The Galaxy Note 9 isn’t the only new Note phone we should expect in 2018, as Honor is going one better and apparently releasing the Honor Note 10. While it’s so far only rumored for China, Honor often releases versions of these devices internationally at a later date, and with the IFA tech show in Berlin around a month away, it’s possible the Chinese Honor Note 10 is the shape of international things to come.
Design
Honor has been talking about the Note 10 for several weeks, and Honor’s George Zhao has said the phone is the result of two years’ work. It has not given any hints about the design, however, but one leaked photo shows the phone will probably not have a screen notch. It is difficult to assess the size of the device from the picture.
What’s more, Honor may have struck a deal with none other than luxury car brand Rolls-Royce to release a specially branded version of the Honor Note 10. A leaked picture shows a silver phone with a mirrored finish, and the Rolls-Royce logo in line with the fingerprint sensor and the dual camera lenses.
Rolls-Royce is very protective of its brand, and we’re quite surprised to see its name on the back of any phone, let alone Honor, which is usually marketed with images of skateboarders, BMX cyclists, and, “the brave.” We look forward to seeing if this is real, and how Rolls-Royce influences the final product.
Specifications
Honor itself has started teasing the phone in China, with a poster stating the phone will have a positively giant 5,000mAh battery. A 4,000mAh battery is considered large by modern smartphone standards, so a 5,000mAh cell will have the battery-obsessed already salivating at the prospect of fewer charging sessions. The poster also talks about cooling technology to keep the device operating normally.
With such a large battery inside, it will come as no surprise to read the phone itself will be similarly massive. The phone has been certified by TENAA in China, where all devices pass through ahead of release, and the specs listed state the screen will measure 6.95-inches, which elevates it to almost tablet-status, and way beyond most other Honor and Huawei phones recently. The Super AMOLED panel has a 2220 x 1080 pixel resolution, suggesting an 18:9 aspect ratio, so depending on the size of the bezels the phone may still be relatively compact. Not small, obviously, but potentially manageable.
A dual-lens camera with 24 megapixels and 16 megapixels is expected on the back, with a 13-megapixel camera on the front, while Huawei’s Kirin 970 chip will provide the power. This will likely add the artificial intelligence features seen on other Kirin 970 phones, such as the Honor 10 and the Huawei P20 Pro. Two versions are rumored: One with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space, and a second with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Honor will reveal the Honor Note 10 on July 31 in China. It will announce a new device at IFA 2018 on August 30.