Honor 7X Review: Best smartphone under Rs. 15,000 with 18:9 display?

Honor, a few weeks ago, launched the successor to its popular Honor 6X calling it the Honor 7X. The smartphone has added to the company's budget line of smartphones. The highlights of the smartphone include the 18:9 aspect ratio display and the dual-camera setup at the back. Here's our review on how is the Honor 7X and whether its worth your time and money.

Specifications

In terms of specifications, the Honor 7X features a 5.93-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2160 pixels. The smartphone is powered by the company's homegrown HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset which is an octa-core chipset coupled with the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. The device packs in 4GB of RAM and comes in two storage variant, 32GB and 64GB. The storage on the 7X is expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card. The smartphone runs on EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.1 Nougat. Under the hood, there is a 3,340mAh battery powering up the device.

Design

The Honor 7X has a really great build and the front surely attracts a lot of people and could be a conversation starter. The 18:9 display has become a trend these days and Honor has managed to give that to its users starting at just Rs. 12,999. The smartphone is easy to hold in one hand and gives a great in-hand feel. The camera bump at the back might trouble while laying the phone flat on a table, however, a cover will fix the issue.

 

Software

The Honor 7X runs on EMUI 5.1 which is a custom skin built by Honor on top of Google's Android 7.0 Nougat. Though the custom skin might not be made for everyone, it surely brings a lot of features with it. The EMUI on the 7X offers features like App Twin which allows users to have two WhatsApp or Facebook accounts on one phone. The software also has a lot of customization options so the user will never get bored.

Performance

HiSilicon Kirin 659 SoC sits at the heart of the Honor 7X coupled with the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. The smartphone performs really well on a day to day usage. The 4GB RAM on the smartphone is also optimised well which can keep up to 12-14 applications running in the background without any problem for snappy multitasking. Coming to the gaming front, games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2 run smoothly while games like Asphalt 8 and Injustice 2 struggle a bit at times.

Camera

Just like the 18:9 displays, the dual-camera setup has also become a trend among the smartphones. The Honor 7X features a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 16-megapixel camera sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel sensor with phase detection autofocus and a LED flash. The cameras at the back do a decent job taking pictures at good lighting conditions. However, under low lighting conditions, the auto mode might not do as much as the pro mode can do. Considering most people use the auto mode, the cameras on the Honor 7X might struggle under low lighting conditions.

 

Up front, there is an 8-megapixel selfie snapper which also supports recording of 1080p videos. The front camera performs really well and sets a tough competition at the price range. The level of detail and brightness added to the photo are really appreciated.

Battery

The Honor 7X was easily able to last one full working day with light to moderate usage while with heavy usage you might need to top up the 7X's 3,340mAh battery at around 7 or 8 PM.

Verdict

 

The Honor 7X makes a great value for money and has got a really attractive design. The smartphone offers a really good build quality and a number of features packed inside. It is worth noting that the Honor 7X really sets a tough competition at its price range. An 18:9 display and a dual-camera setup is rare to see under the Rs. 15,000 price bracket. The smartphones like Xiaomi Mi A1, 10.or G and Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 really need to get an overhaul with their next generations to keep up with the competition.

Though the Honor 7X lacks a Gyroscope sensor which will interfere with VR experiences, the smartphone is really a good value for money. The fingerprint sensor on the Honor 7X is also really reliable and fast. At Rs. 12,999 for the 32GB variant and Rs. 15,999 for the 64GB variant, Honor 7X should be considered if you are looking for a smartphone at around these prices.