After taking a year off the market, Honor is back with two premium devices — Honor 50 and Honor 50 Lite. The brand was originally owned by Huawei, but it has now branched out as a standalone brand. Consequently, Honor 50 is the first Honor device compatible with Google apps and services, such as Google Maps and YouTube, which makes it a serious threat to other established Android apps outside the Chinese market.

The original Honor devices played in the low-to-mid-tier space, with the Honor 10 Lite priced at around £150. But the recently-launched Honor 50 has loftier ambitions, priced between £249.99 and £529.99 (check online for the latest pricing and contract deals). Even though Honor 50 and Honor 50 Lite have only been out for a month, it has already become clear that they’ll give your flagship devices a run for their money. Below, we highlight all the reasons why.

The Honor 50 is available from Currys right now, so be sure to check it out if you're interested, or read on to find out what makes it so impressive.

Brilliant cameras with warm, saturated tones

Honor 50 truly shines when it comes to photography and videos. The smartphone features the following cameras: a 108MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. The cameras are located at the back of the phone in two circular camera bumps, the first for the primary sensor and the lower for the other three cameras. The front camera, meanwhile, uses a 32MP sensor.

Based on the cameras mentioned above, Honor 50 provides stellar photographs and visuals with extreme clarity. The cameras are sharp enough to capture the smallest of details, including the pin-pricks of light filtering through leaves. Furthermore, the Honor 50 gives all images a warm, saturated glow that elevates their visual appearance. When taking pictures with the Honor 50, you can rest assured that the pictures won’t ever look drab or dull.

Automatic dual-view video recording

Honor 50 is one of the only smartphones with integrated features catering to the current cultural milieu. While taking videos, you can automatically toggle a dual-view mode that shows visuals through the front and back cameras side-by-side. This allows you to capture your reaction while simultaneously displaying the reason for those reactions. TikTok users are sure to love this feature, especially since it allows them to capture their reactions without any post-production.

Curved display without a notch

The Honor 50 has a 6.57-inch OLED display with 2340x1080 resolution and an impressive 120Hz panel. It also features an extremely curved display that makes it seem like the phone doesn’t have edges. The display seems to bleed over the edges of the phone, giving it a wonderfully infinite appearance. Furthermore, the front camera is also located in a central notch within the display, so there’s no black space around it. Such a display is only available in high-end, expensive flagship devices.

Powerful and fast-charging dual-cell battery

The Honor 50 features 4,300 mAh batteries, one of the smaller batteries available for smartphones right now. However, it features a dual-cell battery design that allows it to provide significant power and charging capabilities. The Honor 50 can recharge to 50 percent within 15 minutes, and it charges 100 percent within 45 minutes, which is pretty impressive. Furthermore, Honor 50 can also last over eight hours while playing YouTube videos non-stop over WiFi, which is at par with or superior to other flagship devices.

Sleek and attractive aesthetics

Honor 50 has an extremely sleek and attractive aesthetic sensibility, one that’s fun and memorable without being crass. It’s available in the following colours and designs — Midnight Black, Frost Crystal, Emerald Green. If you prefer conservative colour options, you can go for Black, Crystal, or Green. However, if you like your phone to have more personality, you can opt for Frost Crystal. As such, you can easily find a phone that matches your particular aesthetic sensibilities.

All things considered, Honor 50 is available at a mid-range price point, but its features and capabilities place it at the same level as high-end flagship devices. Honor 50 truly shines when it comes to the cameras, especially since it offers automatic dual-view video recording, a feature that’s sure to go down well with the global youth.

If you’re looking for a high-end smartphone at a mid-range price, the Honor 50 is certainly worth considering. You can buy it at Currys right now.