Huawei Honor Holly 2 Plus #ExpressReview: Uninspiring design, but great battery life

Honor, Huawei’s online only smartphone brand, has managed to create a following for itself in the already crowded portfolio of Flipkart. Honor, in fact, claims to have the lowest failure rate among all smartphone manufacturers.

So is that claim good enough for Holly 2 Plus to get our thumbs up? Read on to find out.

Specs: 5.0-inch HD AMOLED display | 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor | 2GB RAM | 16GB storage space (expandable to 128GB) | 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera | 4000mAh battery | Android 5.1 Lollipop

Price: Rs 8,499

The battery on the Honor Holly 2 Plus is definitely huge at 4000mAh, but it also lasts really long.

What is good?

Let me put you out of your misery and tell you this one lasts days on a single charge. I got nearly 8 hours of screen on time which is extremely good, and it lasted almost three days on average use. If you are backpacking and need a smartphone with stellar battery backup, look no further, this one it is.

Sample shot from the camera. (Image resized for web)

Sample shot from the camera. (Image resized for web)

Sample shot from the camera. (Image resized for web)

A huge battery should charge quickly too, and Holly 2 Plus does just that with fast charging. Though our review unit didn’t come with any retail packaging, the company says Holly 2 Plus supports quick charging with the supplied 5V/2A adapter. In my own test, I did see quick charging work effectively.

It’s not just the battery life, Honor Holly 2 Plus is one of the zippiest devices when it comes to performance. It easily cycles through different open apps, and plays nice with demanding games like Real Racing 3. It does occasionally stall in the middle of games, but that isn’t a big issue.

The camera is decent enough for clicking landscapes, and it will be able to handle your Instagram and social media needs effortlessly, but don’t expect anything extraordinary. For the price, it isn’t supposed to deliver anything out of the world.

Honestly, I didn’t like the design of the Holly 2 Plus. It can be defined as a clunky looking candy bar shaped smartphone, there is nothing else to the design.

What is not good?

Honestly, I didn’t like the design of the Holly 2 Plus. It can be defined as a clunky looking candy bar shaped smartphone, there is nothing else to the design. Huawei has curved the top portion a bit which makes it easy to hold in one hand but I would have preferred a taller and leaner device.

Another strange thing with Holly 2 Plus was it’s inability to connect with the computer. It was just impossible to access the internal storage of the device on PC.

Should you buy?

If you like that design then, Honor Holly 2 Plus seems like a great option. Its battery is not only huge, but also highly optimised, making it ideal for long distance travel.

But considering the other smartphones with battery larger or equivalent to 4000mAh, Holly 2 Plus has some tough competition. One of the most prominent ones has to be the Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3. In our own review, we called it a stellar comeback device.

Also see: Gionee Marathon M5, Redmi Note 3 and more: The smartphones with big batteries

Must read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 review & video: A stellar comeback indeed