Huawei Honor V10

Can’t afford flagship prices but still want a high-end experience? Huawei hopes to fill that need with the Honor V10.

Does it check all the boxes? Read below to find out!

At a glance, the V10’s—also known as the View 10—rounded edges and beveled sides don’t stray too far from the typical designs we’re seeing in 2018. However, rather than a glass back, Huawei opted for aluminum. This gave it a more “mid-range” and “industrial” feel according to reviewers.

Unlike many other flagship smartphones, you won’t find an IP certification on the V10. So it’s not waterproof or resistant.

Despite its large screen, many critics were surprised with how comfortable it was in-hand. This is due in part to the thin side bezels. There still is a large bottom bezel, but this is where Huawei houses their fingerprint scanner.

The phone measures 2.95 inches wide with a thickness of 0.28 inches. Many wanted the phone to be slightly thicker as the rear camera’s dual lenses protruded too much and would catch on their pockets.

Although Huawei touts that the screen is a full 6-inches, The View 10 is just shy of that—measuring 5.99 inches. Still, you won’t notice unless you put it up against a ruler.

The LCD panel offers a Full HD resolution of 2160-by-1080p. Experts were happy with the sharpness of the display. But when compared to its direct competitor—the OnePlus 5T—they noticed the View 10 had less contrast and that colors weren’t as rich.

With that said, they were much happier with the crisp whites, overall brightness, and great viewing angles. And, while not as colorful as the OnePlus 5T, they found color accuracy and vibrancy excellent.

Like the Mate 10 Pro, the View 10 comes equipped with the Kirin 970 octa-core processor. In benchmark tests, experts report it was slightly slower than the Snapdragon 835. However, when compared in real life situations, they noticed no difference in speed. Whether reviewers were navigating the home screen, opening apps or playing games, they didn’t notice any stutter or lag.

Due to how thin the phone is, Huawei had to sacrifice somewhere. Turns out, the battery was one of those sacrifices, with a capacity of only 3750mAh. Despite this, reviewers could get around a full day’s worth of use from a single charge. And with quick-charging capabilities, they could go from 0 to full in just over 2 hours.

Apple might have been the leader in smartphone cameras a few years ago, but now almost every company is vying for that title—including Huawei. Like others, it uses a dual-lens system: a 16MP color sensor and 20MP black and white sensor. The black and white sensor captures fine detail and contrast while the color lens takes care of the rest.

Reviewers found the camera easy and fun to use. It focused quickly and worked well in a variety of lighting situations.

Despite its high megapixel count, they were surprised to find images weren’t as sharp as they wanted—especially when taking macro photos or zooming in on a subject. Auto exposure was also hit-or-miss depending on the overall lighting in the scene.

As there is no optical image stabilization, they do not recommend this for night time or low light shooting. Most of their shots were ruined by camera shake.

While the Honor View 10 has some drawbacks, most reviewers still recommend it for people looking for a flagship quality phone at a lower price. TechRadar states, “[The V10] is good and fun to use, and just about every other aspect of the phone is good or great.” Ubergizmo adds, “Overall the Honor View 10 delivers impressive performance in a beautifully designed package that is slim and elegant.”