back to article Huawei Honor 8 Pro: Makes iPhone 7 Plus look a bit crap

Towards the end of his long career as an expert summariser on Test Match Special, Fred Trueman would declare: "I just don't know what's going on out there," and light his pipe. Just what you want to hear from an "expert summariser". But sometimes I sympathise. Like when a company suddenly makes lots of phones that compete with …

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  1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

    "Once again, the comparison doesn’t flatter Apple: the Plus is bigger, has a smaller screen, doesn’t last as long on a charge, has less storage, no expansion slot or second slim capability, an inferior fingerprint sensor… and costs over £200 more."

    Not disagreeing with the majority of this statement (even as a diehard Apple fan I'm disappointed by the lack of progress in the iPhone line), but what leads you to the conclusion that the fingerprint sensor is inferior? I thought the iPhone fingerprint scanner was one of the few truly brilliant bits of design on the current lineup...

    1. Unep Eurobats

      Re: On the other hand...

      I maybe have different fingers because I find the iPhone 6 Plus fingerprint sensor a pain. I usually have to try two or three times before it lets me in, and often it activates voice control instead.

      In my experience the rear-mounted scanner on a Google Nexus is better placed and works much more reliably.

      1. sal II

        Re: On the other hand...

        >I maybe have different fingers because I find the iPhone 6 Plus fingerprint sensor a pain.

        There is a major improvement in the fingerprint reader between iPhone 6 and 6s/7. I have the 6, my wife the 6s the difference between the two is like night and day.

    2. Andrew Orlowski (Written by Reg staff)

      I use both and disagree. Apple's is the most unreliable, Huawei's is reliable and fast.

      1. Joe Gurman

        It's what it's connected to that matters

        My experience with both older and newer Apple fingerprint sensors is somewhere along the same lines (iPad Pro excellent, two and a half year-old iPhone 6 successful on first try about 70% of the time), but what's more relevant, I'd say, is how the fingerprints are used. The review doesn't state whether the Huawei phones, or any Android devices, secure the fingerprint information in the same way Apple's hardware does (in the CPU, rather than memory). If not, Android Pay is just another way of inviting someone to hack your phone for PII.

        1. MrXavia

          Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

          Then don't use Android Pay!

          use an actual card!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

          "secure the fingerprint information in the same way Apple's hardware does (in the CPU, rather than memory). If not, Android Pay is just another way of inviting someone to hack your phone for PII."

          Do you understand the detail? Or have you just slurped apples koolaid? Please go into more details, as to what you mean by storing it in the CPU and how this enhances security. Perhaps you mean encryption using CPU secure module? Every CPU in the last 10 years does this, it's certainly not exclusive to Apple.

          Please do tell.

          1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

            Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

            The poster means Apple Secure Enclave. Compared to this, Android security sucks balls. Android security including full-disk encryption has been comprehensively violated on several occasions. Most recently April 2017, using processor encryption stripping which cannot be easily patched. and renders Android phones using Qualcomm processors vulnerable.

            Oh and Android Smart (Un)lock is a catastrophic security nightmare.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

              Everything there is just hyperbole. All recent ARM designs have the exact same features, apple have done nothing special, if you believe they have, then I have some magic beans for sale...

              http://www.openvirtualization.org/open-source-arm-trustzone.html

              As for lock screen bypasses, apple are leaders in this, Siri provides plentiful lockscreen bypass bugs, apple seem to be fighting iOS security on a weekly basis, what are they on this week? 10.3.0.2.1a?

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                Apple does not use ARM designs, so claiming that "all ARM designs have the exact same features" is pointless. Apple does not use Trust Zone, their secure enclave is better in many ways. Apple has a 60 page security guide where you can read all the details.

                As for 'weekly security patches' at least Apple has them. With Android you have to buy a new phone!

                1. Brucelee

                  Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                  What a load of rubbish you spout. I get monthly security updates on both my android phones. I bought 2 for less than 1 iPhone. I have better audio, screen, camera than an iPhone.

                  1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

                    Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                    @BruceLee

                    "What a load of rubbish you spout. I get monthly security updates on both my android phones. I bought 2 for less than 1 iPhone. I have better audio, screen, camera than an iPhone."

                    No you didn't, and no you don't. One or other of your statements might be true, but not both.

            2. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

              "The poster means Apple Secure Enclave. Compared to this, Android security sucks balls."

              This is meaningless. What is "android security" when it comes to hardware. The latest versions of Nexus devices are just as secure as the Apple implementations. You use the excuse of a bug in Qualcomm processors as saying that "Android is insecure". You are conflating an Operating system with Hardware security, with third party components and with OEM implementations.

              Due to the way Android devices give freedom to the manufacturers to use any components, any changes to the OS, nay hardware etc then there will always be wildly different features including security with different devices. But it is the unique feature with Android devices that you can choose features, specs, model and manufacturer to get a device that suits your needs which Apple doesn't and will never provide.

