HONOR Philippines just launched the new HONOR X8b, a smartphone with a great design, display, camera, and performance. Maybe you are wondering if this phone is worth buying, that’s why in this article, I will share with you our full review.
In case you haven’t read it yet, we also have an unboxing and first impressions article of this phone.
I’ve been using the HONOR X8b as my main driver for three weeks already and I really like it to be honest. But it also has features that you should consider before buying, so let’s get started.
Camera
Let’s start with its camera, which HONOR Philippines boasts. The HONOR X8b has a 108MP main camera, a 5MP wide/depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens for the rear camera setup. At the front, there’s the 50MP selfie camera and LED flash.
If we talk about photos, I can say that the image quality you will get here is good, especially when you turn on the AI mode since it enhances the color to make the photo livelier. You can also expect sharp images since the main camera and selfie camera have high megapixels.
In low light, I was impressed with it since the photo we got in Night Mode was great and sharp. But of course, your hand still needs to be stable when you’re in Night Mode since it uses long exposure. It’s also easy to take a selfie here when you’re in low light because of its LED flash on the front.
For video, expect shaky footage because it doesn’t have OIS, EIS, or any stabilization. But if you only shoot with a tripod or stand, the quality is fine since it’s sharp, it just doesn’t have stabilization. But if that’s okay with you, I think this HONOR X8b is worth it.
The camera modes available here are Aperture mode which is also like portrait mode but for objects, Night mode, Portrait mode, Photo and Video, Pro, Slow-Mo, Panorama, HDR Photo, Time-Lapse, Watermarks, Super Micro, Dual-View, High-Res, Scan Document, and Story.
These are our sample photos and videos:
Display and Multimedia Experience
If you want a premium-looking display, for me this phone is perfect since it has a curved display or round corners. Besides, it also has a Magic Capsule that is very useful because it displays real-time app information.
The HONOR X8b comes with a large 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and supports 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 90Hz screen refresh rate, always-on display, and up to 2,000nits max brightness. Add to that the 3240Hz PWM Dimming display feature that will help the comfort of your eyes.
Actually, for people like me who always have pain in their eyes from using the computer and smartphone, this eye comfort feature that can relieve eye fatigue is a big help.
Its display is also good for those who are always outdoors considering that its maximum brightness is high. I’m sure you won’t have any trouble watching my vlogs when you’re out of the house.
I actually enjoyed watching on this phone because its display is vibrant and very lively. Besides, I don’t know if it’s just a placebo effect, but for me, its display is sharper compared to the previous phone we reviewed.
If you love watching movies and series, do take note that it only has a single speaker. But don’t worry, its sound quality is good. And one more thing, take note that it doesn’t have an audio jack, so you need wireless earbuds here.
Performance
When it comes to performance, your experience here will be decent. It has a 6nm Snapdragon 680 octa-core chipset paired with 8GB RAM + 8GB HONOR RAM Turbo or their RAM expansion feature, and up to 512GB of internal storage. The storage variant we have here is the 512GB variant that we can consider computer-level storage.
The Snapdragon 680 is a capable chipset, so the HONOR X8b can smoothly run the usual apps that we use like Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, and others.
In benchmarks, it got a 320K+ AnTuTu Benchmark score and a 7,435 score in PCMark Work 3.0.
As for the Operating System, it runs MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13 out of the box. And it’s my first time trying MagicOS and it’s fine for me. Although I am experiencing some instability with its software but for sure HONOR will fix it in the future.
Since it is only powered by a Snapdragon 680 chipset, it’s only good for light gaming like Mobile Legends and Call of Duty: Mobile. You can also play Genshin Impact here but expect frame drops and lags because that game is very heavy.
Battery
Regarding the battery, even though the HONOR X8b’s battery capacity is only 4,500mAh, it lasts me the whole day – based on my tasks of course. But sometimes I charge it twice in one day when in heavy usage, like we play a few games in Mobile Legends, or we just scroll through social media. The result it got in the PCMark battery benchmark was 12 hours and 35 minutes.
Fortunately, it also charges quickly because it supports the 35W HONOR SuperCharge. As for the charging time, since the HONOR X8b’s battery capacity is small and it supports fast charging, it only takes almost 1 hour to charge it from 20-100%, which we can consider fast.
Verdict
For our verdict, I can say that the HONOR X8b is worth it, but it’s not for all users. Since it only has Snapdragon 680, I can’t recommend it to heavy gamers out there who play heavy games like Genshin Impact.
But if you are a smartphone user who just likes to take pictures, you can buy this phone because the image quality you can get here is very decent. It’s just that, if you like shooting videos, I can’t recommend it to you since it doesn’t have stabilization. Aside from photo capabilities, for me, it was also worth it because of its premium design and beautiful display.
Pros:
- Great image quality
- Premium design
- Lightweight
- Bright and sharp display
- 3240Hz PWM dimming
- Decent performance
- Massive storage
Cons:
- Lack of camera stabilization
- Software instability
- No headphone jack
- Single firing speaker
HONOR X8b Specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch SuperAMOLED, FHD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 3240Hz PWM Dimming, 2,000nits peak brightness, Magic Capsule
- CPU: 2.4GHz 6nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor
- GPU: Adreno 610
- RAM: 8GB + 8GB HONOR RAM Turbo
- ROM: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
- Rear Camera: 108MP + 5MP wide & depth lens + 2MP macro lens + LED flash
- Front Camera: 50MP + LED flash
- Battery: 4,500mAh, 35W HONOR SuperCharge (Type-C)
- OS: MagicOS 7.2, Android 13
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, Dual SIM (nano)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope
- Colors: Glamorous Green, Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black
- Weight: 166g
- Dimensions: 161.05mm (L) x 74.55mm (W) x 6.78mm (D)
- Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, AI face unlock, USB-C, IP54 rating, Hi-Res Audio, Dual speakers
Price and availability
HONOR X8b – PHP 12,999 | Shopee link | Lazada link
The new HONOR X8b is now available for pre-order until February 23, 2024, for only PHP 12,999 with FREE HONOR Choice X5 earbuds worth PHP 1,590.
