Honor has introduced a number of great smartphones in 2018 and it seems like the company has now earned the position to be renowned as a separate identity in spite of being known as sub-brand of Huawei. And why exactly we think so? Because in many emerging markets like Pakistan Honor is renowned as one of the best Chinese smartphones brand which is offering decent specs in mid-range smartphones. The Honor 8X is a mid-range phone that you’d need to show off.
Honor’s most recent offering, called the Honor 8X, is making a solid push into the mid-range portion. Unexpectedly, the Honor 8X doesn’t share too much in common with 2016’s Honor 8. This time around the Huawei sub-mark has made the display and camera it’s the best need as it tries to remove its primary opponent Xiaomi. NetMag, as always is here, to find out if the 8X can successfully build on Honor’s legacy in the affordable handset market.
Unboxing
The phone comes in a decent packing along with a power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, a casual hands-free, warranty card, quick start guide and additionally a back cover for extra protection.
Design and Display
In reality, the Honor 8X happens to have the biggest displays I’ve yet observed on a mid-range smartphone. The main gadget that even approaches is the Mi Max 2, however that phone has those thick, inconvenient bezels on the best and base. This is additionally the first occasion when we’re seeing Huawei’s fresh out of the box new, mid-range, Kirin 710 SoC come to Pakistan.
It truly doesn’t bode well to get the top of the line variation of the Honor 8X as it costs PKR 42,999 4GB, 128 GB. You could get another Poco F1 smartphone just by spending Rs 1,000 more, and that phone is a monster of an entertainer on all fronts. The 4 B RAM + 64 GB storage variation of the 8X retails for PKR 28,999 however, improving it an alternative.
It’s 2018 and except if you’re Google, a notch on a phone is not any more deserving of remark. Honor, not one to be deserted, has jumped on board the notch express and immediately released a pack of notched gadgets. The 8x is, obviously, simply one more voyager on board that prepares.
While the notch has helped shrivel phone temples to a vanishing point, buttons and cheeks are as yet being sidelined. All things considered, on the off chance that you need to have the most extreme screen, you should evacuate all bezels. Sadly, it isn’t as simple as it appears. Just the iPhone X, XS Max, XS, and XR have possessed the capacity to convey a jawless screen. The way toward evacuating the jaw is very costly as you have to twist the screen to associate it with the motherboard at the back.
The gadget has a 6.5-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display on a body the extent of a OnePlus 6. The last has a 6.28-inch display, making it very clear that a chinless phone has points of interest that go past style. Honor has likewise tried to offer a top-notch screen. The display was very brilliant in bright conditions and energetic too, or, in other words, update over the Honor Play’s dull display. The huge display gives an incredible visual joy while gorging on Netflix. The display likewise darkened sufficiently down for me to peruse serenely during the evening.
Honor’s assurance to offer a great display on the 8x, and that out of control thinking back, implies that the phone is extremely alluring.
Features:
The Honor 8X isn’t so vigorously stuffed with features as I expected, yet that is justifiable given that the gadget costs just Rs 28,999. On the equipment side of things, there is a 6.4-inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a viewpoint proportion of 19.5:9. In the engine the phone packs in a Kirin 710 chipset alongside 4 GB RAM + 64 GB interior storage. There are clearly other capacity alternatives required too and these incorporate 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM + 128 GB inner capacity.
In the camera section, the phone has dual cameras on the back involving a 20 MP essential sensor with a f/1.8 opening and an optional 2 MP profundity sensor. There is another ‘night mode’ and furthermore, an AI mode in the camera settings, which I will clarify in greater detail later on in the survey. On the front of the phone, we see a 16 MP camera with a f/2.0 opening. All cameras bolster a type of AI-upgraded features.
On the software side of things, the Honor 8X runs Android 8.1 with Huawei’s EMUI 8.2 running to finish everything. As far as network choices, we have double SIM 4G VoLTE bolster alongside Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/air conditioning, Bluetooth 4.2, micro USB 2.0 OTG port, GPS and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The whole setup is controlled by a 3,750 mAh battery with no brisk charge abilities.
Software:
While EMUI isn’t as awful as a portion of the other custom skins I’ve utilized before, there are a few issues that Honor is yet to deal with. There’s that chafing “Sign in with Huawei ID” tab still present at the highest point of the Settings menu, there’s no choice to redo the brisk settings symbols except if you make a beeline for the settings menu, there’s no application cabinet (however that is an individual inclination) and motion route alternatives are horrendous.
