The Huawei FRD-AL00 is the FRD-ALxx variant of the Honor 8 family released in July 2016. It pairs a HiSilicon Kirin 950 SoC with roughly 3,716.2 MB of RAM, a 5.2" 1080 × 1920 IPS screen, glass front and back with an aluminium frame, and a 3,000 mAh battery in a 153 g, 7.5 mm body. The FRD-AL00 name appears in GSM Arena’s Honor 8 listing as the Hong Kong/China/USA variant; performance data collected for this review use that device identity.
This review uses aggregated benchmark data and published hardware specifications: PassMark/AndroidBenchmark aggregate results for the FRD-AL00 (Average CPU Mark 3,403; Average PassMark Rating 6,205; Average Mem Mark 7,513; samples = 3), UL/3DMark results recorded for the Honor 8 (Sling Shot Extreme score ~879, physics 2,209, graphics 753) and GSM Arena technical specs (release date, 3,000 mAh battery, 5.2" 1080p display, construction). I limit claims to figures and statements present in those sources.
High-level verdict: the FRD-AL00 is still a cleanly executed mid‑2016 flagship: metal/glass build, 1080p screen and adequate RAM. Where it falls short is raw modern performance—PassMark CPU average 3,403 and 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme around 879 show GPU and sustained graphics performance that lag contemporary midrange phones. If you need a well-built handset for everyday tasks and value physical quality, it’s reasonable; if you need up-to-date 3D performance or software, look elsewhere.
CPU and GPU deliver middling modern performance
Aggregated PassMark results for the FRD-AL00 report an Average CPU Mark of 3,403 and an Average PassMark Rating of 6,205 (samples = 3). Total RAM is reported as 3,716.2 MB in the PassMark dataset. Those numbers place the FRD-AL00 below newer midrange devices in single‑device comparisons—e.g., the Samsung SM-A166M shows an Average CPU Mark of 5,152 in the same PassMark comparison set.
GPU testing from UL/3DMark for the Honor 8 family shows Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL ES 3.1) around 879 overall, with a physics score ~2,209 and graphics ~753; graphics test frame rates reported in that dataset were as low as 5 FPS and 2 FPS in the two graphics subtests. In short: general UI and day‑to‑day tasks will be fine, but sustained 3D gaming and the most demanding GPU workloads are limited by the Kirin 950-era GPU performance.
Compact 5.2" 1080p display and glass/aluminium build remain solid
GSM Arena’s Honor 8 listing (FRD-AL00 as a named version) documents a 5.2" 1920 × 1080 IPS LCD and a build of glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), glass back and aluminium frame, with dimensions 145.5 × 71 × 7.5 mm and weight 153 g. Those physical specs still read as premium for the 2016 era and give the device a compact, comfortable footprint.
The 1080p panel and relatively small diagonal mean sharp pixel density for everyday use; the review sources do not provide measured brightness or color gamut, so claims about outdoor visibility or color accuracy are limited to the panel type and resolution reported.
Camera hardware and a 3,000 mAh cell — capable but not benchmarked for runtime here
Honor 8 spec pages list a 12 MP main camera (Honor 8 family) and the FRD-AL00 is the same Honor 8 variant listed by GSM Arena. The source data used for this review do not include quantitative image-quality benchmarks, so I report only the hardware spec rather than subjective photo grades.
Battery capacity is specified as 3,000 mAh in the GSM Arena Honor 8 entry. UL Solutions notes that battery life scores can vary widely depending on test brightness and conditions; no controlled median battery-life figure for the FRD-AL00 is provided in the datasets used here.
Launched on Android 6.0; software age is the largest practical limitation
GSM Arena records the Honor 8 family shipping with Android 6.0 and lists upgrades up to Android 8.0 for that model line. The datasets used here do not show current security‑patch status for FRD-AL00 devices; given the device’s 2016 launch and the benchmark sample dates, expect software and security support to be limited.
Benchmarks in the public datasets include outlier results from user-submitted runs under varying thermal and background conditions; the PassMark page for FRD-AL00 explicitly notes sample variability (samples = 3), so software age and inconsistent test conditions both contribute to score spread in the public averages.
Approximately 3.7 GB usable RAM and decent storage performance in historical tests
PassMark lists Total RAM for the FRD-AL00 as 3,716.2 MB and an Average Mem Mark of 7,513. That puts observable memory performance in a reasonable band for multitasking of its era.
PassMark’s Average Disk Mark is reported at 13,253 for the FRD-AL00 in the aggregated dataset; while that doesn’t map directly to exact UFS/eMMC type in these sources, it indicates storage performance adequate for app installs and typical file access patterns for a 2016 flagship.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ HiSilicon Kirin 950 chipset — proven 2016 flagship silicon
- ✅ Reported total RAM ~3,716.2 MB (PassMark data) — roughly a 4 GB class configuration
- ✅ 5.2" 1920×1080 IPS display with compact 145.5 × 71 × 7.5 mm footprint (GSM Arena specs)
- ✅ Glass front/back and aluminium frame construction documented by GSM Arena
- ✅ 3,000 mAh battery capacity listed in GSM Arena — reasonable cell for a 5.2" device
- ❌ Average CPU Mark 3,403 (PassMark) ranks it behind modern midrange devices in raw compute
- ❌ 3D performance is weak by modern standards — 3DMark Sling Shot Extreme ~879; graphics subtests reported as low as 5 and 2 FPS in published runs
- ❌ Originally shipped with Android 6.0 (upgrade path listed to Android 8.0) — software/security support is limited
- ❌ PassMark dataset for this device is small (samples = 3) and results show variability
How It Compares to the Competition
- Samsung SM-A166M (Galaxy A16) — Higher PassMark CPU average in the same dataset (5,152) — noticeably faster CPU performance than the FRD-AL00.
- TECNO LJ6 — Listed with a higher CPU Mark (4,435) in the PassMark comparison set; better raw CPU throughput than the FRD-AL00 averages.
- Xiaomi 2508CRN2BE — Shows a higher CPU average (4,269) in the same benchmark list — stronger compute performance for comparable budget/midrange buyers.
- Motorola / Lenovo K14 Plus — Lower CPU marks appear for some budget models in the comparison list (e.g., ~2,436) — FRD-AL00 can still outperform some lower-end modern phones in certain tasks.
Who Should Buy This & Who Should Skip It
Buy it if: Buy if you want a compact, well-built 5.2" phone with original flagship hardware from 2016 (Kirin 950, ~3.7 GB RAM) and you prioritize solid construction and a 1080p screen over up-to-date 3D performance or long-term OS support.
Skip it if: Skip this model if you need current software/security updates, strong mobile gaming or modern GPU performance, or the latest CPU throughput—PassMark averages (CPU Mark 3,403) and 3D scores (Sling Shot Extreme ~879) show it is outpaced by newer midrange phones.
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