The Honor 50 is tipped to be arriving in May

Honor View 40
The Honor View 40 (Image credit: Honor)

Recently set free from Huawei, Honor is now pushing forward with another phone launch – and the most recent inside information that we've come across suggests that phone will be the Honor 50, and that it will launch in May.

That's as per sources speaking to GSMArena, who say that there won't be a global Honor 40 model following the Honor View 40 release in China, as would normally be the case. Instead, it's going to be the Honor 50 next.

GSMArena has also got hold of some images of the phone, and it looks as though the Honor 50 is going to use large rear cameras that are similar to those we've seen rumored for the Huawei P50. That's perhaps not surprising, considering how recently the two companies parted ways.

Honor 50 teaser

Honor 50 teaser. (Image credit: GSMArena / Honor)

What's not clear yet is whether or not the Honor 50 will come with support for Google apps and with access to the Google Play Store. It's a problem that Huawei is currently struggling with, and it was one of the reasons for Honor being spun off.

Among the new leaked images is a sketch showing some kind of lens attachment for the rear camera. It's possible that this will be used to add extra functionality to the main snapper – ultra-wide or optical zoom perhaps.

It was in April last year that we saw the Honor 30 arrive, and if the latest rumors are correct then the Honor 50 is going to turn up a little over a year later, with the Honor 40 skipped. We haven't heard much in the way of Honor 40 rumors, which is perhaps more evidence that it's never actually coming.

That said, we haven't heard many Honor 50 rumors either – though that's maybe understandable considering we weren't expecting it until next year. All should be revealed by the time May is over.

Honor has traditionally aimed for the more affordable end of the smartphone market, and its handsets usually impress in terms of value for money. On the software side, the company will be hoping to be able to access Google's apps again.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.