HONOR X8a Unboxing, First Impressions, Camera Samples
HONOR launched the X8a today and now we're going to provide our impressions of it alongside camera samples.
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| The HONOR X8a |
To recap, it is one of the affordable devices featuring a 100MP Ultra-Clear main camera, a 6.7-inch Edgeless display, Helio G88 SoC, 6GB or 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, and 4,500mAh battery with 22.5W SuperCharge adaptor.
So let's unbox it first!
Unboxing/Accessories
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| The box |
The smartphone comes in a similar box as its siblings with White colors, the device's image at the center, and the brand name at the top and side areas.
Upon opening, you'll see the smartphone unit, USB-C cable, 22.5W fast charger, TPU transparent case, SIM injector tool, documents for warranty, and quick guide.
Build Quality/Design
The HONOR X8a uses plastic material on the rear cover and comes with a metal frame. The first thing we notice is its stylish glittery-like effects giving a premium feel upon looking at it. It's also lightweight at 179 grams and is 7.45mm thin making it a lot easier when holding.
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| The rear cover |
The cover also has shiny effects if you twist it while the camera island has some mirror-like material on it. So be careful in hitting lights as they may reflect on your eyes. Anyway, the back is smooth to the touch, leaves fingerprints for a few seconds, and fades away.
It comes in three colorways namely Cyan Lake, and Midnight Black and the one we have here is the Titanium Silver model.
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| The display |
Facing it upward, you'll be greeted by what HONOR calls an Edgless display. The size is a 6.7-inch LCD panel with Full HD+ 2388 x 1080 resolution at 391 ppi and 90Hz refresh rate.
Tiny bezels except for the chin!
The brand leveled up in terms of the bezels as they are indeed way slimmer at a few centimeters and the chin bezel is also thinner this time but still may be big for some.
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| Slim bezels! |
The display produced balanced colors and somehow a cooler tone. They also included Eye Care features such as comfort mode, E-book mode, Dark mode, Daylight and Nighttime screen algorithm, and a TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification.
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| The top view |
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| The bottom view |
The top part shows a microphone and a sensor and the bottom part covers a USB-C port, speaker grill, and another microphone.
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| The left side |
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| The right side |
On the side, the left portion houses the SIM card slot while going to the right will give you the volume rockers and power button/fingerprint scanner.
Moving to the cameras, HONOR proudly says its 100MP main sensor is capable of producing "DSLR-like" image quality. That main camera is accompanied by 5MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, 2MP macro helper, and an LED flash.
So is it any good? let's take a look at it below.
First Camera Samples
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| 2x zoom |
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| More daylight sample |
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| Indoor shot |
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| Another indoor sample |
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| Foodshot indoors |
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| Night shot |
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| More night shot |
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| Normal selfie shot |
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| Selfie night mode |
Based on the results, the 100MP main shooter is capable of taking decent shots in bright environments. The dynamic range is good, the colors are quite accurate, and good details.
The 5MP ultra-wide snapper does a respectable job by allowing you to take wider photos while not reducing the quality that much although it is noticeable some areas get a little bit darker. The zoom shoot on the other hand does its function but you'll see the toned-down quality.
For indoor lighting environments, the phone gives fine details particularly on food shoots making it ideal for social media stories.
In low-light scenarios, the night mode helps in brightening the photo although there are noticeable noises, grains, and glares around.
For selfies, the 16MP snapper takes good details in well-lit areas, it even has a nice bokeh and if you prefer to use beauty mode there's also an option for that. However, it is evident that the sensor struggled in low-light conditions and produced grainy photos.
HONOR X8a Specs
Display: 6.7-inch LCD (LTPS) screen, 90Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2388 x 1080 resolution at 260 ppi
CPU: 2.0GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G88 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G52 MC2
RAM: 8GB
ROM: 128GB
Back Camera: 100MP f/1.9 + 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide + depth, 2MP f/2.4 macro + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.45
Battery: 4,500mAh w/ 22.5W SuperCharge
OS: Android 12 w/ MagicUI 6.1
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, 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 7.48 mm
Weight: 179 g
Price: PHP 10,990
As of the moment
Price at under PHP 11K, the HONOR X8a is one of the most affordable smartphones with a 100MP main sensor that can take photos suitable for your social media posts or travels. It even has a trendy design and slim bezels that can be a head-turner for some. While the big display shows natural colors and nice viewing angles.
In terms of internals, it still uses a decent Helio G88. But, there are other phones within the same price range that offers updated processors however they lacked high-resolution sensors.
Anyway, the phone still has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage that should meet modern standards.
What do you guys think?
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