Honor recently confirmed the upcoming disruptive launch of the MagicBook X14 Pro (2024) and X16 Pro (2024). According to reliable sources, these MagicBook laptops are expected to be released in the first week of April, priced at under 60K. They will be available for pre-order from 25th March 2024 with exciting offers.
Honor recently confirmed that the laptops will feature 13th-generation Intel Core i5 ‘H-series’ CPUs, coupled with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. The laptops are also said to come pre-installed with Windows 11 Home, and the Pro variants are packed with AI-powered noise cancellation, high-resolution stereo speakers, and full-sized backlit keyboards.
The laptops will also be powered by a 60Wh large-capacity battery for non-stop productivity for over 10 Hours of regular office use and 11.5 hours of local video playback. All these premium features will be made available for the masses of India at attractive price points, accompanied by various pre-order offers starting from 25th March for prospective buyers.
Honor, after the innovative launch of the MagicBook X14 and X16 laptops in 2023, is continuing to bring high-performance products as per the needs of Indian users. The upcoming lunches are a testament to Honor becoming a global iconic technology brand and creating a new intelligent world for everyone through its powerful products and services.
Design is an important factor that impacts your overall experience. The device has a sleek and modern look. Its slim profile and rounded edges make it comfortable to hold. Plus, it’s made from high-quality materials like glass and metal, giving it a sophisticated and elegant vibe.
One thing that stands out about the Honor X9b is its large 6.78-inch edge-to-edge display. It’s perfect for watching videos or playing games, and the minimal bezels make it feel really immersive. The camera module on the back is also really stylish, with a multi-camera setup that’s been carefully designed to look perfectly balanced. The Honor X9b review unit we received has a matte finish on the rear panel, which looks great and helps prevent fingerprints.
Of course, we all know that accidents happen. The Honor X9b has reinforced glass on both the front and back, like Corning Gorilla Glass, to protect against scratches and drops. The metal frame also adds extra toughness while making the phone feel even more premium.
PERFORMANCE
The Honor X9b delivers impressive performance, thanks to its powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Gen 3 processor. Both the software and hardware are optimized well. I have used it for a week now, and the X9b is able to effortlessly handle multitasking, gaming, and demanding applications with ease. Whether I’m streaming HD content, navigating through apps, or running intensive tasks, I haven’t noticed any significant lags. However, once I complete a quick task, the device lags a bit. Additionally, the device has advanced cooling technology that prevents it from overheating during prolonged usage sessions, ensuring consistent performance even under heavy workloads.
The camera user interface on the Honor X9b is easy to use. It includes modes like Pro mode, Panorama, Super Macro, High-Res, Time-Lapse, Multi-View video and Night mode. The rear camera produces 12MP output after pixel binning, while the front camera images are 16MP in size.
The Honor X9b has a new 108MP sensor that captures daylight shots beautifully. The dynamic range is better with auto HDR. The portrait mode is good, with accurate edge detection, and the 5MP ultra-wide camera is decent, but could have given a better pixel sensor.
The night mode is helpful but takes a few seconds to process. The 16MP front camera takes decent photos but performs best in good lighting conditions. The portrait shots are good as well.
The Honor X9b is a capable device when it comes to video recording. It can record videos at a maximum frame rate of 4K 30 fps, which is impressive. Additionally, it also supports slow-motion video recording at 720p resolution with a frame rate of 120fps. This means you can capture slow-motion footage with this device, perfect for capturing action shots or creating cinematic effects.
VERDICT
Overall, the Honor X9b is a mid-range smartphone with a stylish design, long battery life, and smooth visuals. However, its inconsistent camera performance, limited software features, and lack of additional functionalities may deter users that prioritize these features.
Honor has launched several new devices at the Mobile World Congress, including the flagship Honor Magic 6 Pro, the Honor MagicBook Pro 16 laptop, and the Honor Pad 9 tablet. Here are the details you need to know.
