Tag Archives: HONOR

Computers, News

HONOR Launches New MagicBook Pro with 10th Gen Intel and NVIDIA GeForce MX350

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When HONOR launched their MagicBook Pro last year, the world went a little wild. There is a good reason for that. They offered the MagicBook Pro at a price point where no one has never seen before. It was still basically a HUAWEI MateBook X Pro. It was sold at a lower price point though. That also means that it is one of the most affordable notebook PCs in its class.

The new one continues that ethos of a powerful notebook PC for not very much money. The HONOR branded premium notebook PC is still an all-aluminium bodied wonder packing plenty of power. For starters it packs Intel’s latest 10th Generation Core i7 processor (up to). Specifically, the HONOR MagicBook is powered by an Intel Core i7-10510U processor. That main CPU is supported by NVIDIA’s new GeForce MX350 GPU too.

Source: GSM Arena

Storage wise, you are getting 16GB on board RAM. That also should mean that this notebook PC should play well with Adobe’s suite of software. You get up to 512GB of storage too with the MagicBook Pro. That 512GB SSD is fast but may not be enough to keep all the high-resolution media that you might enjoy though.

You do want to put some movies and videos in there with the Full HD display that is rated at 100% sRGB. That also means images and photos would really pop on the MagicBook Pro. That display measures at 16.1-inch in size. That is quite an unusual size, but its larger display also means that you would be able to appreciate the Full HD resolution even more. It even has a performance mode when you hit the function (fn) key and the ‘P’ key on the notebook; for when you play games, they say.

  • Source: GSM Arena
  • Source: GSM Arena
  • Source: GSM Arena
  • Source: GSM Arena

The HONOR MagicBook Pro will be available in Russia September 2020 onward. For Malaysia, we can expect the HONOR MagiBook Pro to arrive somewhere in the third quarter of 2020. That guess is based on the arrival of HONOR’s previous generation MagicBook Pro. The HONOR MagicBook Pro with Intel’s Core i5 will sell for RMB 5,999 (MYR 3,668) while the Core i7 variant is available for RMB 6,699 (MYR 4,096). Those are not Malaysian prices, we know.

Android, Mobile, News

HONOR ViewPad 6 is the Modern 5G Capable Tablet for the Youths

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HONOR had a big global launch just now. They launched a lot of things. One of the big things they launched is their very own high-end tablet, the HONOR ViewPad 6. It looks very much like the HUAWEI MatePad Pro save for certain details. For one, the back of the tablet has a slightly different finish. The camera layout and design is more reminiscent of the OPPO Find X2 as well, from the looks of it.

The insides are slightly different too. The HONOR ViewPad 6 packs the HiSilicon Kirin 985 instead of the newer HiSilicon 990 you find on the HUAWEI MatePad Pro. You still get 5G connectivity with the HONOR ViewPad 6 though. You still get WiFi 6+ in connectivity. You also get 2K in resolution from the 10.4 FullView display. They also tout powerful speakers that boasts great audio. If they are anything like the HUAWEI MatePad Pro, we can believe that.

We know that the HONOR ViewPad 6 will come with HONOR’s proprietary User Interface (UI) based on Android 10. While it comes with Android 10, it does not come with Google’s Play Store. Rather, you are getting their AppGallery ecosystem. From the teasers we see in the launch, there is also the HUAWEI equivalent to the M-Pen, the Magic Pen for the tablet.

  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR

However, they did not announce the price of the HONOR ViewPad 6. They say that the price will be revealed on the 13th of June 2020. It should be available in certain markets from June 2020 onward. There is no mention of whether Malaysia gets the device that same time with other markets. We are expecting the tablet to come to Malaysia at the same time or before other countries outside of China though.

Android, Mobile, News

HONOR 30 Series Debuts in China

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The HONOR brand has always been known for bringing devices with great value for money and killer specs. Their flagship devices always bring top of the line specifications with a price point that makes them even more compelling. This year, the company is looking to do this with the HONOR 30 Series. Their latest flagship which refocuses their line up on smartphone photography.

The HONOR 30 series consists of three devices: the HONOR 30, HONOR 30 PRO and the HONOR 30 PRO+. The new line up is HONOR’s first to carry the Kirin 990 and Kirin 985 processors. The new 7nm chipsets bring 5G capabilities and better power efficiency. In fact, the HONOR 30 is the first smartphone to carry the all new Kirin 985 processor. The HONOR 30 PRO and PRO+ will be running on the Kirin 990 processor.

