There are times in our lives when we need to be brave, make bold decisions and go against the flow. And for the courageous bunch comes a bold new smartphones that boasts of useable features rather than aesthetic gimmickry–the Honor 6 Plus, 4X and 4C.

During the launch of this upstart brand–Honor–last May 12, 2015 at TreeHouse Tavern and Cafe in Makati, Honor Business Unit Manager Nino Carandang revealed that the young people of today are getting more courageous and independent with their choices when it comes to several everyday items likes mobile phones. While there are gadgets being hyped for fad and being marketed as the “in” thing, some brave ones still prefer usability in a smartphone rather than join the bandwagon and spend more than thirty thousand.

“We are very proud to bring to the local market three smartphones that respect the young digital Filipino. True to our ‘Honor’ brand, these devices recognize the brave ones who can make bold decisions, go against the trend and know what they really want and need in a phone—high-end specifications, usable features, and an honorable price,” he said.

HONOR 4C

I was among the lucky few to try Honor 4C, one of the brand’s mid-range devices. It’s considered a budget phone and the brand’s entry level model which sells for only PhP 6,390.00. Basically it’s an Octa-core smartphone running on Android 4.4.2 KitKat with IPS LCD display of 66.9% screen-to-body ratio. The exterior is quite sleek and neat-looking and the removable plastic casing has a textured finish that gives the phone a touch of elegance.

The device is 8.8mm thin and a little bigger than the iPhone 6 dimension-wise. The 5-inch 1280 x 720 pixel display gives vibrant HD images and doesn’t slow down. It serves as one of the strengths of this model. It has a 13 Megapixel main camera that can capture high resolution photos and 5 megapixel secondary camera located on the right side of the speaker.

Honor 4C houses a 64-bit octa-core Cortex A53 processor (HiSilicon Kirin) clocked at 1.2GHz along with Mali T450 GPU. It has an 8GB internal memory which can be expanded via microSD slot (up to 32GB). In layman’s terms, it has a decent processing unit capable of handling numerous features. Response time is outstanding, however, when connecting to the internet, it does not support 4G LTE.

Honor 4C has a dual SIM/dual active technology which is a “must” feature for today’s young people who usually own two phone numbers (or more) and have both active at the same time. You can even answer calls and receive messages from both SIMs alternately, hold the first call on the first number and deal with the other one. This model also has a non-removable 2550mAh battery that can last for a day for heavy users.

Here are the complete specifications of Honor 4C:

Dimensions: 143.3 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm (5.64 x 2.83 x 0.35 in)
Weight: 162 g (5.71 oz)
Size: 5.0 inches (~66.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density)
SIM: Dual SIM 3G (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Platform OS: Android v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 620
CPU: Octa-core 1.2 GHz
Memory Card slot: MicroSD, up to 32 GB
Internal: 8 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera:
Primary -13 MP, 4208 x 3120 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Secondary – 5 MP, 720p
Connectivity: WLAN – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth – v4.0, A2DP, EDR
GPS – Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
USB – microUSB v2.0, USB Host
Battery: Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery

HONOR 4X

Following the 4C is the Honor 4X which sells at Php 8,290.00 per unit. The “middle class” among the three models, the Honor 4X provides great performance and great value with a 64-bit processor, a 13MP primary camera, a 5MP front camera, dual-SIM technology, a long lasting battery and superfast wireless connectivity with 4G.

The Honor 4X’s 64-bit 1.2 GHz Octa-core processor provides 40% better performance than other 32-bit handsets, providing you with more power to stay connected and do the things you love. The Honor 4X sports a 5.5” HD screen with 16 million colors that provide an excellent visual experience whether its playing games or watching movies.

With a battery life of up to 48-hours of battery life and up to 7 days in ultra power mode, the Honor 4X certainly can keep up even with the busiest schedule.

The Honor 4X likewise has a range of camera features to inspire you to take more beautiful photographs and with Ultra snapshot, off-screen photo mode, all-focus mode, map view and a camera that can take photos in 0.6 seconds, you’ll never miss an opportunity to capture those precious moments.

