Honor View20 48MP Smartphone Review

Honor is stepping out of the Huawei shadow with the release of a 48-megapixel smartphone with a rather smart design and a rather good screen-to-body ratio. The Honor View20 was actually announced back in December (2018) but it's not until today that the smartphone has been launched in the UK, and that we've been allowed to give our full opinion.

Billed by Honor as a 'powerhouse device', the View20 lines-up with impressive specs but does what we see on paper match up with real life? Let's find out. 

Honor View20 Features

The Honor View20 has many features with the 48-megapixel f/1.8 rear camera sitting in the number 1 spot for what Honor is singing about. As well as the 48-megapixel sensor, there's a rear 3D camera which is used for depth sensing for bokeh-filled portraits, a night shot mode to help with low light, an AI camera assistant and various portrait modes. Video can be captured in 4K and there's a super-slow motion mode. 

The display is described by Honor as being 'All-View' as there's no top notch so the 25MP f/2.0 selfie camera sits in a cutout, giving a better screen-to-body ratio and a rather decent 4000mAh battery powers the device. 

Other key features, some of which were first seen on its Honor View10 predecessor, are listed below but the price, as of yet, is TBC as no details were released prior to launch. 

Honor has said that the View20 is not intended as a direct replacement for a professional dedicated digital camera. That’s despite it now offering that whopping image resolution - once the preserve of medium format digital cameras costing tens of thousands of pounds. But, with so many other smartphones out there, it makes much more sense to go head-to-head with other phones. Plus, as our comparisons have shown, even though smartphone image quality is getting better, they can't quite match the image quality of a dedicated digital camera.... yet.

Honor View20 Key Features: 

• 48MP f/1.8 rear camera
• 25MP f/2.0 selfie camera 
• Rear 3D camera (depth sensor)
• Super Night Shot (low light mode)
• AI photography - Real-time recognition of 1500+ scenarios in over 60 categories
• 6.4 inches, 2310x1080 pixel FHD+ display
• 4K video
• Super slo-mo video (960fps)
• Kirin 980 AI chipset with dual NPU
• 4000mAh battery
• Aperture Mode
• Portrait Mode (with various effects built in)
• Pro Mode
• ISO 50-102400
• All-View Display with almost 100% full screen, and no top notch
• V-shape colour gradient design 
• Colours: Sapphire Blue, Midnight Black and Phantom Blue
• Size: 156.9 mm (H) x 75.4 mm (W) x 8.1 mm (D)
• Weight: 180g
• 3.5mm headphone jack 
• Type-C USB
• Fingerprint sensor
   

Honor View20 Handling

At first glance, the Honor View20 looks like any other smartphone with its rounded corners, aluminium frame and glass front/back but look a little closer and you notice some design tweeks that make it stand out just that little but more. 

First up is the hole in the top left corner of the screen which Honor put some serious research into to ensure it's small and that no light spills from the screen into the lens compartment when taking photos. Instead of drilling a hole that goes through all of the layers the screen is made up of (which can make the screen fragile), the Honor Engineers only had to drill into one layer and they used an 'advanced lithography process' to create the transparent hole the camera sensor sits in. 

As well as the cutout camera, if you turn the View20 over, bands of colour will catch your eye which have been created by using nanolithography - the process of etching, writing or printing to modify a material surface with structures under 100nm. Honor throw around terms such as 'of nano-vacuum coating' and 'invisible aurora texture process' but basically, it's a method for creating coloured chevron-like shapes on the rear of the phone that 'magically' change colour, appear and disappear when you tilt or angle the smartphone. It's a subtle bit of visual 'flair' but we do like it. Speaking of colours, in the UK the Honor View20 handset comes in a choice of three: Phantom Blue, Midnight Black or Sapphire Blue. Plus, you can pop on the clear silicone case that's provided with the smartphone to keep it a little bit safer but it means you can still show off the magic feature of the View20's colour-changing chevrons.

