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However, with both the Huawei Nova 9 and Honor 5 in front of us, it’s clear that Honor hasn’t been able to distinguish the software in time for its new worldwide flagship launch. The core Huawei apps (email, browser, etc) are virtually similar throughout both phones, even showcasing the very same illustrations guiding you through very first use.

The Honor 50 video camera is likewise even worse than that of the Nova 9. This could be down to the various sensors used across both phones and might also show Honor’s lack of access to Huawei’s photography processing IP.

More disconcerting, the phone’s “exclusive” Honor-engineered cam feature, Multi-channel Video Architecture, which permits 2 video cameras to feed into a split-screen video, is virtually similar to the Nova 9’s Vlog mode. Yes, there’s a slightly various UI, however the options are the same: picture-in-picture, front/rear, and rear/rear video.

In China, the Honor 50 launched before the Nova 9 did, so, technically, Honor did get there first. Scraping the barrel with camera modes within modes highlights the struggle Honor is dealing with to distinguish in its post-Huawei state.

This difficulty was inevitable. Honor needs to remodel its entire offering. It can’t shut shop, and why would it? As the No. 3 smart device maker in China, it has existing consumers to service and upsell to.

As the company goes through an uncomfortable puberty, the question stays: Is there hope for the Honor brand outside China? Early indications are mixed. On the one hand, Honor is taking positive actions, revealing that a redesign of MagicUI, the reproduction of Huawei’s EMUI, remains in the works. It has likewise today revealed the opening of its own production plant to make its own products. On the other hand, we’ve yet to see a gadget manufactured totally by Honor, so the next few handsets that release will certainly expose more than the Honor 50 does.

The main issues really do boil down to R&D and production. A market insider tells WIRED “one factor OnePlus and Realme shared numerous design qualities and/or charging innovations with OPPO was due to the fact that OnePlus needed to use the OPPO lines of manufacture, and the devices used there are incredibly expensive.”

Certainly, many of the good ideas about the Honor 50 are its Huawei characteristics: superior style, quickly charging, and an excellent display. We do not know what phones Honor in fact makes, or who Honor is as a brand anymore.

Confronted with the Herculean task of maintaining its clients; defining its new, Huawei-free brand name identity; cementing tactical partnerships; creating a portfolio of items; plugging IP holes; and handling circulation, to name simply a couple of priorities– all in a market dealing with element scarcities– the stakes are high. CounterPoint research VP Neil Shah puts it clearly:” [Honor] has actually succeeded in China. Duplicating this success outside is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.”

More Great WIRED Stories

At the launch event for the Honor 50, its brand-new flagship smartphone (a rebadged Huawei Nova 9 with a somewhat different cam), it worried that it has actually secured more than 1,100 long-lasting cooperation agreements with tactical partners and over 30 providers. With both the Huawei Nova 9 and Honor 5 in front of us, it’s clear that Honor hasn’t been able to differentiate the software in time for its new international flagship launch. The Honor 50 cam is also worse than that of the Nova 9. In China, the Honor 50 launched prior to the Nova 9 did, so, technically, Honor did get there. Most of the great things about the Honor 50 are its Huawei characteristics: exceptional design, quick charging, and a terrific display.