Here are the complete specifications of the Honor 4X:

Dimensions: 152.9 x 77.2 x 8.7 mm (6.02 x 3.04 x 0.34 in)
Weight: 165 g
Size: 5.5 inches (~70.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels (~267 ppi pixel density)
Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
SIM: Dual SIM 4G/LTE (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Platform: Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat) or Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)
Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 620
CPU: Octa-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-450
Memory Card: microSD, up to 32 GB
Internal: 8 GB, 2 GB RAM
Camera:
Primary – 13 MP, 4208 x 3120 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Secondary – 5 MP, 720p
Connectivity:
WLAN – Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth – v4.0, A2DP
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
USB: microUSB v2.0, USB Host
Battery: Li-Po 3000 mAh battery

HONOR 6 PLUS

The Honor 6 Plus is a bold new device for a new digital world. Boasting of improved power, speed, and a unique dual rear camera, the Honor 6 Plus is for the evolved consumer who is looking for a new kind of best—useable features and not just aesthetic gimmickry.

Compared to other 5.5” smartphones, the Honor 6 Plus has the biggest screen ratio at 78.2 percent, with only 2.8mm ultra-thin border, allowing you to better appreciate your photos and videos on its premium HD screen with 1080P resolution and 403 PPI (pixels per inch).

Utilizing a JDI IPS-NEO negative LCD screen, LTP (Low Temperature Poly Silicon), the Honor 6 Plus also has 30 percent better resolution than a regular IPS screen offering 1500:1 super high contrast, and an industry high of 85 percent color saturation making images appear clearer and more lifelike.

This excellent screen is protected by 3rd Generation Corning Gorilla Glass, which is three times stronger, and provides a superior and accurate touch experience. The back of the Honor 6 plus is built even tougher with bullet-proof grade material, and a six layer composite, the bottom layer is made of fiberglass, (the most important material used in military helmets being both lightweight and strong).

For those who want to take their mobile photography to the next level, the Honor 6 Plus is the first smartphone in the Honor series to feature a parallel dual-camera that offers the ability to first CAPTURE an image, then FOCUS on a key area, and then ADJUST the light exposure.

The Honor 6 Plus Eagle-Eye Camera imitates the structure of an eagle eye with an optimized 2.5 image processor engine giving it the ability to capture excellent images. The Parallel dual-camera uses “Binocular Vision” data, to quickly calculate focus distance and capture image while the 3IE Algorithmic Engine imitates a brain, using “Depth Perception” to determine and record a detailed, in-depth photograph.

With the Honor 6 Plus’ upgraded low light shooting ability, say goodbye to blurred night images as the dual lens offers double the amount of light captured and double the light sensitivity of a single lens, reducing image noise and making night photos appear clearer, brighter, and in better detail.

Those who love to take selfies will also be able to capture better self-portraits, and “groufies” with an improved 8MP front-facing camera and panoramic portrait mode.

A beautiful 5.5 inch screen requires a capable battery that can last as long as you do that is why the Honor 6 Plus is packed with a 3,600 mAh battery, which means it can last more than 2 days with normal use and even longer with ultra-power saving mode.

Powered by the lightning fast Kirin 925 octa-core processor and 3GB RAM, the Honor 6 Plus can handle any application you throw at it from playing HD games and multitasking apps. But despite its power, the Honor 6+ still runs at a cool temperature thanks to its graphite design.

“The Honor 6 Plus combines the visual appeal and concept of style with functionally and features found only in higher priced smart phones, says Carandang. It has been dubbed as the “flagship killer” and rightfully so because it can go head to head with any flagship device and surpass those that are priced even twice as much.”

“It even has Dual Card, Dual Usage, Dual 4G, which means you never have to carry two phones again. It is certainly for the mobile user who wants to cross boundaries and embrace the benefits of sharing things and ideas with each other,” he added.

The Honor C Plus sells at PhP 17,490.00 per unit.

Here is the complete specifications of the Honor C Plus:

Dimensions: 150.5 x 75.7 x 7.5 mm (5.93 x 2.98 x 0.30 in)
Weight: 165 g (5.82 oz)
Size: 5.5 inches (~73.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density)
SIM: Dual SIM (Micro-SIM/Nano-SIM, dual stand-by, dual call)
Micro-SIM – PE-TL10
Platform Os: Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 925
CPU: Quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
GPU: Mali-T628 MP4
Memory Card: microSD, up to 128 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
Internal: 32 GB, 3 GB RAM
Camera:
Primary – Dual 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash
Secondary – 8 MP, 1080p@30fps
Connectivity:
WLAN – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth – v4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPS – Yes, with A-GPS
Battery: Non-removable Li-Po 3600 mAh battery

For more details about the Honor 6 Plus, 4X and 4C, visit their official website at www.honor.ph and/or like their Facebook page at www.fb.com/honorph.