The Indian market is getting a lot of love from Huawei, who has been recently launching new devices mainly for budget buyers, such as the Honor Play 4 or the Huawei Honor 6. The new Honor Holly has been priced at INR 6,999 (which is about $114) and is said to go on sale beginning October 16, which, by the way, among others, is the same day when the new iPads are said to be released.
The phone features a curved back, a 68% screen-to-body ratio, and high gloss coating on the back. The phone will compete with Xiaomi Redmi 1S, Asus Zenfone 4 and Motorola Moto E smartphones.
Huawei Honor Holly specifications
- 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD LTPS display
- 1.3GHz quad-core processor
- 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
- Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Emotion UI
- Dual SIM with dual standby
- 8MP rear camera with LED Flash, Samsung sensor
- 2MP front-facing camera, OmniVision sensor
- 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
- 2000 mAh battery
The Huawei Honor Holly comes with a 5 inch display but is lot lighter than many entry level phablets. It feels quite light but the glossy finish may not appeal to many. Due to the glossy finish, the phone attracts lot of smudges. But the thick side walls give a good grip. Like other entry level handsets, the Holly has a plastic body as well.
The back panel is removable but there is no dedicated groove to do so, hence you have to use the micro USB port to take it out. Inside the back panel lies the two SIM slots (one for 3G and the other for 2G) and the micro SD card slot. The 2000 mAh battery is removable too.
As far as keys and ports are concerned, the power button is just beside the volume rocker on the right hand side while the micro USB port is located at the bottom panel; the audio port (3.5 mm jack) is at the top. Below the display there are three touch tabs - Return, Home, Menu.
Camera and Internal Storage
Huawei is using an 8 MP rear camera coupled with LED flash and a 2 MP basic front shooter. The rear camera unit has been sourced from Samsung while the front camera has OmniVision branding. The rear camera performance in low light however sturggled with detail in Initial testing. The camera however managed good details and colours in good lighting. It is still an above average 8 MP shooter based on our initial testing.
Internal storage is 16 GB, out of which 13 GB is available at user end. This is the most you can get in this price range as of now. There is option for MicroSD expansion as well.
Battery
The Huawei Honor Holly has a 2000 mAh Li-Ion battery which is removable. For a 5 inch phone, a 2000 mAh battery is quite normal these days. The battery is removable thus can be replaced in case something goes wrong. Huawei is offering a 1A charger, most smartphones come with 1A charger only, with the Holly. It takes around two hour to get the phone completely charged.
As far as battery back up is concerned, the Huawei Honory Holly can stay for around a day if your usage is limited to few calls and few minutes of music listening and internet surfing. But heavy users would have to keep the charger handy while with average use, the phone can last for about 10 hours. To be specific, the Huawei Honory Holly consumes about 15 per cent charge in half an hour gaming with full brightness and medium volume. In WiFi browsing (YouTube videos) it consumes about 30 per cent charge in half an hour charging. So you could now calculate how long it would last depending on your usage.
Display and Other Features
The Display used is 5 inches in size with 720p HD resolution. The LTPS display offers great viewing angles and decent colors, quite impressive for the corresponding price tag. There is no Gorilla Glass protection on top.
Operating system is Android KitKat with Huawei’s Emotion UI layered on top. Like most other Chinese ROMs, this one is missing app drawer by default. Of course, you can always download third party app launchers from play store. The interface is simple to use and rich in options.
The Huawei Holly will compete against such device as Xiaomi Redmi 1S, Asus Zenfone 4.5, Moto E and the Android One smartphones. Huawei is one of the most aggressive companies to attack the low-end segment of the market and with news that even OnePlus will be coming to India, it will be an interesting fight to observe.