Honor X7c review
The Honor X7c is a budget smartphone that stands out in the market with its impressive design and durable build quality. Its Forest Green back panel has a matte finish that resembles leather, making it comfortable to hold and providing good grip. One of its key selling features is its IP64 rating, ensuring resistance to dust and water splashes on multiple angles. With an affordable price tag of 8,999 pesos, this device offers decent performance, cameras, and battery life, making it a solid entry-level option for those seeking value without sacrificing style.
Build Quality and Design
The Honor X7c's build quality is one of its standout features. This budget smartphone boasts an impressive matte-finish back panel that resembles leather, thanks to its design quality. The device has a good grip, making it comfortable to hold onto, despite weighing 194g and measuring 8.09mm in thickness. One of its key selling points is its durability, with an IP64 rating, which means it's resistant to dust and water splashes on multiple angles. Moreover, the Honor X7c can withstand some drop tests, thanks to its five-star drop resistance from SGS. This adds an extra layer of protection for users who are prone to accidents. The device's overall durability is a significant advantage in this price range. In terms of design, the Forest Green variant of our review unit exudes a premium look and feel. While it may not be the most stylish phone on the market, its build quality and attention to detail make up for any aesthetic shortcomings. The Honor X7c's design is an impressive feat, considering its affordable price tag. While it may not be the most significant feature, the Honor X7c's HD Plus TFT LCD display, which boasts a 6.77-inch screen size, is a decent offering in this segment. However, the discussion of its display will be reserved for another review. For now, let's focus on the aspects that truly make this phone stand out: its build quality and design.
Battery Life
The Honor X7c's battery life is one of its standout features, particularly given its affordable price tag. The device comes with a substantial 6000mAh battery capacity, which is paired with a 35W charger for efficient recharging. During our testing, the phone's battery lasted an impressive 16 hours and 23 minutes in our video loop test, making it suitable for heavy users who rely on their device throughout the day. While charging from 0 to 100% took around 1 hour and 30 minutes, which is slightly longer than expected, the overall battery life still provides a significant advantage over other entry-level devices. The Honor X7c's power-efficient display, paired with its robust processor and decent RAM management, contribute to its extended battery life. In our daily usage, we experienced no issues with the phone's performance or battery drain, even after extensive use of social media, gaming, and multimedia consumption. While the charging time may be a tad longer than expected, the Honor X7c's impressive battery life makes up for it. With its durable build quality, capable cameras, and decent display, this device offers an unbeatable value proposition in its price bracket. The Honor X7c's battery life is certainly one of its key selling points, making it a solid choice for users who prioritize all-day battery performance without breaking the bank.
Display
In an era where high-resolution displays are the norm, the Honor X7c's HD+ TFT LCD display may seem underwhelming at first glance. However, in its defense, this device is positioned as a budget-friendly option, and its display is not intended to be the standout feature. The 6.77-inch screen has a resolution of 1610 x 720 pixels, which might seem low compared to more expensive devices on the market. Nevertheless, in our testing, the colors were crisp, with good viewing angles and acceptable brightness levels. The device's ability to display vibrant hues was impressive, making it suitable for multimedia consumption. The only major drawback we encountered during our review is the lack of outdoor visibility. With a peak brightness of 850 nits, the screen struggled to compete with the sun's glare, resulting in washed-out colors and poor readability. This is not ideal for users who plan to use their phone outdoors frequently. On the other hand, the display performed admirably indoors or in dimly lit environments. Colors were vibrant, and text was clear and readable. For those looking for a budget-friendly device that won't break the bank, the Honor X7c's HD+ display might be sufficient. However, if you're accustomed to higher-resolution displays, you may find yourself disappointed. In conclusion, while the Honor X7c's display is not its strongest feature, it's still a solid option for those on a tight budget. It's perfect for basic tasks like browsing social media, checking emails, or watching videos indoors.
