Ever since the end of 2017, when its parent firm Huawei was clearly established as a top 3 global player, Honor, the e-brand from Huawei has been expected to make a bigger push in India too.
The brand did not disappoint when it launched the high spec Honor 7X at just Rs 12,999. Following the Honor 7x was its flagship ‘killer’, the Honor View 10, with its stunning array of features and innovations, at a sub Rs 30,000 price.
If you thought these two smartphones offered great options in their price segments, like a true leader, the Honor brand went ahead and has made a pitch to offer something that would raise the bar for everyone. With the quad phone Honor 9 Lite. At first glance, the Honor 9 Lite offers everything a premium phone in 2016 was offering till 2016, but this one is below Rs 15,000, which makes it the unquestioned challenger in the category now. So just what makes the Honor 9 Lite the surprise package in the category?
First up, the quick specs on the phone. 4 GB Ram, 64 GB memory, and quad cameras. Yes, while the quad cameras are a pleasant surprise at this price, the RAM and storage are nothing to sniff at, going up straightaway with the leaders in this category.
With an all glass look, it also pitches to be a show phone, though some people might quibble at the lack of a metal body, now fast becoming a must have in this category and beyond. But the 5.65 inch display remains one to beat.
With the firm’s own Kirin 859 Processor rated at 1.7 Gigahertz, the 13+2 Megapixel dual cameras at front and back which deliver stunning selfies and adequate pictures, the 3000mAH battery is one of the few ‘weaknesses’ that miss out on being at the top of the category.
Going by the response the firm has been touting for its flash sales on Flipkart, its exclusive partner, the handset seems to have made enough of an impact with the discerning consumer to fly off the shelves. While exact sales numbers remain unavailable, each of the flash sales has seen the devices sold out in minutes. While that points to a healthy demand and appreciation for the phone, it is clear, that along with the rest of the triumvirate of the Honor 7X and Honor View 10, the phone will need to carry the Honor brand further through 2018.
With a long term presence in the country and solid customer support etc in place, the Honor brand finally finds itself in a sweet spot to make 2018 its own, with a solid reputation, a product lineup second to none, and the enviable position of having enough in the pipeline to keep the excitement going for the full year. For that, it will need its ever increasing customer base to speak well of their experience. How they do that should be a very interesting story indeed.