Generally speaking, the UI feels somewhat jumbled to me and there is a ton of bloatware as discrete symbols for the program, display and record chief applications. One good thing here is that swiping ideal from the home screen instantly takes you to the Google application, where a customized rundown of curated news articles anticipates your consideration.
Camera:
With regards to camera performance, the Honor 8X is tormented by numerous individuals of similar issues that torment all Honor phones in a similar price range. Hues are oversaturated and dynamic range isn’t predictable between shots. It’s bad to the point that occasionally the sky will seem dim when it is for sure blue. a maroon building will turn red and a mellow yellow tint could turn something canary yellow. At different occasions, the camera would repeat ideal detail in photographs yet botch up the presentation. A scene where the sun is sparkling behind a tall building looks underexposed despite the fact that the earth is sufficiently bright.
The thing is, I really like the Honor 8X camera. Indeed, I believe it’s extraordinary compared to other cameras you can get in this class. While hues are off and dynamic range is everywhere, pictures are sharp and look great on that display. In case you’re one for Instagram channels and intensely prepared pictures, you’ll appreciate the Honor 8X. In the event that the AI wasn’t working additional time to over process the pictures, I’d cheerfully prescribe this camera to anybody. The way things are, if it’s a more normal, consistent with life picture that you look for, consider the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
When I shot pictures during the evening in the ordinary mode, the pictures ended up being very obnoxious. Photographs looked grainy and had a solid yellowish tint around the center point. Hues are likewise washed out. When I utilized night mode, I saw a huge contrast in yield. The picture was better uncovered, demonstrated better unique range and the last picture was considerably keener.
The representation mode on the phone seems to be great despite the fact that the foundation detachment isn’t exactly on a par with, say, on the Redmi Note 5 Pro. In dubious lighting conditions, the phone can’t make any sort of Bokeh, which left me somewhat disillusioned.
Basically, the phone clicks great pictures, yet the resultant pictures are an obtained taste. A genuine photography aficionado may flinch at the hues. Regardless, the statistic that Honor is looking towards with the Honor 8X is one who doesn’t profoundly investigate photographs.
Performance:
The Honor 8X is the major phone in Pakistan to accompany the new mid-range Kirin 710 SoC and keeping in mind that it completes a great job of taking care of different applications in the meantime, the phone isn’t reasonable for bad-to-the-bone gaming exercises.
The benchmark scores likewise bear that out. It beats any semblance of Redmi Note 5 Pro and Nokia 6.1 Plus, and it additionally beats the Mi A2 and Realme 2 Pro, persuading that the Kirin 710 is a marginally preferred workhorse over the Snapdragon 660. Honor discloses to me that the phone comes with the GPU Turbo innovation keep going seen on the Honor Play smartphone, however, there is no real way to think about what sort of contrasts the setting makes as there is no alternative present to flip GPU Turbo on or off. Here are some benchmarking results;
Gaming Experience
Thrilling games, for example, PUBG and Asphalt 9 kept running on medium settings and there was some measure of casing drop, which I encountered amid broadened gaming sessions. Lighter diversions, for example, Temple Run and Subway Surfer ran well, however that will be normal.
Battery:
For reasons unknown, the standard PC Mark 2.0 Battery life test does not chip away at Honor gadgets. Be that as it may, my use, in actuality, uncovered that the Honor 8X performs unbelievably well with regards to battery performance. The main drawback to the phone is that it takes ages to charge completely. Without any sort of quick charging capacities, the Honor 8X fully charges in around 3 hours, from 0 to100 percent. I would’ve adored some sort of speedy charge capacities, however, the more than competent battery on the phone remunerates in that regard.
Conclusion
The Honor 8X is a mid-range phone that you’d need to show off. That huge, clear display, shining back and punchy hues establish a striking first connection. At first look, the phone is impressive. While I found the camera experience to be somewhat bumping at first, it’s something I became acclimated to. Camera aside, the great battery life and sensibly intense chipset prevailed upon me.
Great display and great design joined with a normal camera. All things considered, regardless I believe that the best form to purchase is the less expensive choice, the one with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage that retails for PKR 28,900. It hits that esteem for-cash sweet spot on the head. The design is undeniably premium and unique enough that the phone is sure to stand out in a crowd.
