▷Honor View 20 review: how is Honor's new top of the range? 🥇

The first flagship of 2019 is Honor View 20, a device that not only focuses a lot on aesthetics, as evidenced by the absence of the notch and the peculiar back cover, but which wants to amaze with a 48 megapixel sensor. Will all this be enough to promote it?

Honor View 20: the technical sheet

Before going into the review of this very interesting top of the range, let's see its features.

Dimensions: 156.9 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 180 g
Display: 6,4″ IPS LCD – 1080 x 2310 pixel
CPU: Kirin HiSilicon 980
GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
RAM: 6 / 8 GB
Memory: 128/256 GB - expandable via microSD
Network: 4G LTE – Dual SIM
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.1 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, GPS, NFC, jack da 3.5 mm
Battery: 4000 mAh
Rear camera: 48 MP
Front Camera: 25 MP
Videos: 4K @ 30 fps
Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie with Magic UI 2.0.1

Character for sale

From a purely aesthetic point of view, Honor smartphones have always had an edge and this View 20 is no exception. In a world made of black, monotonous and incredibly similar devices, the Chinese manufacturer not only offers absolutely eye-catching colors but also special effects. The latest flagship of the Chinese company looks like this with a particular V-shaped effect, obtained through nanolithography, which makes the smartphone absolutely recognizable. I loved it but, I warn you, it is not for everyone: either you love it right away or you will hate it to death.

Accompanying the splendid back cover we find perfectly rounded edges and, in general, an ergonomic device that results incredibly pleasant in everyday use. The frame is then made of metal, houses the on / off button and the volume rocker on the right, the 3,5 headphone jack and the infrared sensor on the top and the SIM and microSD slot on the left. Finally, the lower part is dedicated to the mono speaker and the USB Type-C input.

The rear body houses the lightning-fast fingerprint reader, a reader which, however, I used very little, preferring the very fast facial recognition.

Finally we come to the 6,4 inch IPS LCD display, with FullHD + resolution, good brightness and, above all, the much talked about hole. I know, at this point you are wondering: is it better or worse than the now overused notch? Personally I found it far superior. In fact, the small hole becomes almost invisible, it hardly disturbs your activities and does not reduce the space dedicated to notifications. In short, between the two it is undoubtedly the best solution, the one that I hope to find on all the next smartphones.

Fluid and snappy

The performance of Honor View 20 is a true top of the range: the Kirin 980 processor, with the 8 GB of RAM and the 256 GB of internal memory of our version, make it the perfect companion for any occasion. You can work, play, get inundated with calls and texts but he won't give up.

We can say the same thing about the battery: the 4000 mAh of View 20 allow you to arrive peacefully at the end of the day even with intense use. And if you don't mistreat it, you could easily cover even a couple of days. The only flaw: given the price, 699,90 €, and the positioning I would have expected wireless charging but never mind, there is always support for fast charging.

Then the connectivity is good, the speaker has been promoted - even if you will often cover it with your hand - and the USB-C 3.1 video output that allows it to have the desktop mode already seen on Mate 20.

Finally we come to the software, based on Android 9 Piee enriched by the MagicUI 2.0.1, a new name that actually hides the same advantages and flaws as the EMUI. Aesthetically, I didn't particularly appreciate it, but it brings with it very useful features such as one-handed mode and gestures. In short, the interface is comfortable, very fluid but a redesign would be welcome.

Doubts and perplexities

Normally it takes me a few shots to understand if the camera of a smartphone convinces me or not. With Honor View 20, however, things went differently. On paper, in fact, the new Asian smartphone seems to have all the credentials: 48 megapixel rear sensor, aperture F / 1.8 and artificial intelligence. In short, everything would seem perfect. The problem is that the photos will not be exactly what you expected. Shooting at 48 megapixels with the AI Ultra Clarity mode we get photos from 8000 × 6000 pixels which reach 18 megapixels, a number that will make you thank you for having such a large memory. Of course the problem is not the size, but the fact that the result is fluctuating: you go from very convincing shots to discreet and not very surprising photos. Obviously, the fault is not the sensor, but the optimization. With a little more effort, better results could be achieved.

The situation changes a bit by shooting at 12 megapixels: take advantage of the Sony IMX586, but you have lighter images and all the optimizations based on the more traditional artificial intelligence.

I would have preferred one later night mode equal to that of Mate 20 Pro. In short, Huawei - and consequently Honor - has the necessary technology, so why not use it? Clearly this does not mean that the shots in the dark are horrible, quite the opposite. The photographs are however above average.

Finally, the front camera is good 25 megapixel which allows you to take good selfies without leaving you speechless.

Honor View 20: buy it or not buy it?

Honor View 20 is unquestionably an excellent smartphone, a device that combines power and elegance and which is really pleasant in everyday use.

Of course, there is some perplexity, starting with the camera, which could give more but does not, to get to the lack of wireless charging and above all waterproofing. Finally we have the price. Justified by virtue of what the device offers but really high compared to its predecessors. But I'd like to break a lance in favor of cost and the company: it's not just Honor's fault. Sure, they could have marketed the 6GB / 128GB version to help fans save, but it's also true that the price in Italy has risen a lot due to the usual taxes.

Don't panic though: Amazon could always come your way.