The Honor 20 and 20 Pro: fresh new quad-cameras with 48MP sensors

The Honor 20 and 20 Pro have successfully managed their London launch today (May 21, 2019). It seems the 2 new phones are more or less in line with the legion of leaks and speculation that accompanied them to their official release. They are indeed Kirin 980-powered devices with screens that exceed 6 inches in size. The P20 Pro display, like the View 20 before them, features punch-hole cameras rather than notches.

Nevertheless, the Honor 20 Pro could have been said to impress with its camera specs and quantified performance. Its lenses do indeed add up to 4, as projected. They consist of a 48MP Sony IMX 586 sensor; however, the Huawei brand has differentiated the 20 Pro from competition rocking the same module. This has been done by modifying the Sony camera with an f/1.4 aperture – greater than that found in the Xiaomi Mi 9 or even the OnePlus 7 Pro.

As a result, the 20 Pro has equalled the said 7 Pro in total DxOMark scores. The new form of IMX 586 is joined by an 8MP f/2.4 Telephoto camera; a 16MP, 117-degree super-wide-angle camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 camera for macro shots. The 48 and 8MP lenses are equipped with 4-axis optical image stabilization. The Honor 20 is also technically a quad-camera device, although here the telephoto lens is replaced with a 2MP depth-sensor.

This phone and the 20 Pro have only 1 RAM/storage SKU each, which are 6/128GB and 8/256GB respectively. Their colors are also new to the brand, and seem to be a point on which the leaks went just slightly wrong. The anticipated ‘Teal’ shade is in fact called Phantom Blue, although it does have greenish undertones. It is joined by an equally Phantom Black on the 20 Pro, which is a subtle blend of this color and purple. The ‘white’ – Icelandic White, to be precise – shade is exclusive to the Honor 20, as it turns out. All 3 new shades are developed using Dynamic Holographic Design, as promised.

Honor failed to mention when or where the 20 and 20 Pro would become available for sale. However, it did outline the new phones’ pricing scheme: the base 20 costs €499 (or US$557), whereas the Pro variant is €599 (US$669).