You’d buy an Honor phone now that Google seems to be back

Huawei was forced to sell the Honor sub-brand last year due to ongoing US sanctions, and the newly independent company signed agreements with a variety of US partners as a result. That includes Qualcomm, and Honor confirmed that the upcoming Honor 50 series will launch with the new Snapdragon 778G processor (among other notable chipset announcements).

What about Google support? Well, Honor Germany noted in a tweet that has since been deleted that the Honor 50 range comes with Google Mobile Services (GMS). That got us thinking about whether Android Authority Readers would buy an Honor phone now as Google services appear to be back.

Would you buy an Honor phone now if Google support came back?

Results

We released the poll on May 24th and it received a little over 3,100 votes. It turns out that two-thirds of respondents Android Authority Readers would buy an Honor phone given the obvious support from Google. The buzz is easy to understand too, as it’s the first time Honor phones have received Google support since 2019. These new Honor devices will also feature Snapdragon silicon and the Magic UI skin, the latter being closely related to Huawei’s EMUI skin.

Meanwhile, 17% of the readers surveyed said they wouldn’t buy an Honor phone because Google appears to be on board. The comments suggest an aversion to previous software from Huawei and Honor, the lack of an unlockable bootloader on previous devices, and skepticism towards Chinese brands.

About 16% of respondents were on the wall because they bought an Honor phone with Google support, so they voted “maybe”. This is understandable as aside from the chipsets and the presence of the Magic UI skin we don’t have any details on these new phones yet. Additionally, Honor claimed that its new Honor Magic phones would have great picture quality. However, other details such as the rest of the data sheet, availability and prices are obviously not yet known.

Remarks

• Ski karterking: EMUI and locked bootloader guidelines are deal breakers for me, but mostly EMUI.
• Evie: No, because the last honor I had, you couldn’t change the launcher. That sucks. Definitely a deal breaker for me.
• SanBlarnoi: If the bootloader can be unlocked (and there is a custom Rom community): Yes (if they offer something I like), otherwise: No way
• Beardednomad: If the phones are good, why not?
• Jay Deezy: I definitely would. At the time, the Honor 8 was a great value and a perfect size for me. Fantastic camera and reliable battery life. I hope they still do it that way!
• Ralph Knight Mogridge: Would prefer Honor Mobile with Harmony OS

Thank you for voting in our poll and for leaving comments. What would you like to see from Honor devices in 2021? Let us know below.