With HONOR having been teasing consumers the past few weeks about a new, exciting device that’s loaded with power, they have finally revealed just exactly what the fuss is all about; HONOR’s latest X7a is here, and could very well be just what people have been expecting of it.
The device’s main highlights include its whopping 6000mAh battery, 50MP Ultra-Clear Quad Camera, 128GB of storage, as well as its 6.74” HONOR FullView Display.
Having been blessed with the device even before its official local release, I was able to see firsthand what exactly the X7a has to offer.
Battery:
One of, if not the main appeal for the X7a is its power-packed battery. With an astonishing 6000mAh capacity, the device has enough energy for roughly 3 days of battery life, or 22 hours online video playback, 42 hours audio calls, 29 hours of music, or 42 hours of social media. Quite impressive numbers, to say the least, which is why it is no shock that the X7a placed 1st in the DXOMARK smartphone battery rankings.
Having been using the phone for a wide variety of activities– be it calling/texting, streaming the NBA All-Star Weekend, taking photos when traveling, scrolling through social media, playing online games or multitasking –I was most impressed with the X7a’s battery’s stamina; despite lengthy and, at times, heavy usage, it is more than capable of withstanding such.
Curious as to how many days the X7a’s battery can last given regular usage on a full charge, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it could last a long 3 days.
The X7a was fully charged at 9:41pm.
There was minimal use of the device, occasionally scrolling through social media or on messaging platforms.
Much of the afternoon was spent outdoors; calling and texting, navigating on Waze and taking photos.
More browsing the web and time spent on social media with moderate usage.
I purposely had a higher usage for the last stretch to test it further, mostly streaming videos and playing online games.
Despite varying levels of usage, the X7a was more than capable of withstanding a multitude of activities and still retain a solid battery percentage, which ultimately speaks volumes of the overall capacity of the battery.
What makes having such a large battery capacity even more enjoyable? A charging speed that is up to par. The X7a has a 22.5W SuperCharge, where a mere 10 minute charge is enough to power 3 hours worth of video playback.
In my own little experiment, it took a total of 13 brief minutes to go from 5% to 20%. While to drain it back to 5%, it took just over 2 hours of continuous video playing.
This goes to show that the dyad of the massive battery and its SuperCharge gives its users the luxury of being able to enjoy the phone, all while having to worry way less about low levels of battery and having to charge.
And if you thought that was all when it comes to this aspect, HONOR has definitely added further enhancements; the X7a adopts a smart energy-saving engine for slower consumption and better performance, while its maximum battery capacity can still exceed 80% even after a 3-year usage period. So, to say the X7a’s powerful battery is one of its greatest selling points would be a complete understatement.
Design:
HONOR has created 3 different colors for its X7a: the delicate and brilliant Titanium Silver, the calming and elegant Ocean Blue, as well as the sleek and luxurious Midnight Black (which is the one I was able to get my hands on).
My first impression of its appearance was its rather large body and screen. However, upon closer inspection, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the X7a wasn’t as bulky or heavy as it initially seemed to be. A slim 8.27mm body weighing at a decent 196g only (even with the improved battery) allows the device to be more portable, aesthetic and have a pleasant feel when held in hand.
At its rear, you’ll find the design of 2 rings at the top left meant to house its cameras, which was inspired by the iconic dual-reflex camera. Despite its nod to this type of dual lens, the X7a actually possesses 4 different types of cameras.
Other design aspects include both the volume rockers and side-mounted fingerprint scanner on its right side and a punch-hole type selfie camera to round out the X7a.
Display:
Equipped with a 6.74” HONOR FullView Display, not only can the X7a offer you a wide and vast screen, but one that can give a more immersive, theater-like experience, resulting in clearer presentation, a wider field of vision and just larger text in general. One facet that caught my eye is its 90.7% screen-to-body ratio which goes to show that not only is the X7a merely a large phone, but with a large display to match.
A 90Hz refresh rate facilitates fairly seamless motions, decently smooth actions and responsiveness when using the device. Scrolling through your timeline, browsing through the web or watching YouTube is no problem at all for the X7a. However, I noticed that during heavy usage and/or multitasking, these aforementioned aspects may take a dip in performance. Fortunately, it doesn’t take such a drastic one and is much more understandable given the load the X7a was given to handle in the short time span.
Moreover, being TUV Rheinland low blue light certified puts less strain in your eyes for better protection. This ultimately allows you to spend more time on screen without having to worry about too much stress put onto your eyes.
Processor:
The X7a is powered by a Mediatek Helio G37 which, although isn’t the most eyebrow-raising processor out there, can still get the job done and done well, nevertheless.
Running on Magic UI 6.1, the X7a is capable of tackling everyday tasks. When it’s under a lot of strenuous load, a bit of lag may be experienced. Other than that, however, typical usage is made smooth and responsive.
Camera:
The X7a boasts a Quad Camera setup, possessing a 50MP Main Camera, 5MP Ultra Wide, 2MP Depth of Field and a 2MP Macro Camera.
The range of modes the user is able to choose from includes portrait mode, panoramic, aperture, time-lapse and super macro, to name a few.
I enjoyed using the camera most when in the presence of vast and scenic landscapes, such as when heading to the beach or playing a round of golf. The X7a’s camera is of quality enough to create vibrant and stunning photos that have detail and clarity, whether taking a picture of the view or someone’s portrait.
I did notice, however, that some of that detail and clarity might take a bit of a dip when taking shots of subjects that are rather near and up close.
Overall, the many different modes to choose from and the quality it has makes taking pictures with the X7a enjoyable.
Storage:
The X7a comes with a large storage of 128GB and either 4GB or 6GB of RAM. This can equate to more than 27,000 photos or more than 440 HD videos, meaning that the user can have a lot more liberty when it comes to storage.
Verdict:
HONOR has really packed the X7a with a powerful battery that does not seem to get fatigued and has an ultra-fast charge, as well. Adding this to a very capable camera and a vast display could make the X7a a noteworthy device, especially along its segment.
