In this quarter, HONOR has released a new phone virtually every month, and other phones were announced at MWC 2023. While consumers in this price bracket want to get the most for their money from their smartphones, the HONOR X8a, a mid-range smartphone priced under PHP15,000, has seen some fantastic upgrades over the years.
With a 100MP camera, a stylish design, and a huge battery, Honor’s X8a is the company’s most recent offering in this market. At PHP, the phone’s price puts it into rivalry with devices like the Redmi Note 10 Pro and Realme 10.
The HONOR X8a is one of the best-looking phones under PHP15,000, can it perform as well as it looks?
HONOR X8a Specifications
- Display: 6.74-inch LCD (IPS) w/ 90Hz refresh rate, 1080 x 2388 pixels (~391 ppi density)
- CPU: Mediatek Helio G88 (12nm)
- GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
- RAM: 8GB
- ROM: 128GB
- Back Camera: 100 MP, f/1.9, (wide), AF + 5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) + 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
- Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.5
- Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 22.5W fast charging
- OS: Android 12 w/ Magic UI 6.1
- Connectivity: WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G, Bluetooth 5.1, OTG, GPS, dual SIM (nano)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
- Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB-C,
- Colors: Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black
- Dimensions: 162.9 x 74.5 x 7.5 mm
- Weight: 179 g
- Price: PHP 10,990
Unboxing the HONOR X8a
Let’s first look at what the HONOR X8a comes with out of the box. The box’s contents are about what you would anticipate for a phone in this price range.
- HONOR X7a smartphone
- 22.5 Watt Charger
- USB Type C Cable
- Clear transparent case
- SIM Ejection Pin
- User Manual
Build & Design
The HONOR X8a is exceptionally small and light at 7.48mm thick and 179g in weight. The back of the phone has a matte texture that repels fingerprints and smudges and is constructed of a material that is frequently used in this market.
The phone’s colors appear to be vivid, and indeed, there are multiple colors present—there isn’t just one, since the color of the phone can vary depending on the angle at which light is reflected onto it. The color of the one we currently have is titanium silver, and the other colors are cyan lake and midnight black.
On the side of the phone, next to the power button, is a fingerprint sensor that can be used to unlock it. The fingerprint sensor worked quickly and consistently, and it frequently recognized my fingerprint.
We love the 1.1-mm extremely slim bezel. This bezel is designed to give your phone’s screen the proper tones and true colors. Because of these thin bezels, you can enjoy watching with a wider viewing experience and better pixels.
This phone has a down-firing mono speaker that was unimpressive to use for media consumption and gaming, but that’s the case with most smartphones in this segment, so we can’t really gripe too much about it.
HONOR X8a sports a USB-C connector, just like its larger sibling, the X9a, as well as a power button and volume rocker on the right edge that are both simple to use when using the phone one-handedly. HONOR has made sure to make up for the lack of a 3.5mm headphone port by providing a USB-C to 3.5mm converter for its users.
The X8a has a 4500 mAh battery and a 22.5-watt charger that are both included with the phone. The battery on this phone performed really well, lasting for an entire day and a half between charges even when used heavily. If you use it lightly, you can even get a full two days of battery life from this phone.
The charging speed was reasonable for the price of the phone, taking about 30 minutes to charge the phone to 50% and an hour and 10 minutes to charge it completely from zero.
Display
With a 6.7-inch, 1080 x 2388-pixel IPS display and a 90Hz refresh rate, Honor’s phone has a great, indoor-useable display. It is advised against using the phone in direct sunlight because it doesn’t get bright enough to compensate for the harsh light. Using the phone outdoors in direct sunlight will be a difficult task. Although you shouldn’t count on the Honor X8a’s 90 Hz display to maintain that frame rate in visually demanding games, you should be alright if you use your phone for some casual gaming.
Because the phone has been certified by TÜV Rheinland as having less blue light, you can use the HONOR X8a for longer periods of time without getting sick. The phone also has an E-Book Mode, Eye Comfort Mode, and Dark Mode that protect your eyes. This makes it the best device for reading at night.
Performance
This phone has a Mediatek Helio G88 chipset, which isn’t the best-performing one in this market; you might have some stuttering occasionally, especially if you want to multitask while using the phone. However, the good news is that the Helio G88 performs just as expected. Using the phone for daily tasks won’t be a problem.
The Helio G88 is partnered with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage, surprisingly there’s no expandable storage option.
Android 12 is an older version of Android, which isn’t the best choice for a device like the Honor X8a. However, Honor assures its customers that it will continue to offer OTA support for Android 13 and later, as well as security updates.
If you’ve used an HONOR phone previously, the Magic UI 6.1 will look very familiar to you because Honor hasn’t made many changes to the phone’s design since the previous editions but remains reliable and fluid.
Camera
A 100MP main camera, a 5MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera are all included in the Honor X8a’s triple camera configuration.
The HONOR X8a also makes it easier and more convenient than ever before for consumers to snap gorgeous, high-definition images when combined with the Super Resolution AI technology. You can utilize the 100 MP camera in a full-resolution mode in the camera app; the images you take in this mode are often clearer, and you can zoom in without compromising quality.
The phone’s night mode can help minimize the noise in images, but the results won’t be the most appealing to look at. It is not recommended to take photos in low light with this phone because the results will be grainy and full of noise.
The X8a doesn’t have a telephoto camera, therefore, digital zooming here results in lower-quality pictures. If you really must zoom in, it is preferable to shoot the picture in full resolution and then zoom in.
Here are some shots taken by the HONOR X8a:
Should you buy the HONOR X8a?
The Honor X8a is a phone that does a little bit of everything, so you can expect a balanced package in the budget price range. However, don’t expect it to be great in any one area. One of the rare smartphones with a 100MP main camera, a truly well-designed phone, and respectable internal specs can be had for PHP10,990.
Price and Availability
HONOR X8a, priced at Php 10,990, comes in three majestic colors: Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, and Midnight Black. Buyers may now run to the nearest HONOR kiosks, or buy via our Partner Online Stores – Lazada, Shopee, and Tiktok Shop.
Customers can also avail of the HONOR X8a via Home Credit for as low as Php 1,332 per month and on a 0% interest installment payment.
