As a reviewer of smartphones and gadgets, I am privileged to use a significant number of phones across a number of different manufacturers.

The Honor View 20 is a phone that has surpassed all my expectations. Here’s why.

Main Review

First up, full disclosure. Honor provided me with a loan device for the purpose of this review. After the loan period, I enjoyed the phone so much I bought my own View 20 in phantom blue. Some of you will know that I have a Pixel 3 XL. I have now sold this and will be replacing it with my own Honor View 20. That’s how impressed I am with this phone!

So below are the key aspects of the Honor View 20 that have stood out for me.

Battery – In real daily use the battery life whether on wifi or 4g is astonishing. Today, I am likely to end with around 9 hours screen on time from coming off charge at 6.00am this morning. I have watched a movie on it, streamed from Netflix, streamed Tidal MQA Master quality audio into a USB DAC ( iFi Audio xDSD ) , messaged, browsed, played games and so much more. The fact it comes with a super charger plug which gives 50% recharging in 30 mins is really the icing on the cake. Compared to my Pixel 3 XL, the Honor View 20 totally crushes it. The Pixel 3 XL would only manage 4 hours screen on time.

Signal strength – whether on wifi, cellular, GPS or bluetooth, the phone just has remarkable coverage. This is likely due to the 3 bands for wifi and the double GPS signal system. Bluetooth is the latest version 5, with LDAC Hi-Res Codec support. Wifi calling all works a treat.

Screen. It’s a big 6.4 inch IPS screen that nearly goes edge to edge. That’s is what is feel like when watching YouTube or movies that fill the entire screen with just a hole punch for the front camera. Face unlock works instantly as does the rear fingerprint sensor.

Cameras. These are amazing. The rear cameras consist of a 48mp and 3D Time of Flight Sensor. The front camera is 25mp. My dedicated camera review is below. I have been out several times and taken shots with my Pixel 3 XL and Honor View 20. I then did a blind viewing with several people and 75% of the time, the View 20 was the winner. I subsequently have done more tests and ended up preferring the Honor View 20 shots. Add to the fact the diversity of camera modes makes this one blockbuster of a phone for taking pictures. Even the video is good especially at 1080p with all the Video AI modes.

Audio. The Honor View 20 has a 3.5mm headphone jack and its really good. Here’s why and more on the audio aspects of the phone.

Other features – It is great for making actual phone calls. It has an infra red blaster, great for adjusting the volume on my TV.

Price. It costs £499 for the 128gb version and £579 for the 256gb version. Link at end to Amazon where you can currently order and get a free Honor Watch Magic smartwatch. The Honor Watch Magic is worth around £155. When you think that Apple charge £1,149 for their 256gb iPhone XS Max, that’s a huge difference.

Camera Samples

The above shot was taken using the Aperture mode which allows post photo to adjust the focus point and blur from f/0.95 to f/16.

The above traffic trails light painting mode is so easy to use. For this a tripod is needed or a firm surface. This mode is built in to the default camera app.

The above is a hand held night mode. No tripod needed.

Main Video Review

Additional Articles on the Honor View 20

The Barbican Historic Harbour Shot on the Honor View 20

Can your phone deliver this level of battery performance on 4G?

Portishead Quay Marine – Long Exposure Night Shots

Trip to London – Shots of Hyde Park

Honor View 20 – Secret Extra Night Mode discovered

Honor View 20 – Check out these battery stats

Conclusion

This phone sits at the top of my tree for recommendations. The sum of its parts creates a superb user experience.

Available from Amazon UK