In the past few months HONOR has been doing plenty to sort of distance itself from its previous parent company, HUAWEI. There is a good reason for that. It now means that HONOR can work with Google and get Google’s very crucial Play Store on their devices. The direct result is that their devices can really run on Google’s Android too and Qualcomm’s System on a Chip (SoC).

They have just released their latest device in Malaysia, the HONOR 70. They call this their “imaging flagship”. It is not really a flagship on paper. It only packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G+ with 5G capabilities, a mid-range processor. It also does not pack more than 8GB of RAM paired to 256GB of internal storage.

There is a reason why they call it their “imaging flagship” though. It packs a second processing chip. It is a proprietary, independent chip that handles all things imaging. They call it the HONOR Image Engine that also powers the device’s camera AI.

The image processor works with Sony’s IMX800 sensor. This is technically the first device to feature Sony’s latest large format smartphone camera sensor. It measures 1/1.49-inch in size to make it the largest smartphone imaging sensor currently fitted to a consumer grade smartphone. The sensor is a 54-Megapixel sensor, because you do not need anything more than that in a smartphone. At the same time there is a 50-Megapixel Ultra-wide/macro camera that you can work with as well. Video-wise, they also added a feature to simultaneously track and record another subject in your video at 1080p Full HD resolutions.

The display is quite fascinating too, at 1080p Full HD resolution. It refreshes at 120Hz, a flagship level hardware this. It also displays up to 10-bit colours with up to 1920Hz PWM dimming for the best looking and immersive looking display in its class.

The Magic UI 6.1 device also features flagship level battery life. It packs a large 4,800mAh battery that can last you days. If not, you can quickly charge it at 66W speeds.

The HONOR 70 is now available for pre-order at MYR 1,999. You can get your hands on one from HONOR’s authorised retailers, their own e-commerce platform, and their flagship stores on Shopee and Lazada. More information on the HONOR 70 can be found on their website.