GSMArena.com GSMArena.com

Tip us

1.7m
126k
RSS

EV

Merch

Log in

Login

I forgot my password
Sign up
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Featured
  • Phone Finder
  • Deals
  • MerchNew
  • Coverage
  • Contact
ADVERTISEMENTS
GSMArena team, 31 July 2015

Rags to riches


Huawei Honor 7 review: Rags to riches

  • Comments (69)
  • User reviews
  • Honor 7

2. Hardware overview
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Hardware overview
  3. 3. Display, battery life, connectivity
  4. 4. Software overview
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Telephony, messaging, text input
  7. 7. Multimedia, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera, image quality, video recording
  9. 9. Web browser, other apps
  10. 10. Conclusion
  11.  
  12. Honor 7 specification
  13. User opinions and reviews
  14. Review comments (69)

Huawei Android

Huawei Honor 7 360-degree view

The Huawei Honor 7 measures 143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5mm and weighs in at 157g. This is just 2mm thicker than the recently released P8 and 13g heavier. The Honor 7 is by no means inferior in terms of build and finish - the only thing that suggests a lower spot in the pecking order is the screen bezel - there's more of it here but by no means a deal-breaker.

Design and build quality

In the Honor 7, Huawei opted for a new take on the Honor series, ditching the dual-glass package in favor of an alloy unibody. This surely has put some extra weight on the new Honor, but it has provided for great grip and quite possibly, durability. And that's a fair deal we guess.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
Huawei Honor 7

Most of the Huawei Honor 7's front is occupied by the 5.2" 1080p IPS display. Upon a closer look though, the front LED flash is sure to get your attention. The Honor 7 is a selfie-centric device and both its camera hardware and software mean business.

Subtle but noticeable strips at the very top and bottom of the Honor 7's back mark the device's antennae and are therefore not made of metal. They are made of textured plastic instead, but are by no means an eyesore.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
Huawei Honor 7 at the back

The Honor 7's back looks a lot like the Mate7's - the familiar fingerprint sensor just below a prominent camera lens. Huawei found a way to use the sensor in a much better way than Apple and Samsung. It works even when the screen is off - a gentle touch is enough to instantly unlock it. The sensor is also used for various system-wide gestures, which don't involve fingerprint recognition. You can pull the notification center up an down, take pictures, answer calls, among other options.

The phone is notable for its great build and grip, which is a huge improvement over the Honor 6. While it maybe a little thicker and heavier, it is by no means bulky and the look and feel of steel is worth it. The phone can be easily controlled single-handedly, especially if you enable the one-hand operation gestures.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
Handling the Huawei Honor 7

Finally, smudges are a non-issue on a brushed metal smartphone like the Honor 7.

Controls

Above the 5.2" screen we find a couple of sensors, the 8MP selfie cam, the earpiece and an LED flash. The opposite panel has the 20MP main camera lens under a piece of sapphire glass, a dual-LED dual-tone flash and the fingerprint scanner.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
Huawei Honor 7 front and rear

The top of the Honor 7 has the 3.5mm audio jack, the noise-cancelling mic and the IR blaster. The microUSB port is at the bottom, flanked by the loudspeaker and primary mic grilles.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
The top and bottom of the Honor 7

The volume rocker and the power/lock key are on the right of the Honor 7. The left side of the device hosts the ejectable tray for a dual nanoSIM or a nanoSIM/microSD card setup. The hardware Smart Key is also on the left - you can configure its functionality in the phone's Settings.

Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7 Huawei Honor 7
A peek at the right and left sides of the Honor 7

Next Page » 3. Display, battery life, connectivity
2. Hardware overview
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Hardware overview
  3. 3. Display, battery life, connectivity
  4. 4. Software overview
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Telephony, messaging, text input
  7. 7. Multimedia, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera, image quality, video recording
  9. 9. Web browser, other apps
  10. 10. Conclusion
  11.  
  12. Honor 7 specification
  13. User opinions and reviews
  14. Review comments (69)

Reviews Huawei Honor 7 reviewPage 2
  • Comments (69)
  • User reviews
  • Honor 7

Phone finder

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Huawei
  • Nokia
  • Sony
  • LG
  • HTC
  • Motorola
  • Lenovo
  • Xiaomi
  • Google
  • Honor
  • Oppo
  • Realme
  • OnePlus
  • vivo
  • Meizu
  • BlackBerry
  • Asus
  • Alcatel
  • ZTE
  • Microsoft
  • Vodafone
  • Energizer
  • Cat
  • Sharp
  • Micromax
  • Infinix
  • Ulefone
  • Tecno
  • Doogee
  • Blackview
  • Cubot
  • Itel
  • TCL
  • Panasonic

All brands Rumor mill

ADVERTISEMENTS

Related articles

  • Teardown video shows the Huawei Mate 60 Pro components that shouldn't be there
  • Huawei is launching MatePad Pro 13.2 on September 25
  • Huawei Mate 60 Pro drop test shows that the 2nd gen Kunlun glass is quite tough
  • Huawei Freebuds Pro 3, MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte Edition and Eyewear 2 debut
ADVERTISEMENTS

Popular reviews

OnePlus 11 long-term review
OnePlus 11 long-term review
vivo V29 review
vivo V29 review
Sony Xperia 5 V review
Sony Xperia 5 V review

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Lexus EV Concept on the horizon Lexus EV Concept on the horizon Hyundai entices US buyers with complimentary chargers for Ioniq and Kona EVsVW Group to sell Bugatti and Rimac vehicles in the US
ADVERTISEMENTS

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram

© 2000-2023 GSMArena.com Mobile version Android app Tools Contact us Merch store Privacy Terms of use Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data