              To this end you can only choose to compare a specific device from a specific manufacturer to a specific Apple device to get a comparison. In which case you might find that some are less secure, some are equivalent and some are more secure. Similarly you may find some have worse features, some have better, some are cheaper a few are more expensive.

              The only guarantee is that with Android based phones you have more choice.

              1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

                Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                @AC "The only guarantee is that with Android based phones you have more choice.

                You get a lot more than choice with Android. More malware, more security breaches, more risk, more fragmentation, more recalls, more invasive permissions and more data sent to Google, to name a few.

                here, here, here, here and here beg to differ with your assertion.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                  I'm not going to follow random links, but I doubt very much they differ. From your previous posts, I just don't think you really understand technology - iPhones do have a dumbing down effect ;-P

                  Oh the mobile platform wars are back en vogue

                  1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

                    Re: It's what it's connected to that matters

                    @AC "I'm not going to follow random links, but I doubt very much they differ."

                    You're right, they don't differ. They're all written by mobile security experts, and explain exactly the same thing; that iOS (and most other closed systems) beat fragmented Android into a cocked hat when it comes to security.

                    I'm not sure the mobile platform wars are back (did they ever really leave?) - I just have a low tolerance for stupid.

                    And on that note - as long as you're continuing to post AC, I'm done here. I've made the point I wanted to make, you're entitled to your opinion so I'll leave it at that. Bye.

      2. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

        "I use both and disagree. Apple's is the most unreliable, Huawei's is reliable and fast."

        Well, Andrew, you're of course entitled to your opinion. I've also used both, and currently have a Galaxy S7, iPhone 7+ and P9 in testing as well along with iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7. The scanner on the SE is slow now (even if the phone is my current fav, for a number of reasons), as is the S7, but the scanners on both the 7+ and the P9 are fast and accurate. The 7+ gets my vote as the fastest, most reliable and most logically placed of all the scanners I've used.

        YMMV. Maybe you have dodgy thumbs.

    3. Youngone Silver badge

      My boss gave me an iPhone 7 for work use, and I gave up on the fingerprint scanner on the first day.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The fingerprint sensor on huawei supports swipe actions and is faster

      1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

        @AC "The fingerprint sensor on huawei supports swipe actions and is faster"

        The P10 supports swipe (nicked from Elephone, natch), and it's nicely implemented, but it was designed to replace the Android nav buttons - which the iPhone never had nor needed.

        The speed difference is 99% animations on the iPhone - the actual unlock process is practically the same speed. But yes, I'll give you this one. Apple need to up their speed game with the next iteration of iPhone.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Compared to my Nexus 5x, the iPhone 7 fingerprint is slow and unreliable, I also miss the gesture control and find the back sensor location far superior. So there is ALOT wrong with the apple fingerprint sensor

      1. Lord Elpuss Silver badge

        "Compared to my Nexus 5x, the iPhone 7 fingerprint is slow and unreliable, I also miss the gesture control and find the back sensor location far superior. So there is ALOT wrong with the apple fingerprint sensor"

        The 5X scanner is significantly slower than the iPhone 6S, let alone the 7. It's also a 2 year old design. Come back when you have a current-gen product to compare.

        Oh and I see your preference for a back sensor, and raise you my ability to touch my iPhone sensor while the phone is lying on the desk, view notifications, unlock and swipe without having to pick the phone up off the desk. Your move.

    6. Steve Evans

      IIRC, the iPhone finger print reader was good when it first appeared, but since then the competition has shot past it.

      An iPhone owning colleague of mine recently tried out the Blackberry Keyone, and couldn't believe how good the fingerprint reader was in comparison to what he was used to.

  2. joeldillon

    'blown up to 100 per cent of the original size' - so, uhhh, exactly the same size as the original?

    1. big_D Silver badge

      I think the author meant, that the other photos were scaled down to fit the web page, whereas the "100%" was a section cut out of a photo and shown without scaling.

  3. Brenda McViking
    Thumb Up

    Appreciate the inclusion of more specs and links from the author. I didn't need to waste another 85 seconds of my life googling for whether it had things like a micro-SD card slot like I did with the HTC U11 article. Thanks AO.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      and the price of £500 is mentioned high enough to make me waste no more of my (precious, etc, etc.) time either! Hell, what next, a non-review?! :)

      1. werdsmith Silver badge

        Reviews always banging on about the sim-free price when most people pay monthly and don't give as hit.

        1. Martin an gof Silver badge

          Reviews always banging on about the sim-free price when most people pay monthly and don't give as hit.

          Two things.

          Firstly, granted "most people" probably do just opt for a contract, but El Reg readers? Particularly for personal phones? I suspect a lot more commentards go SIM-free than you might expect.

