1. Specifications Comparison
| Feature | Samsung Galaxy A02 | Honor 90 | Practical Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design | |||
| Dimensions | 164 × 75.9 × 9.1 mm | 161.9 × 74.1 × 7.8 mm | The Honor 90 is noticeably slimmer and slightly smaller overall, making it more pocketable and comfortable to hold for extended periods. |
| Weight | 206g | 183g | The Honor 90 is significantly lighter, enhancing comfort during prolonged use and reducing fatigue. |
| Display | |||
| Size | 6.5" | 6.7" | The Honor 90 offers a slightly larger screen, providing a more immersive viewing experience for media consumption. |
| Resolution | 720x1600 | 1200x2664 | The Honor 90's higher resolution results in a much sharper and clearer display, with significantly more detail visible. |
| PPI | 270 | 435 | The Honor 90's higher pixel density leads to crisper text and images, enhancing overall visual quality. |
| Technology | PLS LCD | AMOLED | The Honor 90's AMOLED display provides deeper blacks, richer colors, and better contrast, significantly improving viewing quality and power efficiency. |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 120Hz | The Honor 90’s 120Hz refresh rate makes animations and scrolling smoother and more fluid, resulting in a more responsive feel. |
| Brightness | 0 nits | 1600 nits | The Honor 90's significantly higher brightness is ideal for outdoor use, ensuring good visibility even under direct sunlight. |
| Performance | |||
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6739W (28 nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (4 nm) | The Honor 90's chipset is much faster and more efficient, leading to snappier performance, smoother multitasking, and better gaming. |
| AnTuTu Score | 50,774 | 701,227 | The Honor 90 offers dramatically better performance, handling demanding apps and games with ease. |
| GPU | PowerVR GE8100 | Adreno 644 | The Honor 90’s GPU provides significantly better graphics performance, enabling smoother gaming and faster rendering times. |
| Camera | |||
| Main Camera | 13MP f/1.9 | 200MP f/1.9 | Honor 90's 200MP main sensor will capture significantly more detail and allows for much larger prints. |
| Selfie Camera | 5MP f/2.0 | 50MP f/2.4 | The Honor 90 takes much higher-resolution selfies, resulting in clearer images with more detail. |
| Portrait Lens | N/A | 2MP f/2.4 | The Honor 90 can achieve a better bokeh effect when taking portrait photos. |
| Macro Lens | 2MP f/2.4 | N/A | The Samsung Galaxy A02 has a dedicated macro camera for close-up shots, a feature missing on the Honor 90. |
| Wide/Macro | N/A | 12MP f/2.2 | The Honor 90 offers a combined wide-angle and macro lens for versatile photography, allowing landscape and close up photos. |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps | The Honor 90 can record videos in higher 4K resolution, capturing significantly more detail. It also supports slow-motion video at much higher fps. |
| DxOMark | N/A | Mobile (122), Photo (128), Video (126) | The Honor 90 has been professionally tested and scored for image and video quality, while the Samsung has not. |
| Battery | |||
| Capacity | 5000mAh | 5000mAh | Both phones should provide similar battery life under normal usage conditions. |
| Charging | 7.5W | 66W | The Honor 90 charges much faster, reducing downtime and getting you back to using your phone much sooner. |
| Software | |||
| OS | Android 10 (upgradable to 11) | Android 13 | The Honor 90 offers a newer operating system with the latest features and security updates. |
| Storage | |||
| Internal | 32GB or 64GB | 256GB or 512GB | The Honor 90 offers significantly more internal storage, allowing more space for apps, photos and media. |
| RAM | 2GB, 3GB, or 4GB | 8GB, 12GB or 16GB | Honor 90 has much more ram, allowing for much better multitasking and performance. |
| Expandable | No | No | Neither phone allows for expandable storage, which could be a limitation for users who need to store a lot of media. |
| Connectivity | |||
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax | The Honor 90 has significantly faster wireless internet speeds thanks to Wi-Fi 6 support. |
| Bluetooth | 4.2 | 5.2 | The Honor 90 has a newer Bluetooth version, supporting higher quality audio codecs and more stable connections. |
| GPS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | The Honor 90's expanded GPS support offers faster location locking and more precise navigation. |
| Audio | |||
| Audio | Dolby Atmos | Noise Cancellation Mic | Honor 90s noise cancellation offers a better calling experience, while Samsung A02 provides better audio quality |
| Security | |||
| Features | Basic security | Fingerprint Sensor | The Honor 90 has a fingerprint sensor for much better security |
| Sensors | |||
| Sensors | Proximity, Accelerometer | Proximity, Accelerometer, Compass, Fingerprint Sensor | Honor 90 has better sensor options providing more usability and accuracy |
2. Key Differences Analysis
Samsung Galaxy A02 Advantages:
- Dedicated Macro Lens: The A02 includes a macro lens for close-up photography, which is missing on the Honor 90. This can be useful for users who enjoy capturing details of small subjects.