When it comes to display, the HONOR 30 PRO+ is the only one in the range which comes with 90Hz refresh. Other than that, the HONOR 30 series comes with an OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The HONOR 30 comes with a smaller 6.53-inch display while the PRO and PRO+ come with a larger 6.57-inch display. Across the series, the displays have a Full HD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels.

On the memory side of things, the 30 will be equipped with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM while the PRO will only come with 8GB of RAM while the PRO+ will come with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. The 30 and 30 PRO will be pairing their RAM with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage while the PRO+ will be only have 256GB of internal storage. This is expandable with HUAWEI’s proprietary NM card.

As mentioned earlier, the HONOR 30 range is refocusing the company’s flagship series on photography. The 30 is equipped with a quad camera setup. The camera setup consists of a 40-megapixel RYYB sensor, a telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. However, the PRO and PRO+ versions of the HONOR 30 come with a 50-megapixel RYYB sensor for the main sensor; specifically the Sony IMX700. They also retain all the same telephoto lens but have a larger 16-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. The PRO and PRO+ come with only a triple camera setup unlike the quad camera on the HONOR 30. All these devices are capable of 50x hybrid zoom.

On the front, the 30 PRO and PRO+ come with a dual sensor setup with a 32-megapixel sensor paired with an 8-megapixel sensor. The HONOR 30 is equipped with a single 32-megapixel sensor.

The HONOR 30 series is the company’s first to come with 5G connectivity. This includes mmWave and sub-6 connectivity. The series comes with dual SIM capabilities and is powered by a 4000mAH battery with support for 40W SuperCharge. Wireless charging is only supported on the HONOR 30 PRO+. It also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 LE. The series will be running Android 10 with Magic UI 3.1.

Pricing & Availability

The HONOR 30 and 30 PRO will be available in three colours: Emerald Green, Icelandic Frost, Neon Purple and Midnight Black. While the HONOR 30 PRO+ seems to have an additional Titanium Silver edition with the brand inscribed. Pre-order have already begun in China with the device scheduled to be available starting on 21 April.

Pricing is as follows:

RAM/StorageHONOR 30HONOR 30 PROHONOR 30 PRO+
6GB/128GBCNY2,999 (USD$425/MYR1,853)––
8GB/128GBCNY3,199 (USD$453/MYR1,976)CNY3,999 (USD$566/MYR2,470)–
8GB/256GBCNY3,499 (USD$496/MYR2,161)CNY4,399 (USD$623/MYR2,717)CNY4,999 (USD$708/MYR3,088)
12GB/256GB––CNY5,499 (USD$779/MYR3,397)
Android, Mobile, News

HONOR 9X Pro Launched – Little Things Matter

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The mid-range smartphone market is a crowded marketplace, for good reason too. Mid-range smartphones these days are what bolsters sales of smartphones around the globe. It is sort of the brands’ revenue maker. The best selling devices today are not flagships anymore, they are the mid-rangers.

There is a reason to why mid-range smartphones sell like hot cakes too. They are not very expensive; that is one. But they are not just inexpensive, they perform well too. In everyday life and use, the mid-rangers are no less powerful than a high-end smartphone like a HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro or such.

Source: HONOR

Of course, if you are going to spend way less money on a smartphone you are going to have to make some sacrifices. But the trade-offs these days are quite minor compared to the money that you actually save. That is the exact job description for the HONOR 9X Pro.

The name of the game here is value-for-money. There should be as little compromise as possible while keeping the price to as low as possible. The result is a flagship class HiSilicon Kirin 810 System on a Chip (SoC) for starters. According to HONOR, the Kirin 810 is the most powerful single core SoC available in their smartphones. It even has what HUAWEI calls a DaVinci Neural Processing Unit, one of their most advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) programming.

Thanks to a new 7nm construction too, the Kirin 810 comes with a powerful GPU which can be pushed even further with GPU Turbo 3.0. While that increases the heat produced dramatically, you might not feel it all that much in your palm thanks to a highly efficient liquid-cooling copper pipeline embedded in the svelte device.

Source: HONOR

The SoC is paired to 6GB of RAM for smooth multitasking or even gaming. 6GB is also what most flagships will come with for RAM. Even storage is not being compromised with a super fast 256GB UFS 2.1 storage module. With all that power, you really want a big battery; 4,000mAh big for this one.

