Following the resounding success of the HONOR X9b in the Philippine smartphone market, the next release targets consumers who seek a budget-friendly option without compromising on the quality of their smartphone experience.
The box, albeit simple, highlights the featured leather back of the HONOR X8b, signifying the brand’s focus for affordable products without compromising on the quality.
Unboxing
The contents of the box are standard, and HONOR goes the extra mile by including essential accessories like a silicon case, SIM hole pin, charger, and a USB-C cable alongside the X8b.
Notably, HONOR continues its generosity by providing 3.5mm wired earphones with the phone. For those seeking a comprehensive package upon receiving their new device, this offering is ideal.
Design
The X8b’s design, a seamless continuation from the X8a, features a triple-rear square-ish camera module and a lychee grain leather-textured back cover that mimics the real thing. The quilt pattern adds a pleasing aesthetic touch.
Differences include the strategically placed front microphone, an in-screen front-facing camera, and a subtle screen edge curve. The left side houses the SIM tray, while the right side accommodates the volume control button and the power button, doubling as a fingerprint scanner.
The flat sides and fingerprint scanner placement make the X8b’s design both sleek and practical, especially for left-handed users. The bottom end features downfiring speakers and a USB-C port for charging or connecting to a 3.5mm audio jack.
Moving to the rear, the triple camera setup and Glamorous Green design, featuring a diamond-like pattern matte surface, enhance both aesthetics and comfort. The color symbolizes beauty, nature, life, and fashion, radiating freshness and vibrancy.
Despite its budget-level status, the X8b impresses with its good looks and effective fingerprint-resistant back cover. The smartphone’s weight feels just right, and its slightly flat edges do not compromise usability. The metal-like build of the body frame further adds to the overall premium appearance, making the X8b an attractive and functional device.
Display
The X8b boasts a remarkable 6.7-inch Risk-Free Dimming AMOLED Display, featuring TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification, a resolution of 2412 x 1080, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 20.1:9 aspect ratio, displaying 16.77 million colors.
This Eye Comfort AMOLED Display incorporates HONOR’s Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technology, operating at 3240Hz, offering substantial eye protection and with a 93.7% screen-to-body ratio, the X8b delivers an immersive visual experience.
The vivid color reproduction of the 6.7-inch screen is particularly notable when watching videos and YouTube in High Definition (HD), rivaling flagship smartphones like the HONOR Magic5 Pro.
In terms of brightness, the X8b achieves an impressive HBM brightness of 1200nits, ensuring vibrant colors and nuanced hues, even outshining the HONOR Magic5 Pro. Noteworthy is the screen’s adaptive brightness feature, which seamlessly adjusts to varying environments.
For gaming enthusiasts, the 90Hz refresh rate becomes evident in responsive touches when playing games like COD, enhancing the overall gaming experience on the X8b.
Performance
The HONOR X8b boasts impressive specifications, featuring a powerful combination of 16GB (8+8) RAM, a massive 512GB storage capacity, and the advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor.
A standout feature of the X8b is its expansive storage, setting a new benchmark in its class with a generous 512GB capacity. This level of storage is typically associated with computers and high-end devices, making it an unexpected but welcome addition to a budget-friendly smartphone like the X8b.
Notably, the device supports up to 16GB of RAM, resembling the capabilities of gaming computers. Thanks to HONOR’s RAM turbo technology, an additional 8GB of RAM is seamlessly added when the system detects the need for it.
Gaming
Powering the X8b is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, ensuring good performance for multitasking, and during gaming sessions. The device operates smoothly providing a seamless and responsive experience but do not expect much from high fidelity games.
| Game | Refresh Rate | Graphics Settings | Playability |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Super | Ultra | Great |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | Medium | Very high | Great |
| Genshin Impact | 60 FPS | Lowest | Decent |
User Interface
To complement its robust hardware, the HONOR X8b runs on the proprietary MagicOS 7.2, built upon the foundation of Android 13. The software is meticulously crafted, delivering a polished experience that functions seamlessly as intended.
Audio System
Typically, budget-friendly smartphones such as the X8b feature single-sided speakers, and this holds true in this case.
The smartphone houses a single speaker positioned on the rear, providing loud and clear audio. However, it’s worth noting that during gaming, the sound can be muffled by the hand.
While the device lacks a 3.5mm audio jack, HONOR has thoughtfully included an adapter to accommodate 3.5mm wired earphones.
Battery
With a sizable 4800mAh battery, the overall battery life of the HONOR X8b is commendable. During standby, the phone retained 60% charge even after 24 hours, with an additional 25 hours available in power-saving mode.
While in performance mode, there is a slight reduction in battery sustainability. However, a full day’s use is still achievable.
Camera
The HONOR X8b boasts an impressive camera system with a triple-camera setup, featuring a high-resolution 108MP ultra-clear main camera. This primary camera is complemented by a 5MP wide and depth camera, as well as a 2MP macro camera.
The standout feature of the main camera lies in its utilization of the ISOCELL HM6 mobile image sensor, capable of supporting an astounding 108 million pixels with a pixel size of 0.6um x 0.64um. This advanced technology ensures that each image captures intricate details, enhancing the overall photography experience.
Photography
In the realm of photography, the HONOR X8b excels with up to 2x optical zoom and an impressive 8x digital zoom. A notable feature is the rapid shutter response, ensuring the capture of clear images even in dynamic settings.
Under ample daylight conditions, the 108MP lens shines, producing exceptionally pleasing images. What stands out is the camera’s ability to represent indoor scenes with a brighter and more vibrant perspective, which I find particularly positive.
Colors are vivid and pop, with minimal noise, making indoor photography with the X8b quite commendable.
In well-lit conditions, daytime selfies capture exceptionally clear images with appealing bokeh effects and for indoor shots, the X8b impressively delivers decent selfies, albeit a bit washed with minimal noise.
Video recording
The videography capabilities of the HONOR X8b are commendable. It captures videos in 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second, providing satisfactory results. While the absence of image stabilization is evident, it’s understandable given the device’s affordable price point.
Final Remarks
What we like:
- Gorgeous looking design
- Generous 512GB storage
- 93.7% screen-to-body ratio 90Hz AMOLED display
- Good build quality
- Seamless user interface
What could be improved further:
- Night-time shots could be better
- Single loudspeaker; susceptible to being muffled by the hand
Pre-order HONOR X8b until February 23, 2024 and get a FREE HONOR Choice X5 Earbuds worth Php 1,590!
The HONOR X8b is set to debut with an attractive suggested retail price of just ₱12,999! Secure your device effortlessly through the following links:
Shopee – https://bit.ly/Shop_X8b_PR
Lazada – https://bit.ly/Laz_X8b_PR
TikTok Shop – https://bit.ly/TikTok_X8b_PR
#HONORX8b #MassiveStorage
