Huawei announces the new Honor 7i with a swivelling camera

✎ CJ Magowan | 🕑 08.21.2015

Huawei announced the new Honor 7i and it’s something that we really never expected to be. Well, our introductory statement is good however as the new handset features something that isn’t usually implemented on devices in the market, though there might have been other similar devices from other companies that carries the same method but there’s nothing like the one implemented on the new Honor 7i.

One might ask what sort of things are we’re talking about here. To start with, the Huawei Honor 7i comes with a small swivelling camera module on the top but unlike those found on Oppo N1 or the N3, Honor 7i’s camera’s moving part isn’t the majority of the top of the handset but only the camera module itself where it’ll turn 180 degrees up to bring the main camera to the front. The camera module houses a 13 Megapixel Sony BSI sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 28mm wide-angle lens and a dual-tone LED flash. The rotating camera module allows users to point and shot the camera on different angles without moving the whole device altogether.

Apart from the main LED flash, the handset can also use the screen brightness to lit up your Selfie photos if you find the LED flash to strong for the job. Additionally, the Honor 7i also comes with a fingerprint sensor situated on the left hand side of the handset. Huawei claims it as the world’s smallest fingerprint sensor on a smartphone which also doubles as a camera button.

The handset is constructed on glass and aluminum with the glass the back and covering the 5.2-inch IPS display on the front. Sideways, the handset comes in full aluminum frame and even its camera module is constructed on the same material as its frame. The swivelling camera module is sturdily built that Huawei claims it would last for 2 years if you turn the camera module at a 132 times a day. Buttons on the sides are also metal which gives an overall premium and solid build.

In terms of specs, the Huawei Honor 7i is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC and will be available in two trims, one will have a 2 GB RAM with 16 GB of on-board storage while the other more spacious variant would include a 3 GB RAM plus 32 GB of storage. Both trims will include a microSD slot for memory expansion. The handset will also feature a dual-SIM slot with one of the slots will accept the microSD card. The battery is fixed with a 3100 mAh capacity and runs Huawei’s proprietary EMUI 3.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop .

Huawei haven’t given any word for internationally availability but we’ve expected the company to launched in selected markets soon. In China, the handset will cost 1,500 CNY or about $250 for the base model with 2 GB RAM, the top model having 3 GB of RAM will costs 1,899 CNY or just $300. Both handsets will be available in either Gold or Silver color options.