Honor 90 GT Review: Flagship Power on a Midrange Budget

The Honor 90 GT is a performance‑first upper‑midrange flagship that delivers serious speed, a bright 120 Hz AMOLED and ultra‑fast 100 W charging, but makes clear compromises in camera versatility, video features and global availability. For gamers and power users who value raw performance per dollar more than photography, it is an excellent value play; for camera‑centric or mainstream buyers, there are more balanced options.

Design and build

Honor positions the 90 GT as a sleek, sporty take on its 2023–2024 performance line, with a 7.9 mm thin chassis and 185 g weight that stays relatively light for a 5000 mAh device. The phone uses a flat 6.7‑inch front with slim bezels (around 90.8% screen‑to‑body ratio) and comes in bold finishes like blue and gold that lean into a gaming‑adjacent aesthetic rather than minimalist business chic.

Build materials are typical for the price bracket: a glass front, plastic or composite frame and back, with no formal IP water‑resistance rating and no 3.5 mm headphone jack. Stereo speakers are included and, together with the light weight, make the device comfortable for landscape gaming and media, though the lack of IP rating may be a concern if used heavily outdoors.

Display and multimedia

The Honor 90 GT uses a 6.7‑inch AMOLED panel with 1B‑color support, 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR and a peak brightness spec of up to 2600 nits, which is very high for its class. This combination makes it particularly suited to outdoor use in summer light and for fast‑paced content like gaming or sports, where the 120 Hz refresh helps smooth out scrolling and animations.

Color reproduction is vivid in typical Honor fashion, with enough resolution at 1200 × 2664 pixels (~436 ppi) that text and UI elements look crisp even for extended reading or editing sessions. There is no LTPO panel here, but Honor’s tuning still allows the refresh rate to scale down in some scenarios to save battery, and HDR support makes compatible video content pop, especially in darker scenes.

Performance and gaming

At the heart of the 90 GT is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 built on a 4 nm process, paired with up to 24 GB of RAM and as much as 1 TB of UFS storage, which is exceptional for the price bracket. In synthetic benchmarks, the device pushes well above 1.4 million points in AnTuTu 10, placing it near the top of the 8 Gen 2 pack and indicating desktop‑like responsiveness for Android workloads.

Real‑world reviews highlight gaming as the major selling point: high‑profile titles run at sustained high frame rates, and Honor’s RF C1 enhancement chip helps maintain stable mobile data and Wi‑Fi connections during online play. Thermals are generally well‑controlled for a thin device, and Honor’s performance tuning lets it compete with some early Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones in frame‑rate stability, which is impressive in this price range.

Software and features

Out of the box, the Honor 90 GT ships with Android 13 under MagicOS 7.2, with multi‑language support and Google services available on imported units configured with a global‑style ROM. MagicOS adds Honor’s usual set of gesture controls, floating windows and performance modes, which can be useful for multitasking between social feeds, email and heavy creative apps.

Long‑term update guarantees are not as clearly documented as on some rival brands, and Honor’s track record with quick feature updates has been mixed, which may be a concern if you plan to keep the phone beyond three years. However, the raw hardware is strong enough that, even without bleeding‑edge updates, the device should remain fluid for productivity, content creation and casual gaming well into the mid‑2020s.

Camera performance

The rear camera system is a dual‑module setup: a 50 MP main camera using a 1/1.56‑inch Sony IMX906 sensor with OIS, and a 12 MP ultra‑wide with autofocus, while the front houses a 16 MP selfie camera. On paper, the main sensor is competent and physically larger than many midrange competitors, which helps in low light and with depth separation; OIS assists with stabilizing stills in dim environments.

However, the overall camera package is deliberately lean: there is no dedicated telephoto, and video recording tops out at 4K 30 fps on the rear camera and 1080p 30 fps on the front, which is limiting for creators who prefer 4K 60 fps or higher‑frame‑rate options. User feedback and early reviews note solid daylight performance and decent detail, but the software processing can lag behind more camera‑centric rivals, and the lack of advanced video modes makes it less ideal as a primary content‑creation device.

Battery life and charging

The Honor 90 GT is powered by a 5000 mAh battery, which is standard for current 6.7‑inch phones and pairs well with the efficient 4 nm chipset. Under moderate usage patterns (mixed browsing, social, some video, some gaming), this capacity is generally sufficient for a full day plus a bit of residual charge, especially if you are not running 120 Hz constantly at maximum brightness.

Charging is a standout:

the device supports 100 W wired charging, advertised to take it from near‑empty to full in roughly 32 minutes, with about 50% reached in around 13 minutes. There is no wireless charging, which might disappoint users coming from premium flagships, but the sheer speed of wired charging mostly compensates for that omission in real‑world workflows where a 10‑minute top‑up can cover an evening shoot or a commute.

Connectivity and extras

Connectivity is fully modern, with 5G support, Wi‑Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX HD, NFC, an infrared blaster and dual‑SIM support. For a broader global context, dual‑SIM is particularly useful for juggling data deals and roaming, while NFC ensures tap‑to‑pay and transit compatibility where available.

The under‑display optical fingerprint scanner is standard and paired with face unlock, delivering quick authentication for banking and media apps. Stereo speakers help with media consumption, but the absence of a 3.5 mm jack means you will rely on USB‑C or wireless audio, which is worth considering if you use wired in‑ear monitors for editing or monitoring.

Global availability is limited:

the phone is officially Chinese‑market‑first, with availability in other regions often relying on parallel imports and resellers, and full “global ROM” support is still emerging. That means potential buyers should factor in after‑sales service, local warranty support and software‑update timelines, which may not match more established global releases from Samsung or Apple.

Pros and cons overview

Pros

- Flagship‑grade Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance with very high benchmark scores.

- Bright 6.7‑inch 120 Hz AMOLED with HDR and 2600‑nit peak brightness.

- Up to 24 GB RAM and 1 TB storage options, plus dual‑SIM and strong connectivity.

- 100 W wired fast charging with about 32‑minute full charge time and 5000 mAh battery.

Cons

- Camera system is basic for the class, with no telephoto and 4K limited to 30 fps.

- No IP water‑resistance rating and no 3.5 mm headphone jack.

- Limited global availability and less predictable long‑term software support.

Who should buy the Honor 90 GT?

The Honor 90 GT makes most sense for users who want maximum gaming and everyday performance, a top‑tier display and extremely fast charging at a price that undercuts many conventional flagships. For a media professional, it can serve as a powerful daily driver for running social platforms, editing on the go and gaming after hours, as long as mobile video capture and long‑term software support are not top priorities.

It is worth noting that the 90 GT is “performance flagship on a budget”: a device that nails speed and screen quality, is easy to recommend to gamers and power users, but that deliberately leaves some of the camera and ecosystem luxuries to more expensive competition.