Huawei’s problems are, of course, also Honor’s. The latter is even more affected by the US ban considering it happened just as it was launching the Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro. But just like Huawei, Honor isn’t backing down and, in fact, will be launching a new phone in a matter of weeks. The Honor 9X will be a rather ambitious phone as it will be the company’s first phone to run on Huawei’s shiny new 7nm Kirin 810.
When you’re a company whose future is being put into question, you have no choice but to assure customers, investors, and shareholders that there’s no reason to worry. You can say all the flowery words you want but actions still speak louder than words. Either that or you have the numbers to prove that all is business as usual. That may be the motivation behind Huawei’s big boast at MWC Shanghai, saying that it had sold 10 million Huawei P30 units in a little less than three months.
Honor has promised its latest smartphones will get Android Q updates, with the value-focused Huawei sub-brand joining its parent in attempting placate users confused by the impact of the Trump Administration's sales ban. Huawei released a list of phones last week which it was "confident" would get Android Q, when Google releases the software officially later in the year.
While Huawei and, to some extent, Google would assure the public that it's business as usual for the Chinese maker's Android phones, reality is proving otherwise. Yes, Google has publicly committed to supporting existing Huawei and Honor phones and, yes, the OEM has been granted a 90-day reprieve. That, however, doesn't take into account new phones that haven't been certified yet including, apparently, the Honor 20 Pro, which may mean that the phone is dead on arrival in markets outside of China.
Honor has just unveiled its 2019 entry into the smartphone race and while the company has been known to put out flagship-level phones with affordable prices, the Honor 20 Pro took things to a new level. It is, so far, the first Honor phone to almost reach the highest score on DxOMark, hinting at its photography chops. Naturally, that has caused it to be compared with the one is sharing that spot with it, the OnePlus 7 Pro. Both make the same promise of a premium-quality Android phone that won't break your bank account. Only one, however, can really claim to be at the top.
Huawei is having a pretty bittersweet month. It just launched the Huawei P30 series last month but now faces a crisis thanks to a US ban that has at least been temporarily suspended. It's sub-brand Honor launched its own 2019 flagship against that backdrop and the Honor 20 Pro just stole the third spot from the OnePlus 7 Pro on DxoMark's smartphone list. Which would make it a tragedy if sales are severely affected by the economic and political drama surrounding its parent company.
Flagship smartphones will always sell, but it's hard to argue that the real excitement in mobile right now isn't in more affordable phones like the new Honor 20 Pro. Like the Google Pixel 3a and the Samsung Galaxy S10e, the latest device from Huawei's millennially-obsessed brand for Android fans with a tighter budget promises to cherry-pick the components and capabilities that are most important.
Huawei has reacted to Google's block on key Android apps and features at the behest of the US government, insisting that existing devices won't suddenly lose features, and pointing to its own enhancements to Android. The Chinese telecoms company found itself added to the Trump administration's blacklist late last week, a decision which could have a massive impact on smartphone and tablet sales outside of China.
Honor is Huawei's secret weapon, having been responsible for more than half of the company's overall shipments last year. The sub-brand quickly grew out of its roots to offer premium flagship features in prices the big players wouldn't even dare go. The Honor 20 Pro is no different and, in fact, it might give its parent company reason to be worried. Judging by these sample photos being shared by Honor, it could even outdo the Huawei P30 Pro in low-light photography.
Honor's event isn't until later this month but it wants to get the ball rolling even before Google and OnePlus can have their time in the spotlight. Heralding what's coming, Honor has officially but silently unveiled the Honor 20 Lite. Just like its more expensive siblings, the three cameras on its back are featured prominently but don't be deceived, that is not its biggest feature. Or at least not its only big feature.
In the past, Honor phones have mostly been regarded as cheaper, mid-range options from Huawei. For the past year or two, however, Honor not only helped Huawei rise to the world's #2, it is even giving its parent company some rivalry. It seems that this year won't be different, with the Honor 20 Pro poised to give other phone makers a run for their money, including Huawei's own P30 Pro.
As great as its phones maybe, Huawei and, by extension, Honor devices are at times criticized for their software, specifically the EMUI custom Android experience. It is one of the most heavily customized ROMs which has the side effect of being slow to update. Huawei, however, has a surprise for its faithful users as it announced that the latest version of EMUI will be coming to dozens of its phones, a gesture that should put OEMs with fewer phones to shame.