You realize mobile phones have come a long way from being just a device to make voice calls when the phone company invites a photographer to talk about a unit’s picture-taking merits.

That’s exactly what happened at the recent launch of the Honor 6 Plus, one of the latest phablets (phone tablets) from Taiwanese firm Huawei.

The unit, which measures 5.93 x 2.98 x 0.3 inches and weighs 165 grams, has a large screen (73.2 percent screen-to-body ratio)—the better to view photos and watch videos. Compared to other 5.5” smartphones, the Honor 6 Plus has the biggest screen ratio at 78.2 percent, with only a 2.8 mm ultra-thin border.

It is also the first in the Honor series to feature a parallel dual camera that can first capture an image, focus on a specific area, and then adjust the light exposure.

Photographer’s vantage point

“From a photographer’s vantage point, it’s a really excellent phone,” said resource person and photographer Jay Jallorina.

The Android phone runs on the latest KitKat platform. It has dual SIM capacity (micro-SIM and nano-SIM), although this feature can be a bit confusing for non-techie users.

We were able to take the Honor 6 Plus out for a test, and this is what we discovered after using it for a month.

1) The video quality is superb. We signed up for a 14-day trial of the iFlix app, where we caught up on our backlog of “Modern Family” episodes. The colors were crisp and there was no lag in video or audio. The phone has a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels.

2) Its camera takes really crisp photos, especially closeups, perfect for those who enjoy taking photos of what they eat. Even food that usually doesn’t photograph well benefits from the phone’s Dual 8 MP camera. The improved 8 MP, front-facing camera will be appreciated by those who like taking selfies; the built-in “beauty effect” certainly helps.

3) Making and taking calls was average to good, although the dropped calls we experienced were most likely the fault of our telecom provider.

4) The other feature we found wanting was the audio that sounded tinny (if you don’t use a headset). With a headset, the sound is fuller.

5) The improved 3,600 MaH battery is a godsend. It can last longer than one day, maybe even longer if you switch to ultra-power saving mode.

“The Honor 6 Plus combines the visual appeal and concept of style with the functionality and features that used to be found only in higher priced smartphones,” said Nino Carandang, Honor business unit manager.