Deciding what phone to buy is never easy because there are so many choices at almost every price point.
And the latest contender in the budget category is the Honor 5C which boasts a full metal body, fingerprint sensor and motion co-processor for just under RM800.
And the latest contender in the budget category is the Honor 5C which boasts a full metal body, fingerprint sensor and motion co-processor for just under RM800.
The beautiful 5.2in screen is of the IPS (in-plane switching) variety, which has better viewing angles and colours – something not commonly found on a budget phone.
It has no physical buttons for navigation – instead you get virtual buttons that are configurable. You can reposition the back, home and review buttons to suit your style but lose out on tactile feedback.
Sharp shooter
Images taken with the 13-megapixel main camera turned out pretty good and sharp which is a surprise given that the Honor 5C is an affordable smartphone.
You just have to ensure your hands are steady as the camera lacks OIS (optical image stabilisation).
It also has many camera modes such as Pro photo and Pro video which give you manual control over exposure, white balance and ISO.
Other modes include Beauty (for souping up your selfies), Good Food, Slow-mo and Light Painting (long exposure mode for capturing light trails from cars).
The front-facing camera has also been improved – it’s 8 megapixels now and gets most things right but is still a little grainy.
Power play
The Honor 5C runs on Huawei’s latest in-house processor, the HiSilicon Kirin 650 octa-core. The processor was manufactured on 16nm process, which the company claims makes it more energy- efficient.
The smartphone could easily last a full day when it was used heavily for social media (such as accessing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and shooting photos, as well as casual gaming.
It also has a co-processor for tracking motion – this allows it to count the steps you have taken without impacting battery life much.
The only downside is the charging time. As it doesn’t feature fast charging, it take a little longer to charge.
The smartphone is also a capable gaming device – it was able to handle graphics-intensive games such as This War Of Mine, Dead Run and Need For Speed: Most Wanted without any performance issues.
Sadly, it doesn’t shine in the audio department – sound quality was below par for both games and music.
Android 6.0
The Honor 5C runs on the latest Android (Marshmallow) which offers better security and app management.
It’s also one of the first Honor smartphones to run on Huawei’s EMUI 4.1 user interface which has a few new cool features.
For instance, you can have hidden apps on the homescreen, which can be revealed by making a pinching-out motion.
A feature called Scrollshot allows you to take a screenshot of an entire webpage, even if it is longer than your screen.
The fingerprint sensor was very fast and accurate – it rarely failed to recognise our fingers and unlocked the smartphone almost instantaneously.
The sensor can also be used for navigation. You can, for example, use it for scrolling webpages and viewing your photo gallery which is handy.
Conclusion
The Honor 5C is a budget phone that offers more for less. For RM799, you are getting a smartphone that looks great, has a fingerpint sensor and decent cameras.
Even the battery life is great which is really important if you are planning to playPokemon Go when (and if) it arrives here.
Definitely a smartphone you should check out if you are looking for an affordable Android.
Pros: Excellent battery life; good performance; improved user interface; beautiful display; fast fingerprint sensor; decent cameras.
Cons: Lacks fast charging feature; so-so speakers.
Cons: Lacks fast charging feature; so-so speakers.
Honor 5C
(Huawei)
Android smartphone
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with EMUI 4.1
NETWORK: 4G LTE
DISPLAY: 5.2in (1,080 x 1,920 pixels)
PROCESSOR: Octa-core Kirin 650 (4 x 2.0GHz A53 + 4 x 1.7GHz A53)
CAMERA: 13 megapixels camera (rear); 8 megapixels (front)
MEMORY: 16GB internal memory
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
OTHER FEATURES: Fingerprint sensor
BATTERY: 3,000mAh lithium-ion
SIZE (W x D x H): 73.8 x 8.3 x 147.1mm
WEIGHT: 156g
PRICE: RM799 (inclusive of GST)
RATING: ★★★★✩
(Huawei)
Android smartphone
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with EMUI 4.1
NETWORK: 4G LTE
DISPLAY: 5.2in (1,080 x 1,920 pixels)
PROCESSOR: Octa-core Kirin 650 (4 x 2.0GHz A53 + 4 x 1.7GHz A53)
CAMERA: 13 megapixels camera (rear); 8 megapixels (front)
MEMORY: 16GB internal memory
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
OTHER FEATURES: Fingerprint sensor
BATTERY: 3,000mAh lithium-ion
SIZE (W x D x H): 73.8 x 8.3 x 147.1mm
WEIGHT: 156g
PRICE: RM799 (inclusive of GST)
RATING: ★★★★✩
Review unit courtesy of Honor Malaysia, 1800-22-3366
- LEE KAH LENG, The Star
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