Huawei’s Honor 8 is an eye-catching Samsung Galaxy alternative

While in NY last week, Zhao explained that the company was especially focused on building a phone that caters to millennials’ mobile phone habits, from the way they watch sports and movies and listen to music, to share photos with friends.

But Huawei faces tough competition in the US, specifically from Samsung’s Galaxy S7, which the Honor 8 most closely resembles.

Look out, Samsung. The Huawei Honor 8 ($399.99 for 32GB, $449.99 for 64GB) is here to show that not only can affordable phones match their high-end counterparts in power, they can look every bit as good (if not better) while doing so. The back of the phone is made of glass, with a finish that creates an iridescent effect across its body as the light hits it from different angles; it’s one of the most stunning designs we’ve seen in some time. The phone comes with a three-month warranty for glass (on top of a standard one-year warranty for other defects), so at the very least you can enjoy it for three months case free.

The Honor 8 also features USB Type-C, a battery measured in at 3000mAh with QuickCharge 2.0, a fingerprint reader on the back, and it will be offered in Pearl White, Sapphire Blue, and Midnight Black.

It weighs about the same as the Galaxy S7 at 5.4 ounces (153 grams), so it’s a solid option for someone who wants a slightly larger screen without the bulk.

Huawei is not backing down from the United States market.

The camera comes with multiple modes, including “Ultra Snapshot”, which allows a user to quickly take a photo when the phone is locked.

When CNNMoney put a test device to charge, it took that amount of time to take it from 63% to 94%. Speaking of which, you can use the phone’s second SIM card slot as the microSD card slot, as the device ships with a hybrid dual SIM setup. Samsung allows for double that expansion size to 256 GB.

The Honor 8 will be sold on Honor’s US website as well as at Amazon, B&H Photo Video, Best Buy, and Newegg.

The Honor 8 runs Android Marshmallow with Huawei Emotion UI, the company’s customized version of the Android base operating system. It will come unlocked and should work on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile.

Advertisement

Of course, this phone is all about the dual cameras.