Hello everyone!
I've been using the Honor 20 for a couple of months now, and I've gotta say, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I've had some major issues with this phone, and I thought it was time to share my honest review.
I'm not exactly the type to jump on the latest and greatest gadgets. My old phone was serving me just fine - it was small, took great daytime photos, and had an IPS screen. But I wanted a phone that could take decent nighttime photos, too. I did some research and the Honor 20 seemed to fit the bill - it's great for taking photos, browsing the internet, and making calls. I don't play games, but I did test it out, and it handled even the most demanding games without any issues. The performance was top-notch, and I never had any problems with any of the apps.
The phone itself is really nice-looking and easy to hold. The IPS screen is a big plus, too. I was a bit worried about the camera hole in the screen at first, but it's actually a really great design choice. It allows for a bigger screen without any annoying bezels, and it doesn't distract me at all.
The fingerprint scanner on the side is super convenient and always works quickly. The phone has a huge amount of internal storage, which is more than enough for all my apps and photos and videos.
Notification indicator is located behind the grille at the top. I didn't notice any issues with seeing notifications, and everything is very convenient for me.
No 3.5mm jack for headphones, but there's a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the package. For me, that wasn't a minus, but it might be a significant minus for someone else.
Single dynamic speaker that's not very loud. When I played music or watched series, the volume was always at maximum, and it wasn't loud enough. On my old phone, the sound was significantly louder.
When someone calls, a small circle (with the caller's photo) lights up on the screen. That really gets on my nerves, because I want a normal full-screen image, not a tiny circle where you can barely see anything. And that bug isn't fixed with updates... Plus, there's no call recording feature, which is really inconvenient... I record a lot of calls for work, when I don't want to take notes or can't write them down. With this phone, I need to always have a pen and notebook handy.
Battery is 3750mAh, which is pretty small for a phone like this. I charged it once a day, and that's with the phone being new and me not playing games on it much. Charging time to 100% is around 1.5 hours. No wireless charging - that's a minus for many people.
xa0
Now, about the cameras! That's exactly why I bought this phone. And I have mixed feelings about the camera - it's nice, but somehow it's always not quite what I want from a phone with such great reviews.
Front-facing 32MP camera. I'm not exactly a selfie enthusiast, but I do indulge every now and then. The thing is, the photos were pretty disappointing. Rarely did I get anything decent. Faces looked lifeless, with weird coloring. And don't even get me started on low-light shots – everything was just a blurry mess. I didn't mind selfies before, but with this phone, I've genuinely lost interest.
The main camera! What immediately caught my attention was how the camera protrudes from the back of the phone. But that's easily fixed with a case, which, unfortunately, only collects dust and dirt. I did read that the rear camera is prone to scratches, so I slapped on a protective film right after I got the phone.
I've got four and five cameras on the front, and there are plenty of different modes to choose from. There's slow-motion and fast-motion recording. But, let's be real, having a lot of options doesn't always translate to better quality.
The AI feature is a game-changer, though. It genuinely improves photo quality by stabilizing the image and recognizing the scene (with a nice little caption on the screen to boot – 'sky', 'food', 'animals', 'flowers', etc.). It's a pretty cool feature, and it really makes a difference.
The main camera is 48MP.
Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 облачно, день, мало света
Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 ярким днём Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 vs Xiaomi MI 5 закат
Honor 20 bright sunny day Honor 20 bright sunny dayNow, if you're shooting outside on a well-lit day, the photos aren't half bad. But food photography? That's a whole different story. The colors are dull and unimpressive – they just don't pop like they do in real life. I mean, have you ever seen a pancake that's actually yellow? On the Honor 20, they're more like a dull grey-brown.
Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI 5These photos really highlight the dullness of the Honor 20's camera.
Honor 20 vs Xiaomi MI 5 in a well-lit indoor setting
Honor 20 vs Xiaomi MI 5 in a well-lit room Honor 20 vs Xiaomi MI 5 in a well-lit roomWhen I'm snapping pics of people, pets, or objects, the background automatically blurs out and it looks super cool. But not every time do I want that blurred background...
Honor 20 on a sunny day Honor 20 on a sunny dayThe 16MP ultra-wide-angle camera takes some really fun shots. It's one of those times when you want to cram as much as possible into the frame and capture all the amazing views around you.
The 2MP macro camera for snapping close-up shots of objects is a game-changer. I found it works best when you're about 4cm away from the subject - the results are super clear and impressive!
Honor 20 macro Honor 20 macro Honor 20 macro Honor 20 macro Honor 20 macro Nighttime shooting is actually pretty great, as long as you don't shake the camera - the shots are clear and excellent for nighttime.
Honor 20 in the city at night
Honor 20 in complete darkness
Honor 20 VS Xiaomi MI5 в полной темноте Honor 20 ночьBut here's the thing – most of the photos from this phone are a letdown. They're just so dull and grey. I'm not asking for super bright, unnatural-looking photos, but these ones are just a bit too much. They look like they're made of plastic. The only time I get decent, vibrant photos is when there's great lighting, but let's be real – that's not always the case. I found myself relying on my old phone to take photos, which is just not ideal. I mean, I've got a brand new phone that's basically a flagship, and I'm still using a five-year-old model.
Video. Let's just say I wasn't exactly thrilled about taking videos with this phone. The lack of stabilization makes them look terrible. I've got two kids, and I love taking videos of them, but with this phone, I managed to take only a handful of decent videos in two months. And if I'm driving and trying to record, it's a whole different story – the video is either shaky or completely blurred. Even watching the videos on my phone is a letdown, but on my laptop, they're just a mess. I guess that's what happens when you're trying to capture memories of your little ones.
xa0
So, after two months, I ended up selling the phone! That's because I needed a camera with good quality, but unfortunately, this phone didn't deliver. Otherwise, I didn't have any complaints about it.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, to be honest. It's up to you to decide what's most important. For me, I just needed a phone for making calls, browsing the internet, and taking decent photos. And I wanted it to be affordable, without breaking the bank. And, well, the phone met all those criteria, except for the camera.