Staying on the rear of the View20 smartphone and you find the 48-megapixel camera (it looks pretty big) along with the 3D sensor for depth sensing and a flash. There's a fingerprint sensor built into the rear of the smartphone, too, which is placed perfectly for your index finger. To the side are the volume/power controls and on the bottom is a speaker and USB-C charging port. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack but this is built into the top of the smartphone which makes it easier to plug in headphones when your phone is in your pocket. 

The Honor View20 might have size-specs that make it sound big but it's not really, with it actually looking a bit more compact than some other smartphones. In the hand, it fits comfortably and can be navigated easily. Those with smaller hands might find it a bit trickier to balance and as with any smartphone that has a glass back, take the case off it and it's a bit slippery so be careful. As a result, when taking photos, we do recommend you hold the device in both hands to stop shake spoiling your shots (and to ensure it doesn't crash to the floor). Fingerprints can be a nuisance but when are they not on smartphones nowadays? 

Turning our attention to the display, it's all about getting more screen 'real estate' and Honor has done this by reducing the size of the bezels and removing the top notch to increase the screen-to-body ratio (91.8%). The 6.4inch, 2310x1080 pixel, 19.5:9, FHD+ display is bright, big and we don't really have any complaints about it. Time will tell if a cutout is prefered over a top notch but in all honesty, the cutout doesn't distract as some thought it might and it doesn't get in the way either as when you get notifications, they adapt. You can create a black band if you find the cutout really annoying, which some might want to do when watching films or playing games. 

The camera sitting in the 4.5mm front cut out is a 25MP f/2.0 selfie camera that you can use all the effects from the Portrait mode with (clever technology rather than depth sensing with a second sensor) as well as capture video and use the normal 'photo' mode. We'll be looking into the image quality of our selfies in more detail in the performance section of the review. 

As mentioned, the main camera is a 48MP shooter which has the help of a 3D camera to give images depth and you can also use it to shoot with a 2x zoom. The 48MP camera is powered by the Sony IMX586 48MP sensor which measures 1/2" and has 0.8µm pixels. Quad-Bayer Array technology is also built in to improve resolution and light sensitivity. We've seen this technology before on more expensive smartphones, such as the Mate 20 Pro, but up until now, we've not seen it in an affordable Honor smartphone. 

The technology is particularly useful in low light and at night as it uses 2x2 adjacent pixels in the same colour, increasing light sensitivity and keeping noise to a minimum and raising the sensitivity to a level equivalent to 12 effective megapixels. 

You can choose between using the 48MP sensor or reducing the image quality to a 12MP resolution if you like and some of the features in the camera app also switch to the 12MP option (something we'll cover under the performance section).  

With artificial intelligent capabilities powered by the Kirin 980 chipset, you can also use what Honor is calling an 'Ultra Clarity' mode. When this mode is turned on (choose in the setting menu and the AI Ultra Clarity mode will be enabled automatically), the camera will take several 48MP pictures at once. Next, the CPU and dual-ISP of the Kirin 980 collates the best details from each of these 48MP photos and combines them to create one 48MP picture. Then, the Kirin 980’s dual NPU begins to process the photo using an advanced AI algorithm – the quality of the photo is assessed, details in dark areas are optimised, and colours are adjusted. You can see how well the AI Ultra Clarity mode performs in the next section of the review. 

As with other Honor smartphones, AI can also be used to recognise over 1,500 scenarios and more than 60 categories to help you capture more vivid landscapes and better foodie photos (to name but a couple of scenarios). 

The View20 also gives you access to 2x zoom but this is only accessible when using the 12MP file size, not 48MP. 

Portrait mode (with the rear and selfie camera) gives you access to various bokeh effects (you can shoot without them but why would you unless you have a breathtaking landscape behind you?), lighting effects and beauty/shaping modes. You can utilise the 2x zoom if you wish, too.

Camera App

Turn on night shooting mode and you can capture hand-held night shots - it works by the AI capturing multiple frames to create an image from. The camera uses the power of the 48MP sensor to capture 12MP low light images with less noise, less blur and impressively, you can hold the smartphone for 6 seconds (without a tripod) and images still look good. 