Out the back are three cameras you can appreciate. The main shooter is a 48-Megapixel shooter flanked on both sides by a 2-Megapixel depth sensor for that tight Bokeh portraits, and an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide angle shooter. Who needs a telephoto lens when you have 48-Megapixel to work with.

The super high resolution photos is channeled to the large 6.59-inch FullView display with no compromises. That means the 16-Megapixel front-facing camera is hidden away in a motorised pop-up mechanism. Of course, the whole device is wrapped in 3D glass. The front is a Gorilla Glass, quite obviously and the back still features the signature X pattern.

  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR

The HONOR 9X Pro is powered by HONOR’s Magic UI 3.0.1 based on Android 10. You get the HUAWEI App Gallery instead of Google’s Play Store though. That also means that this is a HUAWEI Mobile Services device instead of Google’s official Mobile Services device. Still, at least it is a familiar User Interface (UI).

The HONOR 9X Pro will be available in Malaysia and other selected markets from March 2020 onward. The price was announced to be EU€ 249 for the European market. That translates to about MYR 1,143 in Malaysia. There has been no official pricing attached to the device in Malaysia yet. we are looking at somewhere between the MYR 1,099 to MYR 1,199 range. We could be wrong though.

Computers, News

HONOR MagicBook Series Breaks Cover in Barcelona

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Mobile World Congress 2020 (MWC2020) has been cancelled and we are still mourning a little bit. That does not deter brands from launching some of their biggest mobile products of the year though. One of them is HONOR, a familiar name in the smartphone community.

Honestly, we are a fan of the brand with their value proposition. We loved then HONOR 8 and HONOR 9 when it came out. That was because we also agreed with HONOR that flagships should not cost an arm and a leg to own. Smartphones should be a fuss free experience with online marketplaces and great value proposition.

Over the years, the brand has come to more than just a smartphone maker. They are also now a smartwatch maker. For this year, they are also a PC manufacturer.

Source: HONOR

It does make sense, they do know how to make great devices at prices lower than what you can expect from brands like Samsung, for example. So what do they have up their sleeves for the world of notebook PCs? The MagicBook 14 and 15 is here.

Both pack the same things within the lightweight and thin body construction. The only differentiation between the two models are the screen sizes at 14-inch and 15-inch. Of course, different screens also means differing body sizes and slight difference in weight.

The MagicBook is powered by a powerful AMD Ryzen 5 3500U processor. That processor comes with an integrated Vega GPU, which is proven to be quite a performer as well. This means, at the right temperature, the AMD powered MagicBook could work its magic on video editing. To be sure of that though, HONOR fits the MagicBook with up to 8GB of dual-channel RAM for optimum memory usage. You might be able to upgrade that DDR4 module to even more RAM. Its 256GB SSD may not sound like plenty, but because it is SSD, the HONOR MagicBook should feel quick.

Source: HONOR

To top it all of, the 14-inch display is Rheinland certified and is coated with an anti-glare coating. That also helps you work in bright light environments without the lights firing back at you from the display. Keeping everything powered up and ready to get going is a 56Wh battery that is quoted for 10 hours of continuous battery life. It charges via a USB Type-C cable at up to 65W, very fast. Still there is more than just one USB Type-C port on the MagicBook. It also has a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port for maximum flexibility.

There is one interesting feature on the MagicBook that would really appeal to existing HONOR smartphone owners though. There is something called Magic Link. It works just like HUAWEI Share except for HONOR devices only. With Magic Link though, you can control your smartphone from the display of the MagicBook instead. That also means you can check your messages, reply emails, and open browser on your smartphone but on the notebook PC. The best part, you can just drag and drop files from and to the device without ever needing to connect a cable from the PC to the smartphone.

  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR

The HONOR MagicBook will be available March 2020 onward in selected markets; Malaysia not one of them yet. It will be priced at EU€ 599 in the launching markets. That is about approximately MYR 2,751. While that may not sound like much, we are expecting prices to be a little lower in Malaysia. How much, we do not know for sure yet. There will also be a 512GB storage version of the HONOR MagicBook 14 and 15 later on.

Android, Mobile, News

HONOR View30 Pro – Creator Grade Videos Made Possible

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HONOR launched a bunch of things this morning (Malaysia time). One of them is their highly anticipated HONOR View30 Pro flagship. The big surprise with it though is that it does not come with four cameras.

