It has been exactly a year since the launch of Honor 7. If you are waiting for its next iteration, Honor 8, your wait is over. Huawei launched Honor 8 at an event in New Delhi. What is the first trait you will be looking when buying a phone? Well, most of us look for aesthetics of a phone. If you are one of us, believe me, Honor 8 is the champion of looks.
With its eye-catching design, especially blue variant, you will definitely have a tough time in answering the questions about the phone to your friends. However, at the end of the day, looks alone are not sufficient to buy a phone but overall experience matters. In this article, I’m going to share our initial impression and gaming experience of Honor 8.
Honor 8 Specifications
| Key Specs | Honor 8 | |
| Display | 5.2-inch LTPS capacitive touchscreen | |
| Screen Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels (~423 ppi pixel density) | |
| Dimensions | 145.5 x 71 x 7.5 mm | |
| Weight | 153 g | |
| SIM Card type | Dual SIM | |
| OS | Emotion UI 4.1 based Android OS, v6.0. (Marshmallow), | |
|
Processor |
CPU
|
Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex A53) |
|
GPU
|
Mali-T880 MP4 | |
| Chipset | HiSilicon Kirin 950 | |
| Memory | 64GB, 4GB RAM | |
| Memory Card Slot | microSD, up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot | |
| Primary Camera | Dual 12 MP, f/2.2, laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash | |
| Video recording | 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps, 720p@120fps | |
| Secondary Camera | 8 MP, f/2.4 | |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes | |
| NFC | Yes | |
| USB | Type-C 1.0 | |
| Charging Technology | Smart Power 4.0: 47% in 30 min | |
| Battery | Li-Po 3000 mAh | |
| Colors | Pearl White, Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, Gold | |
| Price | 27,999 | |
Also Read: Huawei Honor 8 FAQ, Pros & Cons, User Queries and Answers
Honor 8 Unboxing
We didn’t get the retail package so there is no mention on pricing. The box has some trademarks like: Made in China, Manufactured by Huawei, support for DTS. Removing the cap, we have the phone resting on its side in a groove. As I said earlier, it is eye-pleasing with glass pannel and dual camera set up on the back. Keeping the phone aside, the box is divided into two compartments with upper part carrying a small box for leaflets and lower part carrying a box for accessories. Overall, it is a bit different unboxing experience.
Contents in the box are
- Honor Handset
- USB Type-C cable
- 2-pin quick charger (output 5V=2.0A)
- User Manual
- SIM ejection tool
- Warranty card
Honor 8 Physical Overview:
The design is a major overhaul considering the unappealing design of Honor 7. The dual glass panel design surprisingly resembles Galaxy S7 Edge. On top, it has a secondary noise cancellation microphone and IR blaster. Textured power button, and volume controls rest on the right side of the phone. It has speakers, USB-type C, and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom edge. Hybrid SIM card slot is present on the left side. On the rear end, it has a finger print sensor and dual camera that is flushed on to the surface. In a nutshell, it looks stunning and stands out from the crowd. Sorry, I cannot stop keep saying it.
Honor 8 Photo Gallery
Honor 8 Gaming Performance
I played two games Modern Combat 5 and Asphalt 8 Airborne on the Honor 8. It does a great job while playing intensive games at maximum settings; the game-play was very smooth in both the games. There was no sign of any lag, glitch or hiccup throughout the game.
In terms of multitasking, it was able to keep Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8, Temple run 2 in the memory, thanks to well managed 4GB RAM. In 20 minutes of gaming, battery dropped to 94% from 100%.
Honor 8 Performance and Benchmark Scores
Initially, I was dubious about the performance, as it is powered by in-house HiSilicon Kirin 950. But it has exceeded expectations in all the segments say app launching speed, multitasking, gaming performance, and battery life. 
Though the scores are not in par with Exynos 8890 or SD820, the performance in real world is top notch. It is no slouch compared to higher end SD820 powered phones.
Verdict
Though it may fall short on paper compared to its counterparts like Xiaomi Mi5, OnePlus 3, and Le MAX 2, Honor 8 has some unique qualities like dual camera setup, beautiful design, impeccable performance under its sleeves. At 29,999, you may feel it is bit overpriced but at-least you get reliable performance and better after sales service.
