5.2-inch Huawei Honor 7

Huawei's next iteration of its Honor sub-brand, the Honor 7, is a shiny and promising flagship phone that combines an all-metal body with a large camera sensor and screen.

Design and build

The all-metal body in gold, silver and dark gray hearkens to the HTC One M9's color and body shape, though this one appears to have a somewhat flatter backing. Its 5.2-inch display stretches across the face with a very narrow bezel. Slim, straight sides house the power/lock buttons and volume rocker. On the back, the large 20-megapixel (Sony IMX230) camera sensor and flash sit above the area that looks like the fingerprint reader.

On the front sits an 8-megapixel camera made for selfies. Huawei has incorporated a really nice feature into the Honor 7, a convenience key on the side that the company has dubbed Smart Key. Press and hold to activate voice commands. Double-press to open Smartcare, Huawei's version of a predictive personal assistant that can help book a hotel room, for example, or alert you when to leave for your next appointment. Right now it isn't clear how much of this technology is Huawei's own and how much has come from Google Now for Android.

OS and hardware

The Honor 7 will run Android 5.0 Lollipop, with Huawei's custom Emotion UI interface (EMUI 3.1) on top. One software hallmark here is capturing screenshots with a tap of your knuckle.Inside, you've got and octa-core Kirin 935 processor, 3GB RAM and 3,100mAh battery.

Pricing, availability, outlook

The Honor 7 goes on sale July 1 in China, for 1,999 Chinese Yuan, or about $323, £205 and AU$418. It isn't clear where else the Honor 7 will sell, or when, but with Huawei's ambitions to help double the company's sales in 2015, I'm expecting the Honor 7 to appear in various markets before the Honor 8 rolls around.