latest
Read update
- According to some Twitter users, Oreo is also available in France and Germany for the Honor 8, though owners may have to access the update via Huawei's HiSuite.
Honor 8 users are on a bit of an emotional roller coaster when it comes to getting Android 8 Oreo. In January, they were told that the 2016 device would not receive Android Oreo at all, even though the Honor 8 Lite and Honor 8 Pro were getting the new OS version, due to "hardware and software limitations." That didn't really sit well with anyone, though, and a few months later the Honor 8 Android Oreo beta arrived in China, before rolling out to the public in July, alongside builds for a variety of other Honor and Huawei devices. Now, the Oreo update has finally arrived for users in India.
Huawei's been releasing Oreo betas for several of its phones, but we still haven't heard much about updates for Honor-branded devices. Now Huawei has published a list of all the devices that Oreo is being developed for. Oddly, the Honor 8 is mentioned in spite of a confirmation from Honor India on Twitter that the phone wouldn't be getting Oreo.
Huawei's Honor sub-brand has been responsible for some nice pieces of hardware over the years, but the software always seems to lag behind. Just recently, the Honor 7X launched with Nougat when it should by all rights have had Oreo. Owners of the Honor 8 are also getting some bad Oreo news—they won't see Oreo at all. At least, this is what Honor's Indian Twitter account is telling people.
Read update
One of the most important features included in Android 8.0 Oreo is 'Project Treble,' Google's attempt to modularize Android. We covered it in detail here, but in a nutshell, Treble separates all the low-level device drivers (known as the 'vendor implementation') from the rest of Android. This makes updating phones/tablets to the latest version of Android much easier for manufacturers, as long as they already support Treble.
Read update
- Amazon has gone ahead and matched B&H's price of 9.99. Again, this is only for the white model, but if you prefer purchasing from Amazon, here you go.
The Honor 8 deserves a lot more credit than it gets. Sure, EMUI still isn't as nice as stock Android, but it's very fast, has a great dual camera setup, and gets awesome battery life. Plus, it's getting cheap; you can now get a 64GB model for just $279.99 - a full $170 off MSRP - from B&H.We posted about a deal on the Honor 8 from B&H just a few days ago, but this one allows you to save an additional $20 on top of that discount. As a recap, the Honor 8 has a 5.2" 1080p IPS display, a Kirin 950, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with microSD expansion, dual 12MP rear cameras, an 8MP selfie shooter, and a 3000mAh battery. Not bad at all for $279.99.The 32GB Honor 8 is actually back up to $269.99 at B&H now, so you'll get an additional 32GB of storage for just $10 extra. Only the white color is eligible for this discount, as was the case before. Expedited shipping is free, and tax is only charged if you live in NY or NJ. Check the source link to grab an Honor 8 of your own.
Read update
The Honor 8 is a great phone - it looks good, it's well-specced, and its software was greatly improved with the Nougat update. It's a bit confusing why it's dropped to such low prices, but hey, we're not going to complain. B&H currently has both 32GB and 64GB variants of the Honor 8 for just $249.99 and $299.99, respectively, which is $150 off the MSRP of both models.
Huawei and Honor mostly sneak under the radar here in the United States, but they still make some solid Android devices. The Honor 6X already appeared on sale as part of Amazon's Prime Day, but a few other devices from Huawei are discounted too.First up is the Huawei Mate 9, which is $449.99 ($150 off). If you're unfamiliar with it, the Mate 9 has a Kirin 960 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 5.9" 1080p screen, and a 4,000mAh battery. We reviewed the phone back in January, and while Huawei's EMUI skin left a bit to be desired, the phone has a solid battery life with a clean design. It shipped with Android 7.0, but as far as I can tell, there isn't a 7.1 update yet.Two of Huawei's wearables are also on sale - the Huawei FIT and Huawei Watch 2. The former is $69.99 ($60 off), and the latter starts at $209.99 ($90-110 off, depending on the model). I'm not really sure if the Watch 2 is worth it even at the lower price, but I'll leave you to our review and let you decide. The better-looking Watch 2 Classic is also discounted, so that might be a better option.Let us know in the comments if you pick any of these up. Or you can talk about how your day is going, that's cool too.
Read update
- The 64GB on Amazon has gone up to $379, which is still okay-ish. Newegg has a 0 discount on the 64GB model with coupon code HONOROFF64. That brings the price down to $319.99 ($449.99 regular price).
