Honor is a sub-brand of Huawei that has been targeting the mid-range mobile phone market with some success. The Honor 8 Pro is one of the higher-end models and takes its guts mostly from Huawei P10 Plus: Kirin 960 octa-core processor, 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, NFC, infra-red blaster. It betters the P10 Plus with a larger 5.7-inch QHD display, larger 4,000mAh battery.
On the whole, the Honor 8 Pro performs so similarly to the P10 Plus, I would have thought it was a P10 in a blind test. Of course, there are some trade-offs to make Honor 8 Pro a more affordable version. The most obvious difference is the absence of Leica branding on the dual camera lenses. The camera specs is slightly modified from last year’s Mate 9, where both the RGB and monochrome lenses are 12MP f/2.2. Despite a smaller aperture spec, the camera feels snappy and low light images matches the P10 Plus. The wide aperture mode allows the user to adjust the background blur effect even after photos are taken. The other feature that remains unique to Huawei is the ability to change the focal point.
While the P10 Plus image processing is tuned by Leica, the Honor 8 Pro is not accorded with such privileges. On a positive note – and subject to taste – the images rendered turn out slightly brighter and richer, which I think works better for the general consumer. Meanwhile, a larger screen and larger battery offer benefits in the form of a more comfortable viewing experience as well as longer viewing time.
Verdict
Rating 4.5/5
Consumers who are not too bothered with the slightly better Leica camera should opt for the Honor 8 Pro. It has all the best qualities of its higher-end siblings but at a fraction of the price. What’s more surprising is that there are hardly any noteworthy trade-offs, making this phone a real bargain.
Price S$599
Website http://www.lazada.sg/honor8pro/
