Huawei Honor 2 (U9508) or an almost ideal smartphone from the Middle Kingdom

Many people don’t mind purchasing a device with flagship technical characteristics, but at the price of a gadget from the middle price segment. It played quite successfully on this by releasing its model “Honor 2” to the market.

Already on the first day of the announcement, the number of pre-orders for the phone exceeded one million. Besides the excellent price-quality ratio, what else does the Chinese device that has quickly gained popularity hide?

Below is a brief overview focusing on the main disadvantages and advantages of the 2013 model, which is still popular all over the world.

Equipment

After purchasing a gadget, a person will find in the box a sparse list of accessories and the smartphone itself from Huawei, model “Honor 2”.
Scroll:

1. Smartphone "Honor 2";

2. The future owner of the gadget can guess about the scarcity of accessories from the small dimensions of the box;

3. The packaging contains the characteristics of the device;

4. Inside it are: adapter, USB cable, instructions.

It should be noted that the adapter is equipped with a specific plug.

The problem of a non-standard power supply is solved by purchasing an adapter.

If you couldn’t find an adapter, you can charge it using the supplied data cable by connecting it to the USB of your computer.

A capacious 2150 mAh battery is responsible for the good battery life of the gadget.

Instructions for Huawei Honor 2 U9508

Huawei official website?

You have come to the right place, because all the information from the official Huawei website, as well as a lot of other useful content, is collected here.

How to find out the current Android version?

Settings—> About phone :: Android version (a few clicks on the item will launch the “Easter egg”) [Out of the box Android OS version is 4.0].

We continue to configure the smartphone

How to update drivers on Huawei

Go to the driver section for Huawei Honor 2 U9508

How to find out the kernel version

You need to go to “Settings -> About phone -> Kernel version”

How to enable Russian keyboard layout

Go to the section “Settings—> Language and input—> Select language”

How to connect 4g or switch to 2G, 3G

“Settings—> More—> Mobile network—> Data transfer”

What to do if you turned on child mode and forgot your password

Need to reset

How to enable voice dialing

Go to “Settings—> Language and keyboard—> section (keyboard and input methods)—> check the box next to “Google voice input”

How to disable auto-rotate screen?

Settings—>Display :: Auto-rotate screen (uncheck)

How to set a melody for an alarm clock?

Read the instructions for installing sounds on SMS and MMS

How to reduce/increase brightness?

Settings—>Display—>Brightness—>right (increase); left (decrease); AUTO (automatic adjustment).

How to enable energy saving mode?

Settings—> Battery—> Energy saving (check the box)

Enable display of battery charge status as a percentage

Settings—> Battery—> Battery Charge

How to transfer phone numbers from a SIM card to the phone memory? Importing numbers from a SIM card

1. Go to the Contacts app
2. Click on the “Options” button -> select “Import/Export”
3. Select where you want to import contacts from -> “Import from SIM card”

How to add a contact to the blacklist or block a phone number?

detailed instructions

How to set up the Internet if the Internet does not work (for example, MTS, Beeline, Tele2, Life)

1. You can contact the operator
2. Or read the instructions for setting up the Internet

How to set a ringtone for a subscriber so that each number has its own melody

Go to the Contacts application -> Select the desired contact -> click on it -> open the menu (3 vertical dots) -> Set ringtone

How to disable or enable key vibration feedback?

Go to Settings—>Language and input—>Android keyboard or Google keyboard—>Vibration response of keys (uncheck or uncheck)

How to set a ringtone for an SMS message or change alert sounds?

Read the instructions for installing sounds on SMS and MMS

How to find out what processor is on Honor 2 U9508?

You need to look at the characteristics of the Honor 2 U9508 (link above). We know that in this modification of the device the chipset is HiSilicon K3V2, 1400 MHz.

How to enable USB debugging?

Settings—> Developers—> USB Debugging

If there is no “For Developers” item?

Follow the instructions on how to enable developer mode

How to enable mobile Internet?

Settings—> Data transfer—> Mobile traffic. Settings—> More—> Mobile network—> 3G/4G services (if the operator does not support, select only 2G)

How to change or add input language on the keyboard?

Settings—> Language and input—> Android keyboard—> settings icon—> Input languages ​​(check the box next to the ones you need)

Appearance of the device

After a quick glance at the design of the brainchild of Huawei under the symbol “u9508” that we analyzed, critics unanimously shouted about the complete lack of individuality in the design solutions of engineers from the Middle Kingdom.