Camera
One of the key aspects of any smartphone is its camera capabilities. The Honor X7c's dual-camera setup boasts a 108MP main shooter and a 2MP depth sensor, but how does it perform in real-world scenarios? In this review, we'll take a closer look at the cameras of the Honor X7c. The 108MP primary camera delivers decent outputs with good details and sharpness. It has a wide dynamic range and decent color reproduction, making it suitable for everyday photography. However, there are times when outputs tend to have oversaturated results and deep shadows. This can be mitigated by adjusting the exposure settings or using HDR mode. The 8MP front camera captures decent skin tones with good sharpness and details in well-lit environments. However, in low-light conditions, outputs tend to have soft details. It's recommended to take selfies with proper lighting for better results. Both the rear and front cameras can shoot up to 1080p at 30 FPS without any stabilization features on both sensors. While this might be a drawback for some users, it's still a decent offering considering the phone's price point. While the Honor X7c's cameras are not outstanding in their respective categories, they're decent enough for everyday use. The main camera delivers good results with minimal effort, and the selfie camera is suitable for casual use. However, video recording capabilities could be improved with the addition of stabilization features. Overall, the Honor X7c's cameras are a solid offering for its price point. While they might not compete with high-end flagships, they're more than capable of handling everyday photography tasks. If you're looking for an affordable smartphone with good camera capabilities, the Honor X7c is definitely worth considering.
Price and Value
In today's competitive smartphone market, finding a device that offers great value for its price is a rare gem. The Honor X7c is one such device that attempts to bridge the gap between affordability and features. Priced at 8,999 pesos for the 8GB + 256GB configuration, this phone has its work cut out in justifying its cost. Firstly, let's talk about what you get for your money. The Honor X7c boasts a durable design with an IP64 rating, making it resistant to dust and water splashes. Its matte-finished back panel looks and feels like leather, providing a comfortable grip and handling. While not the lightest or thinnest phone around, it's still reasonably sized at 194g and 8.09mm thick. Performance-wise, the X7c is powered by a Snapdragon 685 chip paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In our tests, we found it to be capable of handling multitasking with ease, although gaming performance could be improved. Camera performance was decent, with the 108MP main shooter delivering good outputs, albeit with some oversaturation issues. In terms of value, the Honor X7c is a solid entry-level device that offers impressive durability and an attractive design. However, it's worth noting that its HD+ display, while good for everyday use, may not be enough to impress those seeking higher-resolution screens. Battery life was satisfactory, with our test lasting around 16 hours and 23 minutes. Considering the X7c's price point, we'd say it offers a great balance of features and affordability. While it may not set your heart racing in terms of specs or display quality, this phone is a reliable choice for those seeking a budget-friendly option without compromising too much on performance.
Performance
The Honor X7c's performance is a mixed bag, but ultimately, it manages to deliver decent results in various aspects. Under the hood, the device is powered by a Snapdragon 685 chip, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In our testing, we found that the phone can handle multitasking with ease, with minimal stuttering when navigating the interface or scrolling through social media. This makes it suitable for daily use cases like browsing, gaming, and streaming. However, when put to the test in more demanding scenarios, such as gaming, the X7c's performance is not quite as impressive. We experienced some minor frame drops and stuttering during extended gameplay sessions with mobile games like PUBG Mobile and Garena Free Fire. In terms of benchmark results, the phone scores decently but not spectacularly. Our tests revealed a respectable AnTuTu score of 230K+, but a more modest Geekbench score of around 4,500+ (single-core) and 14,000+ (multi-core). During our video loop test, we observed some minor heating issues, which could impact overall performance in prolonged use cases. In conclusion, while the Honor X7c's performance is not its strongest suit, it still manages to deliver decent results for everyday use. However, users seeking a more premium gaming experience may find themselves wanting a bit more from this device. The Honor X7c's performance is serviceable but unremarkable, making it a solid option for those on a tight budget or looking for a basic smartphone.
Pros
1. The Honor X7c has a durable design with a matte finish on its back panel that looks and feels like leather.
2. It has good grip and is comfortable to hold, weighing only 194g and having a thickness of 8.09mm.
3. The device comes with an IP64 rating, making it resistant to dust and water splashes on multiple angles.
4. The Honor X7c can handle some drop tests due to its five-star drop resistance from SGS.
5. It has a decent camera setup with a 108MP main shooter that delivers good details and sharpness.
6. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 685 chip paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, making it suitable for multitasking and gaming.
Cons
1. The Honor X7c comes with an entry-level spec sheet, which may not be impressive for some users.
2. It only has an HD+ display with a resolution of 1610 x 720 and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is not ideal for outdoor use.
3. The camera can have oversaturated results and deep shadows in certain conditions.
4. The selfie camera can capture soft details in low-light environments.
5. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps without stabilization features on both sensors.
6. The device's charging speed is slower than usual, taking around 1 hour and 30 minutes to charge from 0 to 100%