Other modes include a Pro mode, panorama, HDR, Light Painting and Time-Lapse which can all be found under the 'More' tab in the camera app which, overall, is easy to use and those who have used Honor smartphones before will be very familiar with the layout. 

As for video, this can be captured in 2160p at 30 frames per second (fps), 1080p at 30fps and 720p slo-mo at 960fps. 

In terms of capacity and performance, there are two variants for the UK market – choose from either 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage or 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage.

Battery life - A 4000mAh battery is found inside the View20 and it's plenty big enough for an afternoon of capturing photos and video. The device also offers 'supercharge' which can charge the battery to 55% in 30 minutes.

Honor View20 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Huawei Honor View20 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - We've mentioned you can't always capture 48MP images but this doesn't mean that the 12MP images saved instead are poor, it's just the 48MP images have more detail (zoom in on the 48MP images to see what we mean). You can capture 48MP images with the main 'photo' mode and when using the Pro mode but when shots are captured with the Portrait, Aperture or Night modes, the images are reduced in size to 12MP. However, the technology built in, which is powered by the Sony IMX586 48MP sensor, does help improve the quality of the images captured with these modes (better noise handling in low light, for example) so this is a positive.

The 48MP images are impressive with good levels of detail (although when light levels drop, images can get a little soft without the assistance of the night mode). Plus, enlarge photos and you will notice that words, and other details, which can be tricky to zoom in on when captured with smaller sensor devices, can be clearly seen. For example, compare the 12MP and 48MP wall ball shots below. Click on each image to view the High Res versions and magnify the photo to see how much closer to detail you can get.

There's no fringing around tree branches and colours are also accurate when using the 48MP camera.

48MP

12MP

12MP images are equally accurate in colour and dynamic range is good. Other Honor smartphones have struggled when light levels are extreme but the View20 has done a good job at handling shadow/light (thanks to the sensor technology built in). There is a little loss in quality in some shots with purple fringing appearing around branches and some detail becoming soft but you only notice when looking really closely. For uploading to social media, or indeed printing small prints for a frame, the quality is more than fine.

AI Ultra Clarity - AI Ultra Clarity is great for shooting still objects/scenes, with lots of detail in good light levels (the smartphone tells you this, too) and it works by capturing multiple 48MP images, collecting detail from each and combining it all to create a single 48MP image. The phone also analyses the overall image quality and optimises the image to make it sharper and more colourful. You have to hold the smartphone still for a few seconds but it does improve image quality, making the shot brighter and sharper - take a look at the examples below (click on the images to view large versions).

48MP AI Ultra Clarity

48MP

12MP

Selfies show good levels of colour and adding a bit of bokeh really does make a big difference, adding a more professional finish. There can be issues with the depth sensor clipping detail (fur on hoods, bobbles on hats, hair etc.) but overall, it does a decent job. The ability to change how the bokeh looks is a quirky feature and you can also apply various lighting effects (some work better than others, we particularly like Photo Booth). A beauty mode is also built in and this is controlled via a slider depending on if you want a stronger/weaker effect. It can be a useful tool but don't be heavy-handed with it. 

Portraits are really good with sharpness and detail not letting us down. From afar, a bokeh background improves the portrait but when you zoom in, there are bad clipping issues with the effect leaving bits of background or softening skin towards the edges of the face.  

As with selfies, you can use beauty/shaping modes on portraits but do use them with some caution as they can have a more comic effect rather than improving portraits (have a look at the larger image below - sorry Emma!). 

The 2X lens is available should you want to zoom in on your subject, without moving your feet, and results are good but there are clipping issues, again, when using the bokeh feature. 

Selfie Photo Booth

Portrait Bokeh

Portrait Beauty Shaping (Gone Wrong) 

Night Mode really impressed us as you can capture low light images, handheld and the results are really impressive. All you have to do is hold the smartphone steady for a few seconds and the built-in AI captures multiple frames and blends them together to make one good photo. 

Aperture Mode gives you access to a virtual aperture range where you can select how much bokeh you want to appear in your shot. When there's good separation between the background and subject, results are good but when there's finer detail (such as the handle on the garden ornament) the depth sensor can struggle to differentiate between background and subject. 