Honor Magic 6 Pro
Honor launched its latest smartphone, the Honor Magic 6 Pro, at the Mobile World Congress. The phone features the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
Here are some of the phone’s specifications: The Honor Magic 6 Pro boasts a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED display with a peak brightness of 5,000 nits and 4320Hz of PWM Dimming. Its glass is protected by NanoCrystal Shield, which is said to be 10 times more drop-resistant than regular glass. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with an Adreno graphics processor for all the graphics-intensive tasks. The smartphone comes with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It runs on the company’s proprietary MagicOS 8 custom skin based on the latest Android 14 operating system.
Regarding optics, the Honor Magic 6 Pro features a 50MP primary sensor with OIS, a 180MP periscope telephoto lens with 2.5x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide-angle lens. Additionally, a 50MP selfie shooter to the front handles all selfie and video call-related requirements.
The phone houses a 5,600mAh battery that can be fast charged via an 80W fast charger and a 66W wireless charger. The phone also supports 5W reverse wired charging.
The Honor Magic 6 Pro comes in two variants: 12GB RAM/512GB storage variant priced at 1299 Euros (approx ₹1,16,000) and 16GB RAM/1TB storage variant priced at 2699 Euros (approx ₹2,42,000).
Honor MagicBook Pro 16
Honor MagicBook Pro 16 laptop runs on the latest Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H with six performance cores, eight efficient cores, and two low-power efficient cores. It also has a GeForce RTX 40 series laptop GPU and runs on Windows 11. There is a 16-inch display with a 3072 x 1920 pixel resolution and up to 165Hz refresh rate.
The laptop also has AI features, including Smart Picture Search, Smart Document Summary, Text Comprehension, AI Subtitle, and Magic Text. Plus, it has six speakers – four woofers and two tweeters – making it the world’s first spatial audio laptop on a Windows-based PC. And if you’re worried about battery life, don’t be! The device is powered by a 75Wh battery, which gives you up to 12 hours of battery life, according to the company.
Honor Pad 9
Now, let’s talk about the Honor Pad 9 tablet. It’s equipped with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC processor, coupled with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The tablet runs on Android 13-based MagicOS 7.2 and has a 12.1-inch LCD display with a 2560 x 1600 resolution. It also has a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. The tablet has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, OTG, and a USB Type-C port for connectivity.
Excitement is building as Honor gears up for its highly anticipated flagship series, the Magic6. According to insider leaks, this upcoming lineup promises not one, not two, but three extraordinary phones—envisioned as the Vanilla, Pro, and Ultimate variants. Adding to the allure, there’s even a tantalizing possibility of a sleek Porsche Design edition, potentially giving the Ultimate a run for its money.
Diving into the details spilled by the leakster, each of these cutting-edge devices boasts a distinctive feature—an oval punch hole housing not one but two selfie cameras. Described as “middle size,” “large size,” and “extra large size,” the first two flaunt a chic circular camera island, while the largest variant flaunts a unique shape somewhere between a circle and a rectangle, drawing parallels to the iconic Magic5 Ultimate, yet shrouded in a bit of mystery.
Could this be the “new Porsche Design,” or are we in for a surprise with an entirely novel smartphone concept? For those unfamiliar, Porsche Design holds an esteemed pedigree, founded by the visionary behind the iconic Porsche 911 sports car of the ’60s. Already having left its mark in the mobile world with several BlackBerry smartphones, the design studio embarked on a game-changing seven-year collaboration with Huawei.
Honor is poised to take a giant leap forward in its journey from student to master. Already reigning supreme as the top smartphone company in China, the prospect of inheriting the Porsche Design partnership from its former owner is a bold stride, reinforcing Honor’s commitment to innovation and excellence in the world of cutting-edge mobile technology.
A couple of years back, Honor was one of the most innovative and emerging brands in India. Then, in 2020, due to geopolitical tensions, the sub-brand of Huawei left India, and now, after a three-year hiatus, they made a comeback to India with the launch of a new smartphone, the Honor 90.