Source: HONOR

Since we are on that subject, the HONOR View30 Pro comes with an array of three cameras instead of the four that we are used to on its HUAWEI counterparts. There is the 40-Megapixel SuperSensing main cameram, which has been known to take superb photos on their own. Then there is the 8-Megapixel telephoto for to see even further out. The game changer for the View30 Pro though is the 12-Megapixel ultra-wide sensor that they call a Cine-Camera.

The Cine-Camera is a pretty normal ultra-wide sensor, if you look at it. The thing is though, it is not just a normal ultra-wide sensor. They packed it with a 5-axis EIS, not OIS mind you. That is enough to give you much smoother videos on the get go though. It records at 4K resolution with EIS helping to really stabilise the footage. You can shoot videos in two modes at a single time too. The DualView videography captures videos using both main lens and the ultra-wide lens.

Source: HONOR

There are some very big advantages to shooting videos in the 18mm ultra-wide lens that the HONOR View30 Pro boasts. For one, you get a bigger field of vision. Two you get to go closer to the subject and have a more cinematic vision of your videos. You capture more to tell your story and frame your story better. There are reasons why film makers like to use wide angle lenses you know. Beyond that, you can also use the cine-camera as a macro lens.

A powerful camera needs a powerful processor. That power comes in the form of the HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G ready System on a Chip (SoC). This also means that the HONOR View30 Pro is capable of 5G connectivity, wherever it is available of course.

The 5G speed and powerful SoC translates to super smooth and near instant experience you feel through the 6.57-inch FullView display boasting Full HD+ resolution. Speaking of display, the FullView display on the HONOR View30 Pro is a punch hole display with two cameras housed in the whole as selfie cameras. One is a 31-Megapixel shooter and the other is an 8-Megapixel ultra-wide shooter.

  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR
  • Source: HONOR

All Android 10 based Magic UI 3.0.1 goodness are topped off and powered by a 4,100 mAh battery. Keep in mind that this will come with HUAWEI Mobile Services, which also means you are not going to have official access to Google’s Play Store. Yes, you are not wrong 5G will indefinitely drain the battery faster. You can charge it even faster with 40W of fast charging though. Wirelessly, it can charge at 27W too, not what you call slow.

The HONOR View30 Pro looks set of being launched in three colours – Ocean Blue, Icelandic Frost, and Midnight Black. It will be available in selected markets in March 2020, just like the MagicBook. There is no official price that comes with it just yet though. They will announce it at a later date obviously, but if the HONOR View20 Pro was any indication, we are expecting the price to be in the low 2,000s or the high 1,000s in Malaysia. Until then. We can only patiently wait.

News

HUAWEI Mobile Services Teased For HONOR 9X Pro Global Launch

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The HONOR 9X Pro has already been lauched in the Chinese domestic market and was expected to make its international debut at MWC2020; Wait didn’t MWC 2020 get cancelled? Unfortunately, yes it has been officially cancelled due to safety concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 virus outbreak. 

Source: GSMArena

In light of these developments, HUAWEI and HONOR are going to be launching their products via a live stream. HONOR’s launching will be on February 24 at 6:30PM CET (11pm IST) with not one but two products. The live stream of their launch can be found on their Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and even on their global website. 

HONOR 9X Pro will be launched together with HONOR’s laptop, the MagicBook. Even though the HONOR 9X Pro is not a new phone, it is will be coming the latest HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS). This phone is also the first phone for HONOR to launch with HMS. 

The HUAWEI Mate 30 had a taste of HMS in countries such as Spain, Indonesia and Malaysia but the HONOR 9X Pro will feature a revamped version of the HMS. HUAWEI has been working tirelessly on the HMS ecosystem as it has to replace Google’s apps and services in hopes to keep existing users and hopefully attract new users too. 

The phone itself was released in August of 2019. The 9X Pro runs on the Kirin 810 processor which is touted to offer the ultimate gaming experience, backed up powerful performance. Even though the processor launched back in August, it has only just made its debut in HUAWEI’s line up with the launch of the Nova 7i.

Source: HONOR

Other than the phone, let’s not forget that they will also be launching the HONOR MagicBook that will also play its role in the while HMS ecosystem. Even though it will be in the HMS ecosystem, the MagicBook will be the first device by HONOR to run Windows 10.