Honor View 20 proves that the flagship smartphone does not have to cost PLN 5,000

The latest smartphone on the Honora offer can be compared to the best models on the market, and in some respects it is better than them. Honor View 20 also proves that a device with an impressive specification can cost less than 3000 PLN.

The tested smartphone is distinguished primarily by its appearance. Honor has already accustomed us to the use of backs consisting of many layers of glass, which refract light very much. For the first time this treatment was applied three years ago in Honor 8, but it still impresses me to this day. This time, the Chinese decided to add an unprecedented V-shaped pattern. It makes the smartphone look even more elegant and elegant. And in both the blue and the red color version.

View 20 has glass backs, so some users will probably want to protect them. It will be possible right after removing it from the box, because the manufacturer added a silicone case to the set. After applying it, the smartphone loses some of its charm, but it is not a striking change. Even in silicone, slightly suppressing the effect of refraction of light, Honor View 20 draws attention.

Attention is also attracted by the front of the smartphone.

Honor View 20 is one of the first devices that hides the front camera in a hole in the screen. It may seem like a small change from a practical point of view and ... it's true. Functionally indentation is not much different from the cut. However, it occupies less space, which on the one hand does not allow the use of the most advanced facial recognition systems, and on the other hand makes the phone look more minimalist and thus - nicer. It simply attracts glances.

The screen keyhole is also not very invasive and, as you can see in the pictures, it does not interfere with everyday use of the device. However, if someone decides otherwise, they will be able to reduce the screen area in the whole system or application. This is a very good solution.

But let's pay attention to the display itself. We're dealing here with a completely flat, 6.4-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 2310 x 1080 pixels. It is difficult to accuse him of anything in terms of the detail of the image as well as the reproduction of colors. This display works well in all conditions. As it was decided to use the IPS screen, not OLED, it was necessary to make small compromises in the design of the device.

Because the IPS screen consists of several layers, it is not possible to bend it easily. Thus, at the bottom of the smartphone we can see a small chin, which, however, does not spoil its appearance.

For the same reason, it was not possible to put a fingerprint reader under it. However, this is not a problem, because from my experience, scanners in the screen do not work as well as their classic counterparts. So an older, less impressive but better working solution was used.

Components? An absolute firecracker.

Honor View 20 is not the most expensive smartphone on the market, but it dominates almost the entire competition in terms of performance. Its heart is the Kirin 980 processor. It has been made in a 7-nanometer process, thanks to which it is not only efficient, but also energy-saving. This is practically the best layout designed for mobile devices.

The Kirin 980 is equipped with a total of eight cores. The two best are Cortex-A76 units with a frequency of 2.6 GHz. They are used in the most demanding tasks. The next two cores are also Cortex-A76 models, but with a clock speed of 1.92 GHz. They provide the best balance between efficiency and energy efficiency.

The weakest four cores are the Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.8 GHz. They will be used in the simplest tasks that do not require huge amounts of power. The Mali-G76 graphic layout offering 46% is also impressive. better performance and 178 percent. more energy-efficient than the GPU in the previous Kirin 970.

However, the processor itself is not everything. Also the available memory counts, and this is really a lot. Honor View 20 has up to 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal memory, which can not be extended with microSD cards (because what for?). Instead, the smartphone supports the Dual Sim function in standby mode.

Performance Honora View 20 fits perfectly to its specifications. The phone works perfectly, does not stutter and copes with all games and programs. Thanks to PC Mode, when connected to a monitor using a USB-C cable or wireless technology, it can also work as a desktop computer. And it performs well in everyday tasks, but this is a topic for another text.

All necessary communication standards.

Tested smartphone in this respect shames in competition. We have here the fastest LTE Cat. 21, support for two SIM cards, WiFi in the AC standard operating on frequencies 2.4 and 5 GHz, as well as Bluetooth 5.0. There are also numerous location technologies that support the use of classic GPS. We also have NFC for contactless payments, but in Honora's devices this is the standard.

