HONOR X8B

HONOR’s Xa-series smartphones impressed me last year. HONOR’s entry to mid-range lineup was reasonably priced and each model had its niche special feature. Among the standouts last year was HONOR X8a, an entry mid-ranger with a massive 100-megapixel camera that shot out the competition. This year, the HONOR X8b is a worthy successor to the X8a.

- GABRIEL PE

DESIGN

In the looks department, the HONOR X8b retains the X9a’s design aesthetic. It retains its iPhone inspiration with its (albeit now more subtle) boxy design. The inspiration is a bit more apparent in the selfie camera’s notch but more of this later. The phone comes in Glamorous Green, Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, and Midnight Black. Our review unit came in the phone’s flagship Glamorous Green color, the only color scheme with a vegan leather back.

Last year when I reviewed the HONOR X8a, I remarked that while I wasn’t a fan of the boxy design, the lightness made up for it. Well, the HONOR X8b has improved on this—it’s a bit smaller than the X8a, which now allows me to properly hold the phone with one hand. Plus, the leather back feels great when you’re just lazily scrolling through the web or social media.

HONOR improved the X8b display, which now sports a 6.7-inch Bright AMOLED screen. It has an FHD+ (2412 x 1080) resolution with a 90Hz refresh rate and 2000nits peak brightness. Even though it’s bright, the display is also safer with 3240Hz PWM dimming that minimizes flickers for less eye strain.

Found on the display is the unique camera notch. The notch doubles as the HONOR Magic Capsule that allows certain apps to display notifications. Think of it as something similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island feature.

For a general overview of what’s on the phone: on the left is the SIM card tray, and on the right is the volume and power button. The power button doubles as the side-mounted fingerprint reader. Beneath are the USB-C charging port and the single downward-firing speaker.