- Slightly wider aperture for selfies With an aperture of f/2.0, it allows for slightly better low light performance than the Honor 90's f/2.4.
- Dolby Atmos: Enhanced audio for a more immersive sound experience.
Honor 90 Advantages:
- Superior Display: Larger, higher-resolution AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and significantly higher brightness, offering a much better visual experience.
- Much Faster Performance: Significantly more powerful chipset with a much higher AnTuTu benchmark score, ensuring a smoother and more responsive user experience and far better gaming.
- Vastly Superior Cameras: Higher resolution main and selfie cameras with better video capabilities (4K recording), as well as an ultrawide/macro lens. It also has a portrait depth sensor.
- Faster Charging: 66W fast charging dramatically reduces charging times.
- More Storage and RAM: Substantially more internal storage and RAM for better multitasking and storing more content.
- Newer Software: Runs on a more up-to-date Android operating system.
- Better Connectivity: Supports faster WiFi, newer Bluetooth, and more satellite navigation systems.
- Fingerprint Sensor: Offers better biometric security for enhanced protection.
- Noise Cancellation Mic Provides a much better call and voice recording experience
Trade-offs:
- The Samsung Galaxy A02 has a slightly wider aperture selfie camera and a dedicated macro lens, which are lacking on the Honor 90. However, it sacrifices a lot in other areas.
- The Honor 90 offers very high performance, but it lacks a dedicated macro lens.
3. User Profiles & Recommendations
Samsung Galaxy A02 Ideal User:
- Budget-Conscious Users: Individuals who need a basic smartphone at the lowest possible price point.
- Basic Use: Those who primarily use their phone for calling, texting, and very light browsing.
Macro Photography Enthusiasts: Users who enjoy taking close-up photos of small subjects and don't want to spend much.
Use Case Example: Someone who needs a phone as a secondary device for basic communication.
Honor 90 Ideal User:
- Multimedia Consumers: Individuals who frequently watch videos, play games, or use social media and appreciate a premium display experience.
- Photography Enthusiasts: Users who want a high-quality camera for taking pictures and videos and appreciate good dynamic range and low light performance.
- Power Users: Individuals who multitask heavily and use demanding applications, requiring fast and responsive performance.
- Users who value fast charging Someone who needs to quickly top up their phone throughout the day
- Users who value security and ease of use: A fingerprint sensor allows for easy and secure unlocking of the phone
Users who value good call quality: A noise cancellation mic allows for a cleaner sound on calls.
Use Case Example: A content creator who uses their phone for taking high-quality videos, or a student who plays demanding mobile games and needs to multitask often.
4. Decision Framework
Key Questions for Buyers:
- What is your budget? If your budget is very limited, the Samsung Galaxy A02 might be considered. If your budget is flexible and you want a device that is much better in all areas then the Honor 90 is a better choice.
- What is your primary use case? If you only need a basic device for communication and very light usage, the Samsung A02 may suffice. However, if you want to take good photos, play games, watch videos, and multitask, the Honor 90 is a must.
- What features are most important to you? If a high-quality display, excellent camera, strong performance, fast charging, and security features are a priority, the Honor 90 is far superior. If you need a very basic phone with a dedicated macro lens and are willing to sacrifice in other areas, the Samsung A02 is an option.
Scenario-Based Recommendations:
- Scenario 1: Basic User, Tight Budget: If you're on a very tight budget and just need a phone for basic calling and texting, the Samsung Galaxy A02 is cheaper and will work, however, the user experience will not be great.
- Scenario 2: Multimedia & Social Media User: If you want an excellent screen, and a good camera, the Honor 90 is the far better option.
- Scenario 3: Mobile Gamer & Multi-Tasker: If you plan to use the phone for demanding tasks such as gaming or multitasking, the Honor 90 is the only practical choice thanks to its significantly faster performance and larger ram.
- Scenario 4: Photography: The Honor 90 has significantly better cameras and supports 4K video making it the far better choice for photography.
My Choice
If I were choosing between these two phones, I would unequivocally choose the Honor 90. The Samsung Galaxy A02 is severely lacking in almost every department.
The Honor 90 offers:
- Far Superior Display: The AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1600 nits brightness would make a huge difference in daily use, especially for media consumption and outdoor visibility.
- Vastly Better Performance: The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset and large RAM amount would result in a much smoother experience, especially when multitasking and playing games.
- Significantly Superior Cameras: The 200MP main camera and 50MP selfie camera, along with its video recording capabilities, are far superior.
- Faster Charging: The 66W charging will save me a lot of time.
- Modern Software and Features: Newer Android version, better connectivity, and a fingerprint sensor all add to a far better experience.
While the macro lens on the A02 might be useful in certain situations, its downsides in every other area make it a poor choice. The Honor 90 offers a significantly better experience across the board and is well worth the extra cost.
