge.

Storage and Memory Options

The Honor 7 offers multiple storage variants: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, all coupled with 3GB of RAM. Additionally, it supports microSDXC expansion through a shared SIM slot, allowing users to extend their storage further to accommodate apps, photos, and videos.

Connectivity and Sensors

The device supports various connectivity options including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, and hotspot capabilities. It also features Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP, EDR, and LE, GPS with GLONASS/BDS (depending on market), an infrared port, stereo FM radio, and microUSB 2.0. However, NFC support is absent. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, and compass enhance the device's functionality and security.

Market Reception and Conclusion

Released in July 2015, the Honor 7 was well-received for its robust performance, premium design, and competitive pricing, approximately 220 EUR at launch. Although discontinued now, it left a significant mark in the mid-range smartphone segment, providing features that were ahead of its time. Its balanced specifications and performance made it a desirable choice for many users seeking value without compromising on essential functionalities.