Review of Huawei Honor 5A – another inexpensive smartphone with good content. Interestingly, there is a front-facing flash and a customizable smart button. In typical Huawei fashion, the device is sold under different names. For example, the Y6 II Compact is presented on the European market. There is a purely Asian version - Honor Play 5. The only difference is Play 5 in the location of the noise-canceling microphone and flashing LED lights.
At the time of writing the Huawei Honor 5A review, the official price of the smartphone is $143. In this price segment there has been serious competition between manufacturers from China for a long time. It remains to be seen what place Honor 5A will receive in this fight for customer attention.
Appearance and connectors
A classic-shaped smartphone housed in a plastic shell. Available in black, white and gold colors. There are no touch buttons below the screen, as the controls are built into the OS interface.
The back panel is removable and pleasant, thanks to the pattern of intersecting lines.
Under the cover there are separate slots for a SIM card and a USB flash drive. There is a removable battery. Buttons for controlling mode and volume are on the right edge.
On the left side is a smart button for Easy Key. Its purpose and capabilities will be discussed later.
The bottom grille houses the main speaker with a microphone and a MicroUSB connector.
At the top end there is a jack for connecting a 3.5 mm headset.
Huawei Honor 5A
New smartphones continue to arrive on the Asian mobile device market continuously. This time it’s the turn of Huawei, which is increasingly consolidating its position among top-level manufacturers. Huawei Honor 5A is the name of the new branded mid-level smart offspring, the body of which is made in the plastic tradition. Its color can be chosen between black, white, gold, yellow, pink and blue. The smartphone will replace last year's Huawei Honor 4A and will compete for a place in the palm of the consumer, for example, with UMI Rome and with niche smartphones from Xiaomi and Meizu.
Concept
The model does not contain anything unusual, but the overall concept is very harmonious, including external data. The presence of thin frames around the display adds visual pleasure. But the internal content provides for some variations due to the presence of two modifications of the version equipped with different eight-core processors: Kirin 620 (1.2 GHz) and Snapdragon 617 (1.5 GHz).
Working basis
The control function in Huawei Honor 5A is assigned to OS Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the native Emotion UI 4.1 shell. The model based on the Kirin 620 chipset is complemented by a Mali 450 graphics accelerator and is equipped with 2 GB of RAM. In turn, the device on Snapdragon 617 with Adreno 405 has RAM with identical capabilities. The phones are also completely equal in terms of the parameters of the built-in storage modules, the volume of which is 16 GB. For “storing” media content, a microSD with 256 or less gigabytes of reserve is provided. Devices with such potential have some difficulty, but they cope with a whole range of fairly heavy gaming applications.
What is the highlight of the device?
The IPS screen size of 5.5 inches with a resolution of 1280x720p elevates the device to the rank of phablets. The base camera with the top left corner location received a 13 megapixel module with LED flash, while the front camera is equipped with an 8 megapixel matrix. The relatively inexpensive device is distinguished by the presence of an NFC chip and support for LTE and VoLTE networks. It is VoLTE technology that allows you to make calls without interrupting access to 4G and enjoy the connection speed and quality of communication.
Traditions of the Celestial Empire
According to the old Chinese and almost always observed tradition, the phone is equipped with a hybrid slot that can accommodate not one, but a pair of SIM cards. As for a mid-level device, the battery capacity of 3000 and 3100 mAh in different modifications gives optimism. Some tests show that the battery will definitely withstand 7-8 hours of normal load. In terms of thinness, the phablet also shows an average figure of 8.45 mm with a weight of 168 g.
It is known that in the Chinese market the Huawei Honor 5A model will be sold at a price of about $120.
CPU
The “heart” of the hardware is the MediaTek MT6735C. Its 4 Cortex-A53 cores can operate at up to 1.3 GHz. There is a Mali-T720 graphics chip. A budget solution that does not interfere with the smartphone's vigorous navigation through the menu and demonstrates good performance for standard and daily loads. You can also play demanding 3D games. It’s just that the quality of graphics will lag behind the level of more productive hardware.
In the Antuco test, the device scores a little more than 33 thousand points. In case of intense and prolonged overheating, the operation of the phone is not affected.
Specifications
- Screen: 5'', IPS, 294 ppi, 1280×720;
- Operating system: Android 5.1 (EMUI 3.1 Lite);
- Processor: MediaTek MT6735C, Cortex-A53, 4 x 1.3 GHz;
- GPU: ARM Mali-T720, frequency 600 MHz;
- RAM: 2 GB, LPDDR3;
- Built-in memory: 16 GB, microSDHC slot;
- Cameras: 13 MP (dual-tone flash, autofocus), 5 MP (flash);
- Battery: 2200 mAh, removable;
- Dimensions: 141x71x7.9 mm;
- Weight: 139 g;
- SIM slots: 2, nano-SIM (Dual SIM Dual Standby);
- Communication: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, DC-HSPA+ 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, FDD LTE: 1, 3, 7, 38, 39, 40, 41, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, (A-GPS), GLONASS, BDS;
- Sensors: light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer.
Camera
The main module produces a resolution of up to 13 MP. Equipped with automatic focus and dual flash. The application interface is convenient and functional, contains settings for ISO, sharpness, saturation, contrast, white balance. Exposure can be changed in real time.
Everyday shooting will be appreciated for its fast and accurate performance, focusing, and photos with good details. The panoramic shooting system is easy to handle: frames are superimposed well, and the finished images are of fairly high quality. The device is especially good at macro photography because the camera can easily focus on objects at close range. At the same time, it nicely blurs the background.
But there is something to complain about. For example, a drop in sharpness at the edges of the frame. Or the appearance of an overexposed area in a photo in bright sunlight. You shouldn't expect miracles from night shots either: loss of detail and noise are standard situations for a device of this level.
