Huawei Honor 8 Pro boasts two cameras, two-day battery life (hands-on)
It's got two 12-megapixel cameras, and a huge battery that Huawei says will last well over a day.
- Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
Looking for a new, unlocked Android 7.0 phone? With a big ol' battery? And two cameras on the back?
Add the Huawei Honor 8 Pro to your list. The unlocked 5.7-inch handset is an upper-midrange phone that comes with some impressive hardware specs. Its most compelling features: the dual-camera setup on the back and the 4,000mAh battery, which Huawei says will last more than a full day and closer to two.
It runs on Huawei's latest home-made octa-core processor, along with a hearty 6GB of RAM, and so far in our testing seems more than competent.
The big battery means the phone is chunky to hold, but the solid metal build makes it feel like one of the more premium devices Honor has launched. The navy-blue hue of our review model looks great, too, and the way the glass screen curves at the edge to meet the body is a nice touch. The fingerprint sensor on the back works well and you can swipe your finger over it to browse photos or bring up the notification panel.
In terms of images, the Honor 8 has a similar setup to Huawei's P10 -- one 12-megapixel sensor takes photos in colour, while the other shoots only in black and white. We really liked the artistic quality of the black and white shots on the P10 and while the P10's cameras have higher resolutions, we're hoping the Honor will deliver similarly satisfying results.
You can preorder the Honor 8 Pro on April 5 in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. It'll cost £475 or 549 euros, which converts to roughly $585 or AU$770, with no word yet on US or Australian availability.
Huawei Honor 8 Pro specs vs. Mate 9 Pro, P10, P10 Plus
| Huawei Honor 8 Pro | Huawei Mate 9 Pro | Huawei P10 | Huawei P10 Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 5.7-inch; 2,960x1,440 pixels | 5.5-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels | 5.1-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels | 5.5-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels |
| Pixel density | 515ppi | 534ppi | 431ppi | 534ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.2x3x.28 in | 6x3x0.3 in | TBA | TBA |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 157x77x7 mm | 152x75x7.5 mm | 145.3x69.3x6.98mm | 153.5x74.2x6.98mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 6.5 oz; 184 g | 5.96 oz; 169 g | TBA | TBA |
| Mobile software | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Camera | 2x 12-megapixel | 20-megapixel monochrome + 12-megapixel RGB | 20-megapixel monochrome + 12-megapixel RGB | 20-megapixel monochrome + 12-megapixel RGB |
| Front-facing camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4k |
| Processor | 2.4GHz (Huawei) Kirin octa-core processor | Huawei Kirin 960 2.4GHz octo-core | 2.5GHz + 1.8GHz octa-core Huawei Kirin 960 | 2.5GHz + 1.8GHz octa-core Huawei Kirin 960 |
| Storage | 64GB | 128GB | 64GB | 64GB |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Expandable storage | Up to 128GB | None | TBA | TBA |
| Battery | 4,000mAh | 4,000mAh (nonremovable) | 3,200mAh | 3,750mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Back | Home button | Home button | Home button |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Special features | Dual-camera | Dual camera; curved display; Daydream VR ready | Dual cameras, multiple color options and finishes, Gorilla Glass 5 | Dual cameras, multiple color options and finishes, Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Price off-contract (USD) | Converts to $585 | $680 (converted from Chinese price) | TBA | TBA |
| Price (GBP) | £475 | £550 (converted from Chinese price) | TBA | TBA |
| Price (AUD) | Converts to AU$770 | AU$930 (converted from Chinese price) | TBA | TBA |