As for the sockets available outside, there is no surprise here. The manufacturer decided to use the USB-C port for charging the smartphone and headphone output. The latter is a very nice addition, just like the infrared support, thanks to which the Honor View 20 can act like a remote control for a TV set or other electronic equipment. This is a rare but extremely useful feature. I myself use Honora smartphones also because a large part of them allows easy control even devices that are not connected to the Internet.

Good sound on the headphones, worse without them

In this respect, Honor View 20 falls quite well, but not perfectly. As I mentioned earlier, unlike the vast majority of smartphones from the top shelf, it is equipped with a headphone output. Unfortunately, when we take off the headphones, the sound quality will only be good, because Honor has not decided to use stereo speakers, which are a useful gadget even when watching YouTube. It's a pity.

A very large battery that loads quickly

Honor View 20 has energy-efficient components, such as a processor made in the 7 nm process, and a battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. Thanks to this, even heavily used, it will last all day.

The built-in battery also supports fast charging of SuperCharge, which allows you to charge the device in just a few dozen minutes. Thanks to this feature, I got rid of the habit of connecting a smartphone to electricity for the night. Now I put the plug in it right after waking up. After eating breakfast (without a phone in your hand!), Shower and clothes, the smartphone has already completed energy shortages.

A camera that is enough for almost everyone

Also interesting is the camera with a resolution of up to 48 megapixels, which was thoroughly tested by Marcin Połowianiuk. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with its more extensive test . I invite invited people to read the following acronym.

Honor View 20 uses the Sony IMX586 sensor. This is a really unusual layout, and not just because of the resolution. It also surprises its physical size with a diagonal of up to 1/2 inch, which makes it probably the largest matrix present in currently available smartphones.

The size of the pixel is not impressive, because it is only 0.8 micron, but after going down with a resolution of up to 12 megapixels (which the smartphone does from the machine) we get 1.6 microns, more than in rivals. Pictures in 12 megapixels have very decent quality and high detail. In general, they perform much better than photographs taken in 48 megapixels.

The Honora View 20 main camera has two lenses, but contrary to appearances, the extra slide is not a telezoom, but a system that supports depth detection. Honor View 20 uses a layout called 3D TOF, which detects the edges of objects and thus improves the portrait mode. However, I am not able to assess whether this solution actually works, my eye does not see any significant improvement in this matter.

Besides, we have very interesting work modes here. One of them is the increased transparency of the AI, which allows you to take clear photos in 48 megapixel resolution by using natural hand shake.

The slimming mode of the entire figure that actually works is also interesting. The smartphone does not have an optical zoom, but thanks to the large matrix it replaces the digital zoom very well. Despite the apparent compromises, the whole works very well, but it is very good.

Is it fast to buy Honor View 20 ?

This is the most expensive model on the Honora offer, and ... and it is much cheaper than the competition. The Chinese wish 2899 zlotys for what others sell at a price of several hundred or even over 1000 zlotys higher. And this is its biggest advantage. This is a flagship model from a real event, although its price does not show it.

It is a beautiful smartphone that stands out not only with its back made of many layers of glass, but also with the camera lens hidden in the screen. It is also extremely fast and well equipped equipment.

We have the latest processor, a lot of memory, a huge battery and all the latest communication standards. There was even a headphone out which is less and less often found in mobile devices. The camera supported by artificial intelligence is also very good. He makes really nice photos and can be used as the only camera of the average Kowalski.

It all makes me recommend this smartphone to anyone who has a budget of about 3000 PLN. Honor View 20 does not give in to competition and shows that even in 2019 flagship equipment does not have to cost 4000 or 5000 PLN. This is good news, because although I think that smartphones are not worth saving, it does not automatically mean that you should overpay for them.

Cooperation: Marcin Połowianiuk

Honor View 20 proves that the flagship smartphone does not have to cost PLN 5,000