The HONOR X8b is a real treat for design-conscious consumers who take lots of selfies. Its faux leather back makes it classy while the narrow bezels on the front gives an immersive experience.
However, we need to take a closer look at all of its features in this full review. We’ll test its camera quality, gaming performance, connectivity, and battery life.
HONOR X8b Review – DESIGN
Back design of the HONOR X8b
Bottom ports of the HONOR X8b
The HONOR X8b is a slim and light smartphone measuring 6.78mm in thickness and 166 grams in weight only.
I have the Glamorous Green color variant with faux leather back and I suggest you get the same color variant. It also comes in Midnight Black and Titanium Silver colors that use traditional polycarbonate back panels.
The back material is soft to touch and has a classy look with diamond stitching patterns. Even though the phone comes with a free jelly case, I’m always tempted not to use it because of the faux leather back.
It also has flat sides with slightly rounded edges for smooth ergonomics.
Overall, the HONOR X8b is one of the most well-designed smartphones in this price segment.
HONOR X8b Review – DISPLAY
The screen of the HONOR X8b
Watching TikTok videos on the HONOR X8b
On the front of the HONOR X8b is its large screen with narrow bezels all around the four sides. It measures 6.7 inches diagonally with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2412 pixels.
It’s sharp, vibrant, and bright even outdoors under the bright noontime sun. It looks good and immersive for watching videos and scrolling social media feeds. However, it doesn’t have HDR support for Netflix.
It has a high screen refresh rate which makes the UI feel smoother. However, it’s limited to 90Hz, not the snappier 120Hz of more expensive models.
Magic Capsule feature of the HONOR X8b
There’s also a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen for the selfie camera. It dynamically resizes to show relevant information and HONOR calls this feature Magic Capsule.
Right now, it only works for a few apps including the phone app, recorder, and clock timer.
HONOR X8b Review – CAMERA
Triple rear cameras of the HONOR X8b
The HONOR X8b is equipped with triple rear cameras. It includes a 108MP main camera, 5MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP macro camera.
I almost always use the 108MP main camera and barely switched to the ultra-wide or macro lenses because it has way better quality. Pictures look good when taken in well-lit situations and slightly grainy in low light. The ultra-wide camera can also produce decent shots in daylight.
Here are several sample pictures:
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b, Portrait mode
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b, ultra-wide
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
Low-light photography needs some tweaks such as using the dedicated Night mode or Portrait mode. Both options result in shareable portraits or night shots on social media.
The AI scene enhancement button is also useful. It automatically applies enhancements to the pictures based on its detected scene.
However, its enhancements can sometimes be too much, making pictures look over-saturated.
Selfie LED flash of the HONOR X8b
Meanwhile, the selfie camera produces impressive selfies both during the day and at night thanks to its dedicated front LED flash!
It’s a high resolution 50MP selfie camera with 0.8x wide angle mode. A “natural” beautification feature is turned on by default so you should test turning it off and find your preference.
Here are several sample selfies:
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b (with beautification)
HONOR X8b (with beautification)
HONOR X8b
HONOR X8b
At night, the front LED flash is not too bright but already gives off enough light for good-looking selfies. There are only a handful of smartphones with this feature now.
When it comes to video recording, both the rear and front cameras can capture full HD or 1080p videos. The quality is decent but there is no stabilization feature.
HONOR X8b Review – PERFORMANCE, UI & Storage
Playing Mobile Legends on the HONOR X8b
The HONOR X8b is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor with 8GB of RAM, Android 13 OS, and the Magic UI 7.2 software.
Its performance is generally smooth in basic tasks such as browsing websites, scrolling across social media feeds, and switching between apps. However, there are lags every once in a while.
I tried playing popular games like Mobile Legends and Call of Duty Mobile and I had some fun. It immediately becomes obvious that it’s not very powerful though. At high graphics quality, there are several frame drops during team fights.
The user interface is alright with useful features like large folders and some pre-installed apps.
What’s impressive with the HONOR X8b is its 512GB internal storage. That’s a lot for a phone in this price range. You’ll likely never fill-up this storage space!
HONOR X8b Review – Connectivity, Audio & Security
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner of the HONOR X8b
Sadly, there’s no 5G connectivity for the HONOR X8b. It’s limited to 4G LTE networks for both SIM1 and SIM2. It’s sufficiently fast in terms of mobile data speeds in areas with uncongested 4G signals.
There’s no 3.5mm audio jack and no USB type-C to audio jack adaptor. You’ll have to provide USB type-C earphones or wireless headphones for high quality audio.
The loudspeaker is a single bottom-firing unit which sounds alright. It also has an “extra volume mode” that makes it slightly louder.
For security, there’s a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button. It is quick and accurate although under-display fingerprint sensors seem more high end.
HONOR X8b Review – Battery & Charging Time
Unboxing contents of the HONOR X8b
The HONOR X8b has a 4,500mAh battery which might seem less than other smartphones. Nevertheless, it lasts quite a long time in my experience and usually has around 30% battery capacity left after a day of my normal usage.
Playing games continuously drains the battery in about 6 hours.
Thankfully, recharging the device to 100% battery capacity takes around 1 hour and 20 minutes only. A 35W fast charger is already included in the box.
HONOR X8b Review – CONCLUSION
Thumbs up for the HONOR X8b!
I highly recommend the HONOR X8b for its classy design, immersive display and capable cameras (front & back). However, the underwhelming gaming performance holds it back.
The faux leather back and 50MP selfie camera with LED flash are my favorite features of the device!
The HONOR X8b is now available in HONOR stores nationwide, authorized retailers, and official HONOR online stores on Shopee and Lazada. Its official price is ₱12,999.
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