Update [September 10, 2018]: Huawei has started rolling out a new update that installs the call recording feature to the Honor 7C following a public outcry. The feature is rolling out as part of a new update that brings software version 8.0.0.160(C675CUSTC675D1) to the device, which is based on Android 8.0 Oreo. The update also installs August 2018 security patch.

Original post…

The Honor 7C is the latest budget phone from the Huawei-owned Chinese company and it comes as a variant of the Honor 7X that has been selling globally for months now. It also succeeds last year’s Honor 6C, meaning you’ll be getting much of the same functionality, but there are also a good number of premium features the Honor 7C packs that will for sure surprise you, especially at this price point.

Valued at just 899 Yuan in China (about $140) and confirmed for the UK market priced at £170, the Honor 7C is one of the few phones you can find in this price range rocking a well-made body crafted from a blend of aluminum and 2.5D tampered glass, a design language we’ve gotten used to associating with high-end phones.

The specs

  • 5.99-inch 18:9 HD+ FullView display
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor
  • 3GB RAM and 32GB storage (SD card slot)
  • Dual 13MP + 2MP main camera
  • 8MP front camera
  • 3000 non-removable battery
  • Android 8.0 Oreo with EMUI 8.0
  • Extras: Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted scanner, double-tap to wake, etc.

Besides rocking a premium-like build that comes in three finishes of black, gold, and the impressive blue, the Honor 7C also packs some punch for a phone we expect to get a global price tag of between $150 and $200. The huge FullView display screen is only let down by the low 1440 x 720 pixels resolution, but once again, at this price point, you can’t really complain.

Is that all the Honor 7C has to offer? Of course not! Honor has equipped the 7C with a myriad of other features that are typically reserved for the premium market. To help you get to know them better, here are the top 5 Honor 7C features we think you need to know before buying the phone.

Top 5 Honor 7C features

Dual-lens camera

It’s only a year or so ago that dual-lens cameras were exclusive to phones that cost an upwards of $750. However, you only need a fraction of this amount to get your hands on the Honor 7C, which rocks a dual-lens camera that lets you add some cool depth-of-field effects to your photos.

Of course, the quality of shots you get on the Honor 7C is nothing close to what you get with the dual-lens setup on the Galaxy S9 Plus or even Honor’s very own, the View 10, but it feels great to know that at any price point, you can have a phone that offers the feature you want most – dual-lens camera.

Face Unlock

Another premium feature that has also found its way to the budget segment is facial recognition. Popularly known as Face Unlock, the Honor 7C also supports this biometric authentication feature that opens the gates to your phone by scanning your face.

Honor says you only need a simple glance at the phone to unlock it, unfortunately, you won’t be getting Face Unlock out of the box, rather, it will come at a later date via an OTA update. Meanwhile, you can still use the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for the same purposes.

Dual Bluetooth

Have you ever wanted to connect your phone to a Bluetooth speaker to enjoy some music and still keep the calls coming in through your Bluetooth headset, only to end up disconnecting the headset in the process of connecting the speaker? Well, Huawei Honor 7C has a solution for this and it’s called dual Bluetooth.

With dual Bluetooth, Honor 7C users will be able to stream audio to two Bluetooth devices at the same time, meaning you will no longer end up with a disconnected Bluetooth headset when you attempt to add a second Bluetooth device (speaker) to your phone.

It’s worth noting that the ability to stream to multiple devices is supported in Bluetooth 5.0, but the Honor 7C uses Bluetooth 4.2, which kinda makes it unique (alongside the Honor 7A).

Dual-SIM support and dedicated microSD slot

Dual-SIM connectivity isn’t new on smartphones, but most OEMs choose hybrid SIM card slots over dedicated slots. In the former case, you get a dual-SIM smartphone where the second SIM card slot can be used as for microSD card storage. The result of this is that you can’t have two SIM cards and a memory card on your phone at the same time. As for the latter case, each entity has an individual slot, meaning you get a third slot that is dedicated to microSD card storage.

Well, the Honor 7C is on the latter bandwagon, allowing users to expand the available 32GB of internal storage by up to 256GB. Although the 7C has another variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage (priced at 1299 Yuan or $205), it’s unlikely this one will be leaving China.

Real-time audio monitoring

For people who love recording themselves when singing or even talking, you’ll love this one. With the Honor 7C, you can connect your earphones and listen to yourself as the recording proceeds, thus bringing a studio-like experience right in your hand.

Of course, there are plenty of other features the Honor 7C packs, but most (if not all) are courtesy of the company’s latest EMUI 8.0 skin. We are talking things like uninterrupted gaming mode, One-Click Split, One-handed mode (very useful on such a big-screen device), Navigation Dock, double-tap screen to wake, and more.

Do you agree with our top 5 Honor 7C features? Let us know in your comments below