We put the Honor 90 Smart through our rigorous DXOMARK Display test suite to measure its performance across six criteria. In this test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key display specifications:
- 6.6 inches LCD IPS (~88.4% screen-to-body ratio)
- Dimensions: 166.7 x 76.5 x 8.24 mm (6.56 x 3.01 x 0.32 inches)
- Resolution: 1080 x 2412 pixels, (~389 ppi density)
- Aspect ratio: 20:9
- Refresh rate: 90 Hz
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Honor 90 Smart
104
display
109
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Best: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (164)
126
Google Pixel 8
Best: Google Pixel 8 (165)
85
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
Best: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 (165)
105
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best: Google Pixel 7 Pro (164)
Pros
- Well-suited for dark lighting environment, with comfortable brightness and no flicker
- Colors remain accurate when viewing screen at an angle
- Well-managed frame mismatches when playing video games
Cons
- Poor video experience due to brightness and color
- Lacks brightness and details when used outdoors
- Very long response time to touches
- Strong loss of brightness and contrast when viewing the screen at an angle
The Honor 90 Smart put in a good display performance for a device in the Advanced ($200 to $399) category.
Unlike most of the other phones we test, which have OLEDs, the Honor 90 Smart is equipped with a liquid-crystal display, which nevertheless managed to reach a peak bright of 728 nits in our tests. While this level is impressive for this price category, it is not enough for comfortable viewing in an outdoor environment.
The Honor 90 Smart’s readability, however, was affected by a general lack of brightness and lack of detail. The display’s color would change whether indoors or outdoors. When in the shade or under sunlight, the screen’s colors showed green casts and when indoors, the cast was pink, and colors became too saturated.
In addition, while the screen did not show color shifts when viewed at an angle, the display lost much brightness and contrast mainly because of the screen technology.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Display tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone and other display reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective and perceptual tests under controlled lab and real-life conditions. Note that we evaluate display attributes using only the device’s built-in display hardware and its still image (gallery) and video apps at their default settings. (For in-depth information about how we evaluate smartphone and other displays, check out our articles, “How DXOMARK tests display quality” and “A closer look at DXOMARK Display testing.”
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Readability
109
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
How Display Readability score is composed
Readability evaluates how easily and comfortably users can read still content (photos & web) on the display under different real-life conditions. DXOMARK uses its Display Bench to recreate ambient light conditions ranging from total darkness to bright sunlight. In addition to laboratory tests, perceptual analysis is also made in real-life environments.
Luminance under various lighting conditions
Readability in an indoor (1000 lux) environment
From left to right: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Readability in an outdoor (20 000 lux) environment
From left to right: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Readability in a sunlight (>90 000 lux) environment
From left to right: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Luminance uniformity measurement
This graph shows the uniformity of the display with a 20% gray pattern. The more visible the green color, the more uniform the display.
Color
126
Google Pixel 8
Google Pixel 8
How Display Color score is composed
The color attribute evaluates the capacity of the device to accurately reproduce colors. The measurements taken are for fidelity, white point color, and gamut coverage. We perform color evaluations for different lighting conditions to see how well the device can manage color in the surrounding environment. Colors are measured using a spectrophotometer in a controlled lighting environment. Perceptual analysis of color rendering is against the reference pattern displayed on a calibrated professional monitor.
White point under D65 illuminant at 1000 lux
Color rendering indoors (1000 lux)
Clockwise from top left: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Color rendering outdoors (20 000 lux)
Clockwise from top left: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Color rendering in sunlight (>90 000 lux)
Clockwise from top left: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Color fidelity measurements
Honor 90 Smart, color fidelity at 1000 lux in the sRGB color space
Honor 90 Smart, color fidelity at 1000 lux in the Display-P3 color sp
Each arrow represents the color difference between a target color pattern (base of the arrow) and its actual measurement (tip of the arrow). The longer the arrow, the more visible the color difference is. If the arrow stays within the circle, the color difference will be visible only to trained eyes.
Color behavior on angle
This graph shows the color shift when the screen is at an angle. Each dot represents a measurement at a particular angle. Dots inside the inner circle exhibit no color shift in angle; those between the inner and outer circle have shifts that only trained experts will see; but those falling outside the outer circle are noticeable.
Video
85
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
How Display Video score is composed
Our video attribute evaluates the Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) and High Dynamic Range (HDR10) video handling of each device in indoor and low-light conditions. We measure tone mapping, color gamut, brightness and contrast of the display. We perform perceptual analysis against our professional reference monitor (Sony BVM-HX310) to ensure that the rendering respects the artistic intent.
Video brightness at 10% APL in the dark ( < 5 lux)
Video rendering in a low-light (0 lux) environment
Clockwise from top left: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Clockwise from top left: Honor 90 Smart, Honor 90, Nothing Phone (1), Samsung Galaxy A35 5G
(Photos for illustrations only)
Gamut coverage for video content
The primary colors are measured both in HDR10 and SDR. The extracted color gamut shows the extent of the color area that the device can render. To respect the artistic intent, the measured gamut should match the master color space of each video.
How Display Motion score is composed
The motion attribute evaluates the handling of dynamic contents. Frame drops, motion blur, and playback artifacts are scrutinized using games and videos.
Video frame drops
These long exposure photos present the number of frame irregularities in a 30-second video. A good performance shows a regular pattern (either a flat gray image or a pull-down pattern).
Touch
105
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google Pixel 7 Pro
How Display Touch score is composed
To evaluate touch, DXOMARK uses a touch robot and a high-speed camera to play and record a set of scenarios for smoothness, accuracy and response-time evaluation.
Average Touch Response Time Honor 90 Smart
181 ms
Fast
Good
Bad
Slow
This response time test precisely evaluates the time elapsed between a single touch of the robot on the screen and the displayed action. This test is applied to activities that require high reactivity, such as gaming.
How Display Artifacts score is composed
Evaluating artifacts means checking for the performance, image rendering and motion flaws that can affect the end-user experience. DXOMARK measures precisely the device’s reflectance and the presence of flicker, and assesses the impact of residual aliasing when playing video games, among other characteristics.
Average Reflectance (SCI) Honor 90 Smart
SCI stands for Specular Component Included, which measures both the diffuse reflection and the specular reflection. Reflection from a simple glass sheet is around 4%, while it reaches about 6% for a plastic sheet. Although smartphones’ first surface is made of glass, their total reflection (without coating) is usually around 5% due to multiple reflections created by the complex optical stack.
Reflectance (SCI)
Measurements above show the reflection of the device within the visible spectrum range (400 nm to 700 nm). It includes both diffuse and specular reflection.
PWM Frequency Honor 90 Smart
No flicker
Bad
Good
Bad
Great
Displays flicker for 2 main reasons: refresh rate and Pulse Width Modulation. Pulse width modulation is a modulation technique that generates variable-width pulses to represent the amplitude of an analog input signal. This measurement is important for comfort because flickering at low frequencies can be perceived by some individuals, and in the most extreme cases, can induce seizures. Some experiments show that discomfort can appear at a higher frequency. A high PWM frequency (>1500 Hz) tends to be less disturbing for users.
Aliasing (closeup)
Honor 90 Smart
(Photos for illustrations only)