On the left-hand side, you find the Sim slot and nothing else. The SIm slow has a spot for either two SIM cards and a SIM card and a micro USB card for expanded storage. On the right-hand side, you find the power button in the volume toggles.
The back and sides of the device are polished metal that looks and feels as gorgeous as it is solid. On the back, the Honor name is subtly embossed a third of the way from the top. The antennas are placed at the bottom and top and are all but unnoticeable unless you’re looking for them. The fact that the phone comes in blue – actually in a stunning metallic blue – doesn’t hurt. (It also comes in black but gets the blue. It’s gorgeous.)
At the bottom of the phone, you find USB-C charging port, a single speaker, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Yes, Honor kept 2.5 mm headphone jack. Good job!
The phone has a 5.99” display and a resolution of 1080 x 2160 for a pixel density of 403ppi. It’s a big screen and a beautiful screen although there are, obviously, higher-resolution screens available. (For comparison sake, the iPhone X has a resolution of 2436 x 1125 pixels for resolution of 458 PPI, the iPhone 8+ has a screen resolution of 1920×1080 for a pixel density of 401ppi and the Samsung Galaxy S9 resolution of 2960 x 1444 resolution of 529 PPI) So, of the four phones, the Honor has the lowest pixel density. And yet, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. When I look at the screen, I’m simply wowed. Despite what the numbers might suggest, it looks great Nd does not feel like any compromise.
The size of the phone is a bit of a surprise to me. Here’s why. If we compare it to some of the other popular phones on the market, the size looks pretty much in line with them.
Honor View10. 157 x 75 x 7 mm
iPhone X 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm
iPhone 8+ 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm
Samsung Galaxy S9 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm
I’ve found some larger phones unwieldy. (The iPhone 7+, for example, was simply uncomfortable to use.) This phone, however, has a 6” screen and yet it is comfortable to hold and use in a way the iPhone 7+ never way.
Digging around the phone, it is all but impossible to think of this phone as being half the price of the aforementioned premium devices. It seems to have everything. The battery life is excellent but, if need be, you can select from power saving mode or ultra power saving mode. For example, looking at the phone right now, I have 26% of the battery left. That will provide me with just under nine hours of use. If I go into power saving mode, I add at least an hour. If, however, I go into ultra power saving mode, the phone will give me a full day plus an additional 18 hours. That means if I were out and about and didn’t have the ability to charge the phone I could still be connected for almost two days. And that’s with just 26% of the battery capacity available.
The display has numerous settings as well. You can turn on “eye comfort” which filters out blue light and relieves visual fatigue. It gives the phone a bit of a warmer temperature, but this too can be adjusted. On the same page, you can select the screen resolution you want to use to save power. There is also “smart rotate” which allows the phone to rotate depending upon the direction of your face in relation to the device. It’s rather smart!
In settings, you can choose to use the Fingerprint ID, Face Unlock or both.
Under Smart Assistance, there are settings to allow you to use the phone one-handed. There are a variety of motion control options, and there’s the ability to use your voice to answer or reject a phone call. There’s also a gloves mode which allows you to use the phone when it’s cold so your hands can remain toasty warm. Of particular note is the ability to use your knuckle to wake the phone, go into split-screen more (yes, this phone can have two apps up at once!), launch apps by “spelling” a letter and select only part of the screen to capture.
Digging through all of the various settings on the phone makes it clear that this is a premium device at an accessible price.
Connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. It also includes IR Blaster hardware and software so the phone can replace your remotes. This may sound like a small thing, but I have to say since my phone is always next to me, using it as the tv remote makes a ton of sense.
I could go on and on about the phone, its features and the amazing array of various settings that allow you to make this a phone truly tailored to you but that would take forever. And that’s the point. The Honor View10 may be under $500, but it is as close to a no-compromise phone as I have seen. I’m impressed and bummed to be sending the review sample back. If you love Android and are in the market for a new phone do yourself a favor and check the Honor View10 out. You can learn more here.
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample on loan.
What I Like: Looks fantastic; Packs a ton of technology in an amazingly thin body; Screen is gorgeous; Has a 2.5mm headphone jack; Has an IR Blaster; Power chip, plenty of RAM, 128GB of ROM and Artificial Intelligence; Under $500
What Needs Improvement: Water resistance and wireless charging would be nice, but I understand the decision to leave them off