You can switch on an HDR mode but we'd advise against it as the effect is too strong and everything is oversharpened, too. There's also a built-in AI mode which automatically detects different objects in the photos and optimises its settings accordingly. It's nice to see the AI not been too overzealous as on previous Honor handsets we've tested, the AI has particularly liked greens. The AI is quick to recognise what's in front of it and can even spot multiple things in one scene.

Huawei Honor View20 Lens test images

Lens Performance - Even though 2x zoom is available, you're still better off moving your feet to get you closer to subjects when you can to preserve detail. If you look at the shot in the woods, the 2x shot is a little softer and there's also purple fringing present. Although, it did a pretty good job getting close to the decorative light, and shows more detail in the church shot.

Huawei Honor View20 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - ISO goes from 50 all the way up to 65535! As always, use the lowest ISO you can to guarantee quality and ISO100-200 produce the best results. ISO400 is still usable, as is ISO800, but quality does start to fall off. ISO1600 and above we'd only use if absolutely needed.

Huawei Honor View20 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance does an excellent job under mixed lighting and Tungsten but the Fluorescent result is a little blue and dark in places. The Fluorescent preset has produced a slightly warm colour cast and, again, it's a little dark but the Tungsten preset is pretty good.

Huawei Honor View20 Digital filters

Digital Filters - Several digital filters are built into the native camera app and they can be found under the 'More' tab. These include Sentimental, Impact, ND, Valencia, Blue, Halo, Nostalgia and Dawn.

Panorama mode -  As you'd expect, the panorama mode auto stitches the images together once you've panned to capture the scene in front of you. Colours are accurate and there doesn't appear to be any stitching issues.

Video - 4K UHD video can be captured at 30fps along with a super slow-motion mode that captures footage at 960fps. There's also a 1080p video option available that shoots at 30fps.

 

 

Value For Money

The Honor View 20 is available for £499 (8GB RAM & 256GB) which, when you consider the specs, is a really good price. It's a bit more expensive than other Honor smartphones but isn't quite as expensive as the flagship Huawei smartphones, Samsung's top offerings or indeed the latest iPhones.  

Alternatives include the Huawei P20 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the OnePlus 6T.

For more smartphone options, have a look at our Best Smartphones under £300 for Photography feature. We also have a round-up of camera phones under £200 should you really want to save yourself some cash or our premium smartphone round-up for you to take a look at.

 

Honor View20 Verdict

The Honor View20 will grab the attention of photographers with the headline '48-megapixel camera' and rightly so, it's a pretty cool thing to see in a smartphone.

It's great to have such a high-resolution sensor built in but a lot of the shooting features switch back to a 12MP image quality option, the smartphone still uses the 48MP lens, and the Sony sensor technology to capture images, combining the pixels to output images at a smaller 12MP size. This occurs when using the portrait mode, aperture mode, night mode etc.

Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, it's not, but with the device advertised as a 48-megapixel shooter, it would be nice to see this resolution used and available more often. 

When you can shoot 48MP images, detail is excellent and you only have to compare similar shots taken with a smartphone with a smaller sensor to see the difference. Having said that, you do have to look rather closely to see how much detail the smartphone is capable of capturing in a 48MP image so is it something most will need? Perhaps not, but the option is there so why not invest in a smartphone which gives you the option to shoot in a little more detail? Even more so if it won't break the bank. 

Overall, image quality is good (both 48MP and 12MP) with an accurate reproduction of colours (even in dull conditions) and the night mode is particularly impressive as you don't even need a tripod (thanks to a clever night scene mode)! Selfies look great and portraits, particularly with a bit of bokeh, are excellent. 

The design is great, particularly with the cool nanolithography and the screen is a really decent size, even more so with the cutout camera rather than a top-notch taking up room.

If you're looking for a smartphone that's full of camera features and is capable of taking really good photos - have a look at this one.

If you're looking for a smartphone that's full of camera features, is a reasonable price and is capable of taking really good photos - have a look at this one.