The midrange segment of smartphones seems to become more and more impressive each year. HONOR is no stranger to achieving such feats when it comes to their midrange lineup. The new HONOR X8b is a stylish smartphone that comes with a host of modern features that is sure to be bang-for-your-buck. Read more for the full review.
Design
The HONOR X8b comes in four unique colors – Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black and Glamorous Green. The latter of the colors was what I had the chance to test and it is quite eye-catching as it features a vegan leather finish with somewhat of a diamond-shaped retro pattern.
Personally, green is not my go-to color of choice since I come from the blue side of Katipunan. I was quite impressed though with how stylish it was. It’s ideal for those who crave for a drop of pizazz in their everyday lives. HONOR Philippines, any chance we get this finish in a shade of Teal or Royal Blue?
Jokes aside. If Glamorous Green is a bit too flashy for you, Titanium Silver and Midnight Black are also available for those looking for a more classic look. Clearly, the various options of the HONOR X8b have something for everyone.
Build
The HONOR X8b comes in an ultra-slim form factor measuring at merely 6.78mm. It’s also incredibly lightweight, weighing just 166g, adding further to the smartphone’s portability. It barely felt like I had a phone in my pocket which makes carrying it around convenient and hassle-free.
This smartphone is also quite reliable in that it has obtained SGS’s Five Star Overall Drop Resistance certification.
Display
The new Honor X8b features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Display that produces such vivid colors and clarity. Coupled with its slim bezels and a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio, the smartphone provides for an impressive and immersive viewing experience when consuming your Netflix and YouTube content.
It also supports a resolution of 2412 x 1080. Its 90Hz refresh rate provides for a smooth and responsive user interface.
The HONOR X8b also features 2000 nits of peak brightness. The display’s brightness also adjusts to the user’s environment ranging from 2nits in low-light settings, to 600 nits indoors, and to 1200 nits in a sunny outdoor setting. Regardless of where you are and the time of day, the display will produce impressive visibility to enhance your viewing experience and your everyday usage.
The smartphone also incorporates Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology which enables the display to pulse at a rate of up to 3240Hz. This will help minimize the strain on your eyes while delivering comfortable viewing even in low-light settings.
Camera
When it comes to its photo-taking abilities, the HONOR X8b utilizes a triple camera system on the rear, consisting of a 108MP main camera, a 5MP wide and depth camera, and a 2MP macro camera.
In a decently lit setting, the smartphone can capture clear and detailed photos with vivid colors. It’s also no slouch when it comes to capturing images in low light. Even in darker settings, the amount of detail that is captured is quite clear with vibrant colors still shining through.
When it comes to the 5MP wide and depth camera, it is still pretty decent in capturing details. So, it can get the job done for your wider-angle shots.
The HONOR X8b is also equipped with a 50MP selfie camera. Apart from capturing good details on selfies, the camera also features a front spotlight for enhanced illumination and an Auto Switch FOV that enables you to include a bigger group of people in your shot – something that is more akin to those widely (no pun intended) popular Gen Z selfies.
Performance and OS
The new HONOR X8b is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680. This is coupled with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, which is quite impressive for a midrange smartphone. At least you’ll have enough space to store all your high quality photos.
Multitasking is also a breeze with this smartphone. It is further enhanced with features that are meant to provide a smart user experience.
The new HONOR Interactive Interface, which is introduced by the HONOR MagicOS 7.2, is designed to deliver a more intuitive and personalized user experience. Over the course of time, your most used apps will be recommended right on your home screen for easier access.
Efficiency is further improved with the smartphone’s capability of a multi-window feature that allows you to simultaneously use two apps at once. While watching a YouTube video, I was easily able to access a separate window to scroll through social media. While I was using this feature for leisure, there is clearly a ton of utility in this feature especially for multitasking.
The HONOR Personal Knowledge Center you can conveniently save web pages offline by sliding three fingers on the screen. It is also capable of automatic scanning of pages and documents. Additionally, you have the ability of recording while simultaneously taking down notes for enhanced productivity.
The Magic Capsule on the other hand offers quick access to relevant information. An example I used this for was setting a timer. The Magic Capsule displayed how much time was left exactly, and tapping on it allowed me to conveniently access the application.
The hardware paired with the enhanced OS truly allow for maximized productivity which is incredibly helpful if you plan to use this device for work.
However, the HONOR X8b can also be used for various leisure activities. As mentioned earlier, you are treated to an immersive viewing experience. Gaming was also not a problem for this device as I seamlessly ran Call of Duty: Mobile at the highest graphical settings.
Battery and charging
This smartphone is powered by a 4500mAh battery. All-in-all, it was able to last me up to two full days with moderate usage, which did include a couple of gaming sessions that entailed a bit more power consumption. You can bet that this phone won’t die on you in your time of need.
It comes with a 35W Type-C HONOR SuperCharger. When the battery is drained, it could take approximately 70-75 minutes to fully charge it.
Verdict
Overall, the HONOR X8b offers all the bells and whistles you would want from a modern smartphone.
It delivers an immersive viewing experience, offers impressive camera capabilities and provides an enhanced user interface for added productivity, all while showcasing a stylish and unique design that is sure to add some vibrancy to your everyday life.
At a retail price of Php 12,999, The HONOR X8b should definitely be one to look out for considering its all-rounder capabilities and features at this more than accessible price point.
Pre-order the HONOR X8b until February 23, 2024 and get free HONOR Choice X5 Earbuds worth Php 1,590.
Shop through these links:
Shopee – https://bit.ly/Shop_X8b_PR
Lazada – https://bit.ly/Laz_X8b_PR
TikTok Shop – https://bit.ly/TikTok_X8b_PR