The Honor 8 has always been a very, very pretty phone. But the software was a serious drawback until just recently. Huawei rolled out Nougat to this phone a few weeks ago, and it improved the experience greatly. If that sounds like something you want to check out, the Honor 8 is on sale today for over $100 off.The Honor 8 is still a budget unlocked phone, but it competes more with the OnePlus 3 than it does with the Moto G4/5. It has dual 12MP cameras, 4GB of RAM, a Kirin 950, and a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD. It also has a fingerprint sensor on the back, and it's great.This phone appears to be on sale all over, but by far the best deals are on Amazon currently. The 32GB version of the phone can be had for as little as $285.05 ($115 off). That's for the white version. If you want black, it's $296.80 and the blue is $310.01. The 64GB is cheapest if you get the black model, which is $324.99 ($125 off). The white is $389.97 and the blue is $350. The gold (only available in 64GB) is on sale for $325.74.You can also get the phone on sale via Honor, B&H, and Best Buy, but none of them are as cheap.
True to its word, Honor says that Nougat/EMUI 5 is rolling out to the Honor 8 starting today (February 11). This comes via the official Twitter account and is great news for owners of the mid-range device.
Nougat has been out for a few months now and several devices have already received the new version of Android, or will be in the coming months. Well, we can add the Honor 8 to that list. Huawei has said that the budget phone will be getting Android 7.0 with EMUI 5 in tow sometime in February.
The Huawei Honor 8 just made our list of the most wanted midrange phones of 2016 (between $250 and $500) because of its impressive specs at a price that can go down to $300 sometimes. Well, now is one of those times. The Honor 8 is being discounted at several online retailers with lots of free goodies to sweeten the deal even further.
Read update
- B&H is now including a $25 gift card as well, and Amazon is taking $30 off ($25 off the blue model) the already-discounted $289.99 and throwing in a free Dr. Strange gift box that includes the Dr. Strange case that Newegg is throwing in, as well as two comic books, when the phone is added to the cart. Thanks, Wolf0491 and SSyar.
The Honor 8 suffers an affliction that many Chinese phones are prone to: excellent hardware let down by poorly-made software. However, thanks to a beta of EMUI 5 that supposedly improves the software a bunch, the phone may be worth considering now - especially with this Black Friday deal. If a $110 discount on both the 32GB and 64GB models wasn't enough, Newegg is also throwing in the most amount of things I've ever seen bundled with a phone.Here's a list of all the extras Newegg's throwing in:
TWRP has long been the leading custom recovery for Android smartphones. You can flash ROMs, manage local files, install custom themes, and backup/restore your whole device. TWRP is also great because it's easily ported to other devices, and as evidence of that, the project has begun supporting three new phones.
Huawei has made some great hardware, but the software is another story. The EMUI Android skin has been consistently sluggish, confusing, and redundant. Huawei has been promising a big redesign in EMUI 5.0, and now users of the Honor 8 have a shot at trying it out. You have to apply for inclusion in the beta test, and you can do so (oddly) at XDA.
Less than a month ago, Huawei released the Honor 8, a rebodied P9, in the US. David reviewed the phone and found that while it has solid hardware, the software in its current state is severely flawed. If you're willing to wait for the supposedly completely revamped EMUI 5 to come out, you can grab an Honor 8 from Newegg for just 9.99 with a coupon code and also get a pair of headphones and a clear case for free.
Read update
- Although it was suspected, it is now confirmed that the Honor 5X will benefit from this commitment from Honor, thus guaranteeing it'll receive software updates for at least 24 months from its release, just like the Honor 8. The policy and the devices included in it can be viewed on the HiHonor site.
Most OEMs don't have much of a reputation for providing timely and consistent OS updates. There are a few exceptions here and there — LG's V20 is set to become the first non-Nexus smartphone to launch with Nougat sometime around September — but while there may be a growing trend for devices to receive major updates shortly after they're released, it is much rarer to see them getting software support for more than a year or so. Only last year did Google begin promising 3 years of security updates and 2 years of major OS updates for all Nexus phones and tablets — which is still almost half as long as an iPhone's lifecycle.
Although the Honor 8 was revealed more than a month ago in China, it's just now been introduced to the US. Honor is calling this its first flagship for America, so it had better impress. The company is specifically toting the 8's 12MP dual camera system (no Leica branding?), the snappy fingerprint sensor, and the performance.
The Honor 8 is Huawei's newest offering announced yesterday from China. It seems to compete with Huawei's own recent flagship, the P9, on every dimension except two: build quality (glass back vs. unibody construction) and price (this one is about 30% cheaper). We covered the P9 back in April, and the Honor 8 really is almost identical as you can see from the specs: