Update [September 10, 2018]: After numerous requests, Huawei is now rolling out the call recording feature to the Honor 7A as software version 8.0.0.160(C675CUSTC675D1), which is based on Android 8.0 Oreo.

Original post…

Huawei is the third-leading smartphone vendor in the world and this is mostly because of the sheer number of devices the company is able to churn out annually. The company’s popularity is evident in every smartphone category, be it the high-end market, midrange or even the entry-level side of things. Well, this is becoming true for Honor, a subsidiary of Huawei, which has just launched two new budget phones – the Honor 7A and Honor 7C, the latter of which is captured here.

The Honor 7A is the entry-level variant of the two, but both are variants of the Honor 7X that was unveiled last year. This has been the case for the past several years and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

So, what does this year’s Huawei Honor 7A has to offer? First, let’s take a look at the specs, price, and availability.

Honor 7A specs, price and availability

  • 5.7-inch 18:9 HD+ FullView display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor
  • 2GB RAM and 32GB storage (SD card slot)
  • 13MP main camera and 8MP front camera
  • 3000mAh non-removable battery
  • Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0

The Honor 7A is available in India priced at INR 8,999 and in the UK, it’s valued at £140 (approximately $200) while in China, it goes for 799 Yuan, which translates to about $126.

With specs, price and availability matters off our hands, we dug a little deeper into what the Honor 7A has to offer. The result of this excavation is this list of 7 things we think you probably didn’t know about the new phone. And we’ve shared them all below.

7 things you probably didn’t know about Honor 7A

There’s a dual-lens camera variant

As you may have noticed from the list of specs, the Honor 7A is missing out on a dual-lens camera, which is unusual in this time and age, even for devices costing as little as the Honor 7A. Well, surprise! The 7A happens to come in at least two variants and apparently, the rest of the globe will get one variant and China will get another variant.

As it is, there is a dual-lens camera variant, which gets a second 2MP lens to partner the 13MP unit we already know about. However, it’s limited to the Chinese market. Furthermore, this variant has 3GB RAM and not 2GB like the rest of the globe, but you still get the same 32GB of expandable storage.

Face Unlock is disabled out of the box

Since OnePlus followed in the footsteps of Apple and started offering Android users a Face Unlock feature, pretty much every other Android smartphone vendor is doing the same, even if the feature is not as good as iPhone X’s Face ID.

Huawei’s Honor is one such vendor and we’ve seen it push the feature to a myriad of its phones via software updates. Well, the Honor 7A won’t be any different, where the Face Unlock feature, although present out of the box, will be enabled via a software update at a later time.

Dual SIM and dedicated microSD slot

We’ve seen many Android smartphones that offer both dual-SIM connectivity and expandable storage on the same phone, but the implementation is sometimes different. Rather than opt for a hybrid slot where a second SIM card can only be accommodated in the event that the user doesn’t have or need a microSD card in the phone, Honor 7A has three slots – two for SIM cards and one dedicated to microSD storage.

In this way, you can have your data-preferred SIM card, your call-preferred SIM card as well as your entire collection of music stored on a microSD card all in one phone at the same time, which is both cool and convenient at the same time.

Dual Bluetooth

When Bluetooth 5.0 came to life several months ago, one of the standout features was to let users connect to more than one device at the same time. In this way, you can stream music to one Bluetooth speaker and use the second speaker to make a call.

Well, Huawei has found a way to bring this functionality to the Honor 7A, which uses Bluetooth 4.2 technology. Thanks to what the company calls Dual Bluetooth, users of the 7A will be able to stream audio to two Bluetooth devices at the same time. Cool huh!

Audio can be as loud as 88dB

Today, it’s becoming very hard to find notable differences between smartphones from various vendors. To stand out, some OEMs are turning to specific features of phones and while there’s so much attention on the camera, there are those who value audio quality most.

If this is you and your budget is a little too tight, the Honor 7A could be your answer. According to the company, the phone has a high-power Smart PA amplifier mated with turbo-charged speakers that promise audio as loud as 88dB. The phone even comes with a group music mode that lets users build a surround-sound speaker array by connecting up to eight Honor 7A phones.

No NFC, USB-C or fast charging, but there’s a fingerprint scanner

Although the market is now more inclined towards the use of USB-C and NFC connectivity standards, the Honor 7A’s asking price makes it understandable that it doesn’t have either feature. Unfortunately, you still get to deal with the aging microUSB port, but on the good side, you get the 3.5mm audio jack alongside a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Also, another disappointing aspect of the Honor 7A is the lack of fast charging on a 3000mAh battery unit. But once again, the price of the phone is enough to justify this omission.

Real-time audio monitoring for Karaoke on the go

According to Huawei, “the Honor 7A offers real-time audio monitoring through your earbuds and supports SWS3.1 virtual bass, allowing you to replicate the recording studio experience and hear your own voice while recording your singing.”

So, what do you think about the Honor 7A? Share your thoughts via the comments section below.