Of course, it’s hard to disagree with them, since the manufacturer placed the main emphasis not on appearance, but on build quality, performance of components and ease of use; the gadget does not evoke aesthetic delight.

As a result, the appearance of the smartphone does not differ in anything remarkable. A display diagonal size close to five inches, popular among users, is used.

The large screen creates inconvenience when carrying the device in trouser pockets. Men are better off using the chest pockets, but ladies can easily squeeze it into their handbags.

The plastic used does not allow Honor 2 to slip out of your hands. When pressing hard on the back cover, the case creaks, however, no more defects can be detected. The gadget is assembled soundly with minimal gaps.

The front of the gadget is almost completely covered with glass (with the exception of a narrow speaker slot), so the absence of physical buttons does not cause any inconvenience when wiping the screen from marks.

You should immediately pay attention to the advantage of the display, which does not collect fingerprints after touching it, because the manufacturer took care of the oleophobic coating.

The user does not have to frequently wipe the screen. Another advantage of the glass used is its scratch resistance.

The front camera can be seen through the front panel of the product. Next to the front camera there are light and proximity sensors. The presence of an LED notification adds convenience to the use of the gadget. Touch keys are installed under the screen.

The left end is completely devoid of keys; only a micro-USB connector is installed here.

Sound level rocker and On/Off button placed on the right side surface of the device.

At the back there are two loudspeakers and a camera with flash. Below is a microphone.

Headset jack on the top end.

As you can see, the design solutions can be called down-to-earth. They are focused only on the functionality and durability of the device.

Huawei Honor 2 :: Review :: Impressions and conclusions

The battery life of the smartphone under classic user load conditions (up to an hour of conversations, a dozen or two messages, periodic checking of mail and social networks, half an hour of music and rare camera shooting) is about a day and a half. The indicator is not bad, but the battery is also impressive.

The level of network reception was not satisfactory: there were no unauthorized losses or interruptions in communication, and when exiting the metro, the smartphone quickly caught it. The call volume is not bad, but not ideal: it is enough for most usage scenarios, but we did not see any reserve. The vibration alert is similar, average in power. The speaker in tandem with the microphone did not disappoint: the interlocutors were audible both on a busy street and in an office environment, and the interlocutors did not ask us questions.

Let's sum it up: if the body and hardware features of a smartphone are now rarely surprising, then something new in terms of the interface is always interesting, especially if the interface is not just a shell, which, moreover, cannot be turned off. The solution from Huawei is bold, but workable: it has some rough edges like the lack of circular scrolling and a limited number of desktops, but there are no fewer advantages, both functional and graphical. Judging by the responses of respondents, it will take a day or two to “relearn” from bare Android to Emotion UI, but then there are no problems in usability and even vice versa. Overall, Huawei Honor 2 for 14,000 rubles turned out to be an interesting product in the middle segment, the killer feature of which is not the hardware, but the software, which will even take into account the wishes of its users (the address for feedback, by the way, is https://www.facebook.com/ Huaweiemui).

Characteristics

As already mentioned in the preamble of this article, the Chinese set the cost of their brainchild to the corresponding average category, and equipped it with hardware that could outshine the flagships of 2012.

The screen has HD resolution (IPS technology), but without an anti-glare filter, so bright light sources, when reflected, interfere with viewing the image displayed on the display.

The most fastidious users will not be able to detect graininess even when closely examining the image.

The picture is absolutely smooth and does not strain the eyes at the sharpest viewing angles. The gamma curve confirms the absence of blockages in shadows and highlights.

The touchscreen can handle 5 simultaneous touches. The brightness value at the maximum level reaches 430 cd/m², and the lowest is only 8 cd/m².

As a result, the manufacturer has achieved the ability to use the gadget in bright light, and by setting it to minimum, you can comfortably use it in a completely dark room.

The automatic brightness adjustment is fast. When changing the level of illumination, Honor 2 users do not have to manually set a comfortable screen brightness level. This advantage partially compensates for the lack of anti-glare filters.

The narrow color gamut compared to sRGB spoils the impression.

Huawei, justifying itself with low energy costs to maintain high display brightness, sacrificed the deterioration of color reproduction.

But ΔE and color temperature are stable.

As a result, the color balance looks great to the naked human eye.

What's hidden inside the device?

A quad-core K3V2 processor with a clock frequency of 1.4 GHz is installed, which will not allow you to lose face when working with resource-intensive applications.

