HONOR X6e Unboxing, First Impressions, and Camera Samples - Are durability and long battery life enough?

We got our hands on the new HONOR X6e, an entry-level smartphone that is built to endure day-to-day. Let's dive in.

HONOR X6e 

The new HONOR X6e features a 7,500mAh battery, 45W Super Charge fast charging, a 6.61-inch 120Hz HD TFT LCD screen, a 50MP main camera, 5-Star SGS Premium Drop Protection certification, and an IP64 dust and water resistance rating.

Other key specs include the 12nm MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra, ARM Mali G52 MC2 GPU, and 4GB RAM.

In the Philippines, the HONOR X6e is priced at

Let's take a closer look.

Unboxing/Accessories

HONOR X6e's packaging

Like recent HONOR Phones, it comes in white packaging, with a render of the phone, HONOR branding, key specs and features, and regulatory information.

HONOR X6e box inclusions

Inside the box are the HONOR X6e, a USB-A to USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool, transparent case, 45W HONOR SuperCharge wall adapter, and documentation.

Like nearly all new smartphones today, the box does not contain earphones or stickers.

Build Quality/Design

HONOR X6e in Sunrise Gold

At first glance, the phone caught our eye because of its warm sunrise gold color. It is built of a glass front panel, a polycarbonate panel frame, and a polycarbonate back panel. It measures 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.29 mm and weighs 204 grams. 

Eye-catching warm sunrise tone

It has an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance and is SGS 5-star certified. This means that it is resistant to water splashes and to drops from up to 1.8 meters high.

HONOR X6e's front screen

In front is a 6.61-inch TFT LCD with a 1,604 x 720 resolution, a 1,010 nits peak brightness, and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The glass is aluminosilicate glass, which is durable enough to withstand basic scratches and impact. It is not Corning Gorilla Glass protected. The screen protector comes pre-installed.

Around the panel are asymmetrical bezels with the chin being thicker than the rest. 

HONOR X6e's top and bottom sides

On top of the phone are the single speaker grill, 3.5mm audio jack, and a microphone. At the bottom are the USB-C port and the second microphone.

HONOR X6e's left and right sides

On the left is the SIM tray, and on the right are the volume rocker and power key.

HONOR X6e SIM tray

The SIM tray can accommodate up to 2 nano SIM cards or 1 nano SIM and a microSD card.

HONOR X6e's rear cameras

At the back of the HONOR X6e is the 50MP f/1.8 main camera and an auxiliary lens with an LED flash.

In front is a 5MP f/2.2 selfie camera.

The stock camera app includes the following modes: Photo, Video, Portrait, and High-Res.

It does not have a Pro mode. 

The Portrait mode allows for Bokeh and Beautification control.

First Camera Samples

HONOR X6e's rear camera 1x and 2x crop

HONOR X6e's rear camera 1x and 2x crop

HONOR X6e's selfie camera and selfie portrait

Inside the phone is the MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra octa-core processor, ARM Mali G52 MC2 GPU, 4GB RAM, and 128GB/256GB internal storage.

Powering the HONOR X6e is a massive 7,500mAh battery with support for 45W HONOR SuperCharge via USB-C. It should take 90 to 120 minutes to fully charge the battery from 0 to 100 percent.

It has a single top-firing speaker, a 3.5mm audio jack, and it supports up to 2 nano SIMs or 1 nano SIM and 1 microSD card.

Other features include 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, OTG, and a fingerprint sensor.

HONOR X6e Specs

Display: 6.61-inch TFT LCD w/ 120Hz refresh rate, HD+ 1604 x 720 resolution at 261 ppi

CPU: 2.0GHz 12nm MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra octa-core processor

GPU: Mali-G52 MC2 (820MHz)

RAM: 4GB

ROM: 256GB

Back Camera: 50MP f/1.8 w/ AF + LED Flash

Selfie Camera: 5MP f/2.2

Battery: 7,500mAh w/ 45W HONOR SuperCharge, 7.5W reverse charging

OS: Android 16 w/ MagicOS 10.0

Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Gravity, ambient light, proximity

Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Instant AI Button, IP64 dust and water resistance, USB-C, Colors: Midnight Black, Sunrise Gold

Dimensions: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.29 mm

Weight: 207 g

Price: PHP 15,999

Quick thoughts

HONOR X6e's AnTuTu, GeekBench, and 3DMark

Priced at PHP 15,999, the HONOR X6e carries a premium tag for its class, though it emphasizes durability and battery life.

So far, we like the eye-catching and warm Sunrise Gold colorway, and even though it is made of a glass front panel, polycarbonate frame, and polycarbonate rear panel, the phone does look more premium than its entry-level category suggests.

At the back of the phone is a 50MP main rear camera and an auxiliary camera, and in front is a 5MP selfie camera.

Our major concern is that the MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra and Mali G52 MC2 GPU may not be as competitive, being made of the 12nm architecture.

Otherwise, we praise the phone for including IP64 dust and water resistance, a 5-Star SGS durability certification, and a 7,500mAh battery.

We will be posting a separate article for the full review that includes more photos of the smartphone soon.

What do you guys think?