          Secondly, quoting the recommended SIM-free price is the only easy way to compare prices because the cost with a contract varies an awful lot more, thus it is better to compare (say) a £500 Honor with a £700 iPhone SIM-free than those same phones, one on a 24 month contract with O2 and the other on an 18 month contract with Tesco (or whatever).

          M.

        2. big_D Silver badge

          Reviews always banging on about the sim-free price when most people pay monthly and don't give as hit.

          Depends on where you are. Most of the people I know (>90%) buy the phone outright and take a 9€ - 20€ flatrate contract.

          1. werdsmith Silver badge

            Of course it depends on where you are, but in the context of the article - the author gives the prices in UK£ so I base the comment on that market.

            As for Register readers tending to buy the phone outright as a sim-free purchase, yes of course I know that and I buy sim-free myself but a few Register readers is not going to make any difference to the success or failure of the phone in the market. Register readers, when giving their subjective opinion, often suffer from false-consensus bias and over-rate their own preferences compared to the public at large.

            And the sim-free price of the phone does not necessarily translate pro-rata to the contract monthly prices, it does depend on how the phone is promoted and how the networks want to sell it.

            1. Martin an gof Silver badge

              And the sim-free price of the phone does not necessarily translate pro-rata to the contract monthly prices, it does depend on how the phone is promoted and how the networks want to sell it.

              Which was precisely my point. And since the readership of El Reg is unsurprisingly comprised of Register Readers, it makes perfect sense to frame a review in terms useful to them (to us) rather than terms useful to Joe Bloggs or Jane Bland next door.

              By knowing the baseline price of the phone it is easier to make a judgement about how much value is offered by that phone when compared with others on an equal basis, and if a contract is being considered it's also easier to understand how the cost of the phone fits in to that.

              It might be worth phone reviews having a paragraph along the lines of "this phone is also available on contract for £n at $phone_company_a over y years, or £m at $phone_company_b over z years, but that means research, not simply reiterating the marketing blurb :-)

              M.

            2. big_D Silver badge

              @werdsmith - my step-daughter bought a Hauwei P10 last week, she has a SIM-only contract.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Appreciate the inclusion of more specs and links from the author. I didn't need to waste another 85 seconds of my life googling for whether it had things like a micro-SD card slot like I did with the HTC U11 article. Thanks AO.

      He didn't mention headphone jack.

  4. IsJustabloke
    Thumb Up

    Honor 8

    I'd been casting around for a replacement phone form my aging (but still chugging along nicely thank you!) xperia Z1 that didn't cost an arm and a leg. I chose an Honor 8 I'm very pleased with it. It gives excellent performance and battery life. On a recent trip to the states it got a proper hammering (i was doing the full tourist) but I found it easily lasting the full day. It's a good looking phone, I even like the UI which was updated to v5 shortly after I got the phone and I've found it lightweight and intuitive.

    wouldn't hesitate to buy another or recommend them.

  5. Alexander Hanff 1
    Thumb Down

    And still shovelling Android

    It doesn't matter how good the hardware is (and let's forget about Huawei's ties to the Chinese Government for just a few minutes), it is still an Android phone. You couldn't pay me to use an Android device - and I mean that literally - if you offered me 5k Euros a month to use Android, I would say no.

    Irrespective of whether or not Apple are keeping up with the hardware, iOS is why I buy Apple, not the hardware.

    1. Nick Collingridge

      Re: And still shovelling Android

      No mention of the most critical issue in these modern times - how long do Huawei promise to support the phone with security updates, and what has been their history with this? If it's only a year then you have to reckon on replacing this phone after that time to stay safe, and that alters the value equation dramatically, particularly in comparison to Apple. Maybe we could have an update on the article to address this highly relevant issue?

      1. lybad
        Happy

        Re: And still shovelling Android

        Sometime in the last few months (maybe just after the Honor 8 (non-Pro)was launched), Honor and Huawei announced they would support devices for at least two years.Which is better than quite a lot of Android device manufacturers.

        https://store.hihonor.com/us/software-update-policy

      2. Not also known as SC

        Re: And still shovelling Android

        This is my concern. IPhones may be a bit 'crap' but at least they receive software updates. What is Huawei's track record like on updating their previous models (genuine question)?

        1. ThomH

          Re: And still shovelling Android

          I prefer iOS to Android enough to pay the difference and accept the restricted choice but if anybody is offering €5k/month then I'll switch. Fee negotiable, can discuss goods in lieu of payment. But call fast, as my availability is limited.

      3. Stuart 22

        Middle Ground?

        "No mention of the most critical issue in these modern times - how long do Huawei promise to support the phone with security updates"

        This is precisely why I won't spend serious money on an Android phone. Two years if you are lucky makes it a disposal item. That was £150/year if you took the Nexus route. Now a ridiculous amount with the Pixel line and only to a slightly lesser extent this product. It makes Apple look a better investment if you can stand their control freakery.