RAM 1 Gb (this is in gadgets supplied to Russia, and if ordered from the Middle Kingdom, then 2 Gb). Built-in memory 8 Gb (you can’t do without an additional Micro-CD).

The manufacturer provides the entire list of modern communication capabilities.

Review of the Huawei Honor 2 smartphone

Today we will talk about Huawei Honor 2. This smartphone model is the successor to Honor Pro and went on sale in the Chinese market in November 2012, and became available for Europe in April 2013. Huawei Honor 2 is a mid-class smartphone and the filling of 2012 flagships. A version with 1 GB of RAM is officially available for Russia. It is worth noting that on the first day of pre-orders the company received more than 1 million applications and this became its first record in this area.

Housing and appearance of the device

The Honor 2 case is made of soft touch plastic. And the first thing you notice when you take the smartphone in your hand is that the build quality is not entirely high-quality, namely the creaky back cover of the device. On the rear panel there is an 8 MP camera with BSI back illumination that produces images of average quality. An additional microphone is located above the camera. At the bottom there are slots for 2 speakers with fairly loud and high-quality sound.

Under the cover there is a 2150 mAh battery, the charge of which is enough for a day of active use or for 2 days with a light load on the smartphone. Above the battery there are slots for a SIM card and a microSD card.

On the right side of the smartphone, at the very top, there is a power button and just below the volume rocker. On the left side there is only a microUSB connector. At the top of the smartphone there is a standard 3.5 mm mini-jack headphone jack, and at the bottom there is the main microphone.

On the front of the smartphone there is a speaker, and next to it are proximity sensors, lighting sensors and an LED notifier. Also on the front, the manufacturer installed a 1.3 MP front camera, the quality of which is quite sufficient for video calls. Below the screen there are touch buttons, which can be called a plus, since they do not take up space on the display.

The screen diagonal of Honor 2 is 4.5 inches with HD resolution (1280 x 720) and is made using IPS technology. The screen has good viewing angles and the pixel density is 326 ppi. When using a smartphone, the picture is smooth and pleasant. Those who are accustomed to AMOLED backlighting may find that the colors are not rich and the picture is a little pale. In general, the smartphone screen is of fairly good quality.

Specifications

Huawei Honor 2 is equipped with a processor of the company's own production - a 4-core HiSilicon K3V2 with a frequency of 1.4 GHz, which is paired with a 16-core HTI 16 Vivante GC 4000 graphics accelerator. The European version of the device is equipped with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of main memory. The smartphone runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with the proprietary EMUI shell installed on top. The developers have perfectly optimized the firmware, which ensures smooth operation of the device and saves battery power. The performance test results can be seen in the video review of Huawei Honor 2, which is provided below. In power-hungry games, the graphics accelerator did not perform well, although they run smoothly. Poor graphics optimization made itself known when it came to heavy textures and frames per second.

Examples of pictures from the Huawei Honor 2 camera

Conclusion

We cannot recommend Huawei Honor 2 as a gaming device, even despite its good characteristics. The developers did a great job optimizing the operating system, but the same cannot be said about the graphics. After all, optimizing all games for Honor 2 is an impossible task. Overall, the smartphone is good and has hardware with the characteristics of 2012 flagships. Still, there were some complaints. Despite the good characteristics for that time, the assembly of the device itself let us down. But if you don’t pay attention to these shortcomings, then Huawei Honor 2 can serve as a fast device with a good battery life.

Below you can watch a video review of Huawei Honor 2:

OS and software

Out of the box, the gadget comes with Android 4.0.4 firmware, which is still considered the current version, so the new owner does not need to flash the device themselves.

Experts say that the advantages of the model include equipping the gadget with the proprietary “Emotion UI” shell.

The manufacturer has installed little additional software in Huawei Honor 2, but all of them are useful. For example, Security Guard with a blacklist of people from the telephone directory and SMS blocking settings.

The utility supports file encryption.

A convenient file manager and an application for installing utilities are preinstalled.

Google Chrome and Yandex.Maps are present.

Honor 2 specifications

General features
HIGHLIGHTS

SCREEN

FRAME

Internet

Frequencies

OTHER

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) In Europe, the maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue.

Arbitrariness

Platform

MEMORY

Performance Results

BATTERY

Camera

Main camera

DxOMark account

SELFIE CAMERA

First camera

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Examples of photos from the camera

The camera automatically focuses quickly. Reportage photographs turn out acceptable.