The players in the mobile smartphone realm are always passing the baton to each other every year in welcoming their new members to their smartphone lineup. Raising examples starting from September, after the tech-with-fashion HONOR V Purse to the HONOR Magic VS2, the baton is once again passed on to HONOR’s hands with the latest release of the new HONOR 100 series – the HONOR 100 and HONOR 100 Pro. There’s always something special in every smartphone, and let’s discover the speciality of the HONOR 100 series and the details that we’re always curious about when new smartphone members join in.
Introducing the HONOR 100 Series: HONOR 100 and HONOR 100 Pro
The HONOR 100 series is scheduled for release in China on November 23. It is anticipated to follow the HONOR 90 lineup’s success, featuring both a base model, the HONOR 100, and a higher-tier variant, the HONOR 100 Pro, mirroring the structure of the previous HONOR 90 and HONOR 90 Pro.
Revealing the HONOR 100 Series: HONOR 100
a. Exterior Design
The HONOR 100, positioned as a premium mid-range device, features a distinctive rectangular camera module design with a half-circular ring displaying camera specs. Equipped with a dual rear camera setup, the device maintains the same dimensions as the HONOR 90, measuring 7.8mm in thickness and weighing 183g.
On the front, the phone boasts a quad-curved display with a hole punch cutout, addressing the single bottom-firing speaker limitation of the HONOR 90 by introducing a stereo speaker setup.
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b. Display
The 6.7-inch OLED display offers a resolution of 2664×1200 pixels, 10-bit colour depth, and 3840Hz UHF PWM Dimming. While resembling the HONOR 90’s panel, the HONOR 100’s peak brightness has been enhanced from 1600 nits to 2600 nits.
c. Inner Chips and Camera Sensor
Upgraded to the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip, the device sits between the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 in performance, featuring a 15% faster CPU, up to 50% faster GPU, and 20% more power efficiency compared to the HONOR 90’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
Incorporating the HONOR C1 chip for improved connectivity, the rear dual camera setup includes a primary 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor with OIS and an f/1.95 lens, a departure from the HONOR 90’s 200MP Samsung HP3 sensor without OIS. The secondary 12MP sensor has a 112° ultra-wide-angle lens, also serving for macro shots. The front boasts a 50MP sensor with an f/2.1 lens for selfies, with both front and rear cameras supporting 4K video recording.
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d. Battery, Operating System and Storage
The device is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 100W wired charging, which is a notable increase from the HONOR 90’s 66W charging. As for the operating system, the HONOR 100 runs on the MagicOS 7.2 and operates on Android 13. The phone offers 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB ROM of storage.
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e. Pricing
There are 3 price tags different based on the storage:
- 12GB + 256GB: ¥2499 (Approximately $352)
- 16GB + 256GB: ¥2799 (Approximately $394)
- 16GB + 512GB: ¥2999 (Approximately $423)
Revealing the HONOR 100 Series: HONOR 100 Pro
a. Exterior Design
The HONOR 100 Pro, positioned as a flagship phone, sports a distinct appearance from the HONOR 100, featuring a pill-shaped cutout instead of a small hole punch on the front. The camera module design is unconventional, housing three cameras, and certain colour options showcase a two-tone back design incorporating glass and leather textures.
b. Display
The display on the HONOR 100 Pro is a 6.78-inch 10-bit OLED with a resolution of 2700×1224 pixels, featuring 3840Hz UHF PWM Dimming and a peak brightness of 2600 nits.
c. Inner Chips and Camera Sensor
A significant upgrade over the HONOR 90 Pro lies in performance, attributed to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (as opposed to 8+ Gen 1). The HONOR 100 Pro also shares the same HONOR C1 chip as the HONOR 100.
In addition, overheating seems to be a problem that many smartphone brands face, which was a major concern for Apple back then in their iPhone 15 series. HONOR seem to acknowledge this problem and to prevent overheating, HONOR have implemented a VC cooling solution with a total area of 4674mm² in an ultra-thin component measuring just 0.35 mm. This design is 30% lighter than the standard copper VC, enhancing thermal management.
In terms of cameras, the HONOR 100 Pro deviates from the HONOR 90 Pro’s 200MP primary sensor, opting for the same 50MP Sony IMX906 sensor with OIS as the HONOR 100. The ultrawide/macro camera mirrors the vanilla model, while the third telephoto camera features a 32MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture and 2.5x optical zoom.
d. Battery, Operating System, and Storage
While maintaining the same battery size and wired charging speed as the HONOR 100, the HONOR 100 Pro introduces 66W wireless charging support, a feature absent in the HONOR 90 Pro. The operating system is also the same as HONOR 100 – which runs on the MagicOS 7.2 and operates on Android 13. Being a Pro version of the HONOR 100 series, the storage choices also expand a bit more to 1TB ROM of storage. The choices can be seen in the pricing.
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e. Pricing
Compared to the base model HONOR 100, HONOR 100 Pro has an extended choice in ROM:
- 12GB + 256GB: ¥3399 (Approximately $479)
- 16GB + 256GB: ¥3699 (Approximately $521)
- 16GB + 512GB: ¥3999 (Approximately $564)
- 16GB + 1TB: ¥4399 (Approximately $620)
What’s Special About the HONOR 100 Series?
In the fiercely competitive market, every product seeks a unique selling point to capture consumers’ attention. For the HONOR 100 series, a standout feature is the utilisation of cutting-edge chips, specifically the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip in the HONOR 100 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the HONOR 100 Pro. Notably, the HONOR 100 is the first mobile to incorporate the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip, while the HONOR 100 Pro employs one of the latest Snapdragon chips from Qualcomm, delivering fast and advanced performance, exceptional mobile connectivity, and the industry’s first Cognitive ISP for photo and video optimisation. Explore this link to discover Qualcomm’s ongoing developments.
Another noteworthy aspect, adding to the devices’ uniqueness, is the inclusion of Sony’s IMX906 sensor in both smartphones of the HONOR 100 series. Notably, these devices are the world’s first to feature this sensor in the main camera. Additionally, the HONOR 100 Pro’s selfie camera boasts a 50MP Sony IMX816 sensor with an f/2.0 lens and autofocus, making it the pioneer phone to incorporate this sensor. The use of Sony‘s sensors ensures users can capture impressive photos across various photography scenarios, while optical and digital stabilisation enhances the quality of videos.
A Short Say
With a focus on developing the HONOR 100 series, it’s evident that HONOR has dedicated efforts to create phones that deliver exceptional performance and capture impressive photos and videos. This makes the series an appealing choice for users who prioritise phone performance and camera capabilities. Being the first to integrate the latest Snapdragon chips and Sony’s IMX906 sensor into the market not only enhances the HONOR 100 series compared to its predecessor, the HONOR 90 series but also represents a significant milestone for the brand. The series is now available for order in China and is expected to be globally available soon.
While anticipating the further release of the HONOR 100 series, you may be interested to check out on the comparisons of other HONOR phones. Here’s one to check out: Which One Is for You: HONOR Magic V2 or HONOR V Purse?