Google apps officially returning to Honor phones with new Honor 50 series

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Google apps officially returning to Honor phones with new Honor 50 series
The Honor 50 series is now official in China and ahead of its international release Honor has confirmed what we’ve all be waiting to hear — Google Mobile Services are coming back to Honor smartphones!

Google is back on Honor phones and tablets!


Honor Germany technically confirmed the news in a now-deleted tweet last month, but today the return of Google is really official. And it doesn’t just apply to phones, with Honor confirming that its tablets will receive the Google treatment too.

The Honor 50 series will be available to pre-order in China on Friday, June 25. The devices are being submitted to Google for review, and once approved they’ll be able to ship internationally with Google apps and services pre-installed.

Honor hasn’t been able to ship new smartphones with Google apps and services onboard since mid-2019, so it’ll be interesting to see if the brand can recoup some of its lost ground outside of China.

Honor plans to offer its Honor 50 smartphone in 40 international regions including the UK, France, Mexico, Malaysia, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Don’t expect a US release. Pricing for international markets has yet to be confirmed. 

In China, the Honor 50 retails at CNY 2,699 ($422) while the Honor 50 Pro starts at CNY 3,699 ($578). The mid-range Honor 50 SE is available for CNY 2,399 ($375).

The Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro


The Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro are the most exciting smartphones in the brand’s new Google-powered lineup thanks to their flashy designs, versatile cameras, and decent internal specs.

Both models are powered by the fast Snapdragon 778G chipset and ship with 8GB of RAM as standard. Honor is also throwing in 256GB of storage, though a cheaper 128GB version of the Honor 50 is on offer too.

The first differences are visible in the display department. Whereas the Honor 50 is fitted with a 6.6-inch 120Hz OLED display with a centered punch-hole, the Pro model moves the cutout to the side and stretches the panel to 6.7-inches.

The selfie setups aren’t identical either. A 32-megapixel shooter sits at the heart of both setups, but the Honor 50 Pro gains an extra 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter that lets you capture more friends in a shot.

Fortunately, things aren’t different on the back. Honor has chosen a 108-megapixel main camera for both phones and paired it with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide snapper and two 2-megapixel sensors that act as macro and depth cameras.

Rounding out the Honor 50 package is a 4,300mAh battery with 66W fast charging, enabling a 70% charge in 20 minutes. The Honor 50 Pro uses a smaller 4,000mAh cell yet gains access to 100W fast charging technology, providing a 90% charge in the same time.

The Honor 50 SE


If the Honor 50 and 50 Pro are out of your price range, the Honor 50 SE could be of interest. It features MediaTek’s Dimensity 900 5G chipset and a 6.8-inch 120Hz LCD display with a centered punch-hole.

The selfie camera has been downgraded to a 16-megapixel shooter and the rear setup ditches the 2-megapixel depth sensor. However, the 108-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide, and 2-megapixel macro cameras are still there.

Last on the list of features is a 4,000mAh battery with 66W fast charging support. The latter enables a 75% charge in 20 minutes.
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