        In my mind <£100 purchase price means something likely to have serious shortcomings. £100-200 includes good budget phones which will do the job for 2 years. £200-300 richer feature faster if you like a bit of class and perfectly adequate for most of us. That's what I call the middle ground. Not phones that trade status names for a couple of hundred and still cost £500. Its still upper ground performance wise. Do I really need 6Gb when 2Gb has been just fine? I mean I'd like to try 3Gb first.

        I really can't bring myself to spend over £300 although I could afford it if it was an investment instead of a fast decaying status symbol. Other people have other standards but I wonder whether the real middle ground (£200-300) is now becoming a neglected market.

        1. Pen-y-gors

          Re: Middle Ground?

          @stuart 22

          Spot on comment.

          I got my OnePlus One in Feb 2015 - so just over two years old, and it's fine. It cost £269 + shipping. That's a decent middle ground - remarkably high spec for under 300 quid. And I expect that to continue. I can't see me replacing it for a couple of years yet, and then I want the equivalent pretty high spec for £300-ish. With phones I expect the price point to stay stable over time as the spec goes up. Paying £500-£800 for a phone that lasts for a few years is sheer madness.

      4. This post has been deleted by its author

      5. bengoey49

        Re: And still shovelling Android

        Until early last week my Honor 7 ( unlock) was on Security Patch August 2016.

        It has just been updated today to Security Patch April 2017. The software is still EMUI 4 ( the latest EMUI 5 ).

        For comparison my Sony Xperia X Compact ( Unlock ) has been having regular monthly update now May 2017 Security Patch and several months ago upgraded to Android 7 (Nougat ).

        My wife's Blackberry Dtek60 also has regular monthly security patch , now on May 2017 but the Android software is still Android 6 (Marshmellow).

        1. Naselus

          Re: And still shovelling Android

          Updates aren't really that relevant, though. For starters, most higher-end Droids do get prompt updates throughout the phone's lifespan now; my S6 still receives updates within a week or two of Google releasing them. And for seconds, most people who consume flagship models don't actually notice either way anyway; they have the most expensive handset they can find for prestige purposes rather than because of the specs or the security. They almost certainly couldn't tell you the difference between iOS's approach to FDE and Android 7's.

          The fact is, phones only last about 2-3 years at any price point regardless of whether it's from Apple, Samsung, Sony or whatever, and the actual performance difference between an £800 iPhone and a £200 OnePlus is now meaningless for 99.99% of tasks. Flagships are slowly dying because the marginal performance improvements no longer justify a 4-5 times higher price, which is why Apple's phone shipments fell in 2016 and Samsung's rose despite Sammy producing a flagship-grade phone that literally exploded in customer's pockets.

          Apple will continue to cling to the market, but ultimately the iPhone is headed the way of the Mac - it's going to become a pricey niche device with a small but massively loyal following who would never, ever consider using anything else, even if Apple produced a Samsung-esque exploding handset. Meanwhile the rest of the market will move into low-margin commodity devices; I'd expect the variety of phones in the £600+ range to shrink each year from now on. Samsung might keep producing high-end flagships, but it'll increasingly be a matter of innovation prestige rather than a serious profit source.

    2. Timmy B

      Re: And still shovelling Android

      I suggest you buy Apple because you have more money than sense. I anyone offered me 5K a month just to use a specific phone I'd do so in a second. I could quit my job and what I would end up doing wouldn't involve much phone usage.

    3. Bloodbeastterror

      Re: And still shovelling Android

      "if you offered me 5k Euros a month to use Android, I would say no."

      Total cack, a pointless, untruthful and stupid soundbite. I call a very loud BS on this foolish statement.

    4. Tachikoma
      Trollface

      Re: And still shovelling Android

      if you offered me 5k Euros a month to use Android, I would say no.

      Dude, you're a Barrista

    5. Unicornpiss

      Re: And still shovelling Android

      "Irrespective of whether or not Apple are keeping up with the hardware, iOS is why I buy Apple, not the hardware."

      At the risk of a Coke vs. Pepsi debate here, I feel quite the opposite, and I've used both and have to occasionally support iOS. To me, Android has always been the superior choice for features, usability, logic in the UI design, and not henpecking you with persistent dialogs that pop into the middle of what you're doing, admonishing you to sign back in to Facebook or whatever. (and ugh, iTunes) I will admit that Apple's ecosystem is probably more secure, but a little common sense goes a long way towards security, though many people have never heard of the concept.

      1. greenawayr

        Re: And still shovelling Android

        "if you offered me 5k Euros a month to use Android, I would say no."

        So why read articles reviewing a mid-price android device?

        Or was it because it mentioned iPhone in the headline and you felt compelled to come and defend your darling?

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