Design
The highlight of the Honor 90 is its display, and it makes you think twice – is it really an Honor device? Yes, it’s damn good. After the display, the camera module will catch your attention as it is something unique but looks pathetic compared to the overall body language of the device. The design of the Honor 90 seems premium and feels like a feathery soft. It has regular offerings such as volume and power rockers on the right profile, a USB-C slot, a SIM slot and speakers at the bottom profile. The Honor 90 offers a curved body, and one can easily operate the device with one hand.
Display
The display of the Honor 90 is something beyond expectations. The 6.7-inch OLED display offers a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz and can get up to 1,600 nits bright to make your outdoor outings effortless. The sharp display of Honor 90 has a high resolution of 1200×2664 pixels, referred to as 1.5K. When it comes to the display resolutions, the Honor 90 unveils a remarkable feature that sets it apart from the rest. The device allows you to choose your preferred display resolution from a selection of flawlessly crafted options but also possesses the remarkable ability to adapt itself seamlessly.
The Honor 90 emerges as a star of technological brilliance, especially in the High Dynamic Range (HDR) segment. It boasts HDR10+ hardware support for its display, unlocking a world of visual splendour that is nothing short of cinematic. In terms of software, the Honor 90 flexes its decoding prowess with the ability to decipher HLG, HDR10, and the coveted HDR10+ formats, ensuring that your content is delivered with unprecedented clarity and vibrancy. Honor takes the battle against eye strain to a new level with a groundbreaking 3840Hz PWM dimming rate; it’s the Usain Bolt of dimming rates in the industry!
Camera
The Honor 90 boasts an impressive 200MP primary camera featuring the Samsung ISOCELL HP3 sensor. The sensor boasts a Tetra pixel arrangement, 0.56 µm pixels, and an expansive 1/1.4″ sensor size. Along with the sensor, it has a robust Quad Phase Detection AutoFocus (QPD PDAF), all tucked behind an f/1.9 lens. In optimal daylight conditions, the primary camera of the Honor 90 captures photos with accurate colours and respectable dynamic range, though it may not outshine the competition. However, when zooming in, you might notice a slight drop in fine details, but overall, it delivers photos well-suited for social media sharing.
The Honor 90’s camera delivers sub-par results in low-light scenarios. In low light, it tends to oversaturate images and struggles with colour accuracy. Accompanying the primary camera is a 12MP ultrawide lens with a wide 112-degree field of view and an f/2.2 aperture. Notably, the ultrawide lens supports autofocus, allowing it to double as a macro camera when needed. The 50MP selfie camera on the Honor 90 impressively captures selfies at 12.5MP resolution, delivering images with excellent detail and texture. It excels in rendering natural skin tones and exhibits competent colour reproduction, resulting in high-quality self-portraits. Besides the display, the selfie camera is the second-best feature on the Honor 90.
Performance
The Honor 90 graces us with Android 13 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset adorned in the finery of Honor’s exquisite MagicOS 7.1 skin. Yet, the tale takes a twist as we traverse the realm of updates and security. Honor only offers two major Android updates and a mere three years of security patches for the Honor 90. An offering that pales against the generous support bestowed by titans like Samsung and Google in this price echelon.
The shadow of Android 14 looms, casting uncertainty upon the Honor 90’s update journey, for the first of its two updates draws close, sooner than one would desire. Historically, the software domain has been Honor’s Achilles’ heel, and alas, the Honor 90 tracks a familiar path. But don’t let the familiarity deceive you; Honor sprinkles delightful surprises in the mix.
Thoughtful gestures dance before your fingertips, like the art of double-knocking to summon a screenshot or a screen recording. A side panel emerges with a sly swipe, unveiling the magic of windowed apps, letting you multitask with the grace of a magician. It’s a device that doesn’t just keep up with the times but almost dances ahead of them, inviting you to join in the celebration of innovation and sophistication.
Verdict
Honor 90 radiates to those who cherish uniqueness, solid battery life and demand nothing short of an exquisite screen. If your heart beats to the rhythm of unconventional design, and your soul craves a device that will accompany you from sunrise to sunset without faltering, then the Honor 90 is your destined companion. However, if your desires tread a different path, one that meanders through the hallowed halls of regular software updates and the promise of a perfect camera, you should look elsewhere.