For some reason, the video says maximum HD resolution (1280 x 720) at 30 fps. The quality is more or less, but not clear enough. The front camera with a resolution of 5 MP has a wide viewing angle and is complemented by a single flash. You can count on decent results in good lighting. The low quality is partially saved by the flash.
Specifications Huawei Honor 5A
The device has quite decent hardware for its price category.
Appearance and connectors
The smartphone is housed in a classic-shaped plastic case. Available in black, white and gold colors. There are no touch buttons below the screen, as the controls are built into the OS interface.
The back cover is removable and not boring, thanks to the pattern of intersecting lines.
Under the cover there are separate slots for SIM cards and a flash drive. There is also a removable battery there. Buttons for controlling power and volume are located on the right side.
The left side is occupied by the “smart” Easy Key button. Its purpose and capabilities will be discussed a little later.
At the bottom end there are grilles for the main speaker with a microphone and a MicroUSB connector.
The space on the top edge is occupied by a 3.5 mm headset jack and an additional microphone.
CPU
The “heart” of the hardware is the MediaTek MT6735C processor. Its 4 Cortex-A53 cores can operate at frequencies up to 1.3 GHz. Graphics processing is handled by the Mali-T720 chip. The solution is budget-friendly, which does not prevent the smartphone from quickly running through the menu and demonstrating good performance under standard everyday loads. Resource-intensive 3D games can also be played. It’s just that the quality of graphics will lag behind the level of more productive hardware.
In the Antutu test, the device scores just over 33 thousand points. It does not suffer from overheating under intense and prolonged loads.
Memory
The situation with memory volumes is quite expected: 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. You can run multiple applications and switch freely between them without crashing. On the built-in drive, about 9.4 GB out of 16 remain free for use. If this is enough for a bunch of applications and a couple of games, then in other cases a flash drive comes to the rescue. It is possible to install removable microSD drives with a capacity of up to 128 GB.
Battery
This model uses a 2200 mAh battery. It provides autonomy for a full working day under moderate loads. If you don’t let go of the device and load it “to the fullest” (games, videos, WiFi, camera), the battery will last for half a day. You can extend operating time using built-in energy saving profiles.
Camera
The main module allows you to take photographs with a maximum resolution of 13 MP. Equipped with autofocus and dual flash. The application interface is convenient and functional, contains settings for ISO, sharpness, saturation, contrast, and white balance. Exposure can be changed in real time.
Daytime shooting will delight you with fast and accurate focusing, as well as photographs with good detail. The device copes well with panoramic shooting: the frames are well stitched together, and the resolution of the finished images is quite high. The device is particularly good at macro photography, as the camera can easily focus on objects at close range. At the same time, it blurs the background beautifully.
An unsuccessful example of a photo taken with the main camera of a Huawei Honor 5A smartphone
There is also something to complain about. For example, to a drop in sharpness at the edges of the frame. Or the appearance of overexposed areas in the photo in bright sunlight. You shouldn’t expect miracles from night shots: loss of detail and noise are a standard scenario for a device of this level.
Night shot (minimal lighting)
For some reason, videos are recorded in maximum HD (1280 x 720) resolution, at 30 fps. The quality is more or less, but the detail is lacking. The 5 MP front camera has a wide viewing angle and is complemented by a single flash. You can count on decent results in good lighting. If there is a lack of it, the flash partially helps.
Shot with the front camera (in the shadows and backlit)
Display
The smartphone has a 5-inch IPS matrix with HD resolution (1280 x 720). The pixel density is 293 PPI. The picture is clear and contrasty, the color scheme is calm and not oversaturated. When tilted or viewed at an angle, the image does not invert and purple or yellow tints do not appear. The maximum brightness margin is quite modest, so the image becomes faded in the sun.
But, due to the absence of an air gap, the amount of glare on the screen is reduced, and the picture is clearer. The display is covered with tempered glass, which is resistant to scuffs and scratches. The oleophobic coating on the glass is very weak, but it is there. The sensor is responsive and handles 5 touches simultaneously.
Networking capabilities
The smartphone supports the installation of two Micro-SIM cards and works without problems in 2G/3G/4G networks. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 are responsible for wireless data transfer.
Satellite navigation functionality is provided by GPS and GLONASS. Satellite systems cope well with their duties and can even work indoors. Both “hot” and “cold” starts do not take much time.
Sound
The main speaker is the most budget-friendly one. The volume level is average, and it sounds a bit flat. But it doesn’t wheeze or rattle. In headphones the situation is the opposite: here you have pronounced low frequencies and an acceptable volume. With the exception of audiophiles, everyone will be pleased with the sound quality. The speaker is moderately loud, and the interlocutor can be heard without any interference.
Software part
The Android 5.1 operating system is used as the software basis. The proprietary EMUI 3.1 Lite shell is installed on top of it. Thanks to it, there is no menu button, many interface elements differ from stock Android, and design themes are supported. The system is complemented by such software features as motion control support, advanced energy saving profiles, and smart button settings.
Display
The smartphone is equipped with a 5-inch IPS matrix with HD resolution (1280 x 720). Pixel density 293 PPI. The picture is clear and crisp, the colors are calm, not saturated. When tilted or viewed at an angle, the image is not inverted and magenta or yellow tones are not displayed. The maximum brightness is quite modest, so the image becomes faded in the sun.
But, due to the absence of an air gap, the amount of glare on the screen is reduced, and the picture becomes clearer. The display is covered with tempered glass, which is resistant to abrasion and scratches. The oleophobic coating on the glass is very weak, but it is there. The sensor is sensitive and can process 5 touches simultaneously.
