News & Reviews:   Huawei Honor

The entry-level to midrange smartphone market in Malaysia is quickly becoming crowded with quite a lot of choices for around RM600. While it isn't too difficult to find a smartphone within this price range with a phablet sized 5.5-inch display finding one that combines the best value with good build quality and attention to detail is still fairly hard. Our previous preview with the Honor 4X revealed that it could well be one of  these phones but in our full review below we make sure if the Honor 4X is really worthy of your money and attention so check it out below.

Rumours about the first 64-bit Huawei smartphone have popped up complete with a picture and tech specs. Called the Huawei G628, it offers a 64-bit 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, 5-inch 720p display, 8MP rear camera with LED flash, 2MP front camera, 3G LTE and Android 4.4 KitKat. It seems a bit strange that it won't come out with Android 5.0 Lollipop but our earlier coverage of the Huawei Honor 3C Lite led to some face to face time with Huawei officials who said that Android Lollipop would be coming to Huawei devices before or within Q2 of 2015. As usual, no Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but the Huawei G628 is expected to cost CNY1000 (RM573). As always, do take such rumours with a good pinch of salt.

Retailing at just RM399, the Huawei Honor 3C Lite offers nearly all the same tech specs and performance as the earlier released Honor 3C smartphone. We go hands-on to prove this with the Honor 3C Lite smartphone in our hands-on video below. Check it out for yourself as we take it for a spin with demanding apps like Asphalt 8:Airborne.

The Huawei Honor 3C Lite offers a number of big features at an even lower price of RM399 including an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3GHz quad-core processor. Offering the same looks and design, other tech specs like the 5-inch HD display are also retained. Thanks to Huawei Malaysia the Malaysian Honor team we managed to get some time with this value smartphone. Check out our unboxing video below for a look at what the Huawei Honor 3C Lite comes with.

Huawei has recently released a number of smartphones for their Honor range of smartphones aimed at the young and young at heart. However, it seems that these Huawei Honor smartphones like the Huawei Honor 6, Huawei Honor 6 Plus and Huawei Honor 3C Lite are now going to become known as just the Honor 6, Honor 6 Plus and Honor 3C Lite. This news comes direct from a source in Huawei itself saying that the Honor range of smartphones have evolved enough to warrant them following an entirely new and different direction than Huawei's usual range of devices. This also includes a new UI all targeted along their Honor tagling "For the Brave". It also explains why most of the newer Honor smartphones don't have any Huawei logos or branding at all. According to our sources, this will also mean more new Honor smartphones in 2015, one of which we're hoping will be the Honor 4x so stay tuned for more developments. Huawei will continue making smartphones and mobile devices but target the higher-end market. Rumours also indicate that Huawei and Honor smartphone users could get the Emotion UI 3.0 update in Q2 of 2015.

Despite already being available for pre-order at VMALL.my, Huawei Malaysia have officially launched their Honor 3C Lite smartphone recently in tandem with the FISE (Festival International Sports Extreme) world championship in Langkawi, Malaysia. For those not in the know, the FISE meet covers extreme sports including BMX bike riding, skateboarding, inline skates and other extreme sports with the world championships held in Langkawi recently. Sponsored by Huawei and spearheaded by Zach Catfish (who is himself a well-known BMX and extreme sportsman himself) the event saw usage of Huawei products like the TalkBand B1, Huawei Ascend Mate 7 and the aforementioned Honor 3C Lite. The Honor 3C Lite brings a number of tech specs and features to the Malaysian market including:

• 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB storage + up to 32GB microSD
• 5-inch IPS display (1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 294 ppi)
• 8MP rear camera (LED flash, autofocus, f/2.0 wide aperture, 5P optical lens) + 2MP front camera
• 72.3 x 142.2 x 9.4mm | 156g
• supports Dual SIM (3G + 2G), WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
• features AirSharing,
• 2000 mAh battery
• Android 4.4.2 + Huawei Emotion UI 2.0
• Available in black and white

Asides from the Huawei Honor 6 Plus, Huawei also announced the Huawei Honor 4x, a 5.5-inch display phablet priced from a very affordable $128 (RM450). Featuring tech specs that include a new 64-bit Kirin 620 processor, 1GB / 2GB RAM and a 5.5-inch display with 720p resolution, the Honor 4x looks a lot like the Huawei Honor 3C with thinner bezels. Other tech sepcs include a 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, NFC, 4G LTE connectivity and a 3000 mAh battery with Android 4.4 KitKat. While there are no Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet, the Honor 4x is being priced very agressively at $128 (RM450) for the 1GB RAM version and $161 (RM566) for the 2GB RAM version. Hopefully Huawei Malaysia bring it in soon but with the gift-giving holidays just next week, it could just as likely be released next year as this year.

A new variant of the Huawei Honor 4X was recently spotted on a retail website. This particular version will reportedly run on the company's new 64-bit octa core Kirin 620 processor. It will support 4G LTE networks. Other than the processor, the tech specs of the device are the same as the original Honor 4X. The phone comes with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution display, 1GB (lower-end)/ 2GB (high-end) RAM options, 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. It will come with Android 4.4 Kikat out of the box and a large 3000mAh capacity battery at the back. Judging from the pictures listed online, the Kirin 620 powered Honor 4X features the same flat design profile with round corners as the original Honor 4X. Apart from the traditional black and white colors, it is said that the phone will have a gold version too. According to the source, the 1GB version of the Honor 4X will retail for 799 Yuan (RM450) while the 2GB will cost 999 Yuan (RM562). Huawei is expected to release the new Honor 4X as well as the rumored Honor 6 Plus at a press event to be held on 16 December 2014.

U Mobile is currently offering the Huawei Honor 6 from as low as RM471. Granted, the retail pricing of the Honor 6 is just at RM999 but the addition of various U Mobile postpaid packages complete with voice and data makes this a pretty good deal. You can also trade-in your older smartphones for a rebate of up to RM750. You will have to sign up for a 24 month contract under the U58 and U88 postpaid plans but U Mobile are throwing in their no upfront payment option as well. To qualify for the no upfront payment offer you will have to sign up using the U88 plan, pay using a credit card and auto-debit the monthly payments. For more details, check out the table and links in this article.

If you are looking for a cheap smartphone, the new Huawei Honor 3C Lite is a great option. This affordable version of the Honor 3C will be available for pre-order starting 28 November 2014 from VMall.my. Starting from the above date, you can pre-order the device for just RM399 from the online store as opposed to its regular retail price of RM449. In addition, 10 lucky winners who buy the Honor 3C will get a free holiday trip to Langkawi. The pre-order starts at 10AM on the said date and ends at 6PM on 3 December 2014. The first batch of pre-orders will start shipping from 8 December 2014. Even though the Honor 3C Lite is much cheaper than the original Honor 3C, the tech specs remain more or less the same. You get a Quad Core 1.3GHz Mediatek processor, 5 inch 720p display and an 8MP rear camera like the Honor 3C model. However, the RAM is reduced to 1GB, as is the battery capacity from 2300 mAh to 2000 mAh. Surprisingly, Huawei has increased the onboard storage from 8GB to 16GB in this cheaper variant. The Honor 3C also comes with 6 months exchange warranty along with a 1 year Original Manufacturer warranty.