HONOR X7b，作为荣耀在2024年的最新阵容成员，也是去年X7a的继任者，现已在授权的实体店和线上店铺正式发售。
起价为 PHP 8,999，定位为入门级设备，让我们看看这九千菲律宾比索的预算能走多远。
继续阅读以了解详情。
设计与建造
我们的 HONOR X7b 采用流动的银色配色，后面板和侧面主要是金属婴儿蓝。后面板呈现全幅全高的全息光泽，带有金属闪光，整体下方是蓝色到淡紫色的渐变。
后部也采用了流畅的线条，在倾斜设备时会产生舞动的效果，这大概也是它被称为“流动银”的原因。
在我们看来，这种配色在智能手机背面美学光谱中属于较为张扬的一端，如果你们也有同感，X7b 还有翡翠绿和午夜黑两种颜色可选（两者均不带闪光效果）。
既然我们已经来到后部，它还在左下角展示了 HONOR 品牌，并在主三摄系统正下方以108MP高亮显示，摄像头装在两个非常圆形的外壳中。
左侧是双纳米 SIM 卡托。
第二个卡槽为混合型，这意味着用户可以放弃第二张 SIM 卡，以使用 microSD 卡进行扩展存储。
右侧是音量调节键和电源键，电源键还兼作侧置电容指纹传感器。我们还注意到这些按键的晃动比平时更明显，但这并不会彻底破坏使用体验。
上方是光线传感器，手机可以在自动亮度模式下判断屏幕应调至多亮，同时还有用于通话的降噪麦克风。
在底部我们可以找到3.5mm音频插孔、通话主麦克风、用于充电和有线数据传输的 USB Type‑C 接口，以及容纳 2 个立体声扬声器中 1 个的扬声器格栅。
另一个位于显示屏顶部边框的通话耳机内，位于屏内自拍摄像头上方。
总体来说，考虑到设备的成本，这个设计相当扎实，并且相较于2019年的入门级设备有了很大的提升。
这些摇晃的侧键在做工质量上并不让人放心，但总体来说，它仍然是一块相当坚固的智能砖，日后可以用来当作投掷给做错事的人的弹丸。
HONOR X7b 并未标明防护等级，所以我也不建议在水槽里清洗它。
显示、 多媒体和生物识别
不过它配备了一块足够好的 6.8 英寸 FHD+ IPS TFT LCD 面板，具备 90Hz 刷新率，峰值亮度为 850 尼特，这在 5 年前还是旗舰的最低标准！
我们不应该因为现在更贵的手机宣传的“峰值亮度 1000+ 尼特”，就认为 850 尼特不够亮。
虽然我们可以假设所有这些越来越高的峰值亮度在考虑显示亮度衰减时可能是为了延长寿命，但我们可以把这个留到另一个讨论中。
——我只是想说，850 尼特依然相当亮，并且可以让 HONOR X7b 的屏幕在强光下也能看清。
如果你了解去年的 HONOR X7a，可能已经注意到这次的自拍摄像头采用了打孔式设计，而不是之前的水滴式。
与此同时，显示屏更大，边框也变窄。这让终端用户拥有更沉浸的观看体验。
对比度对IPS面板也很重要，但如果你真的想要一块几乎相同分辨率的AMOLED面板，只需再加几千比索，就能在市场上找到。
The problem I’m noticing with the displays from this general price range is that there always seems to be some sort of sharpness issue, most noticeable when playing stuff on youtube at low resolutions.
Which is super evident when comparing it to something more expensive at the same resolution. (which again, doesn’t really break the experience as a whole for most people just wanting to purchase a phone.)
We also get dual stereo speakers on board and the mids are very strong and the loudness gets pretty high, we don’t get a lot of points for clarity and it does sound kind of tinny.
But I have personally watched a bunch of videos on the device and if you aren’t switching between phones a lot, end-users most likely won’t notice this much either.
For biometrics, it does not feature an in-display scanner but we’re keeping this part here anyways, because it does have face unlock under the display.
Those of you who care about my opinions know that I’m not fan of optical face unlocking because we know there are more secure standards for this security feature, BUT for this phone I need it.
Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t anything wrong with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. But for lefties like me, those side-mounted on the right side of a device can sort-of be.
Think about it, right-handed users with a right side-mounted scanner would inherently use their thumbs to unlock their phones, whereas I need to use my left index finger, which can usually be hit or miss.
When constantly reminding myself to use my right hand to pick up the phone and unlock it with my thumb, the scanner’s recognition was flawless. Although, I’m still not a fan of those wobbly buttons.
Cameras
For optics, the HONOR X7b features a 108MP (f/1.75) main sensor as the headliner of its triple camera system. This sensor gets paired with a 5MP ultrawide camera (F2.2), and an additional 2MP depth sensor (F2.4).
In front is an 8MP (F/2.0) selfie camera.
The biggest player in this case is the biggest camera sensor.
Most of our sample shots taken with the 108MP sensor are still passable within today’s social media standards.
The camera app gives users a ton of modes to play with, we get the usual portrait mode made for its namesake, but additionally we get a dedicated aperture mode to mess with the depth of field when the subjects aren’t people.
And apart from standard Photo and Video modes, it also features a Pro mode for manual control, Super Macro, Dual Video and High Res mode to name most.
In our opinion, photos taken with the ultrawide sensor really isn’t where it’s at here.
HONOR X7b Sample Photos
Mar 14 – 18, 2024
It suffers from a lot of noise in average to dim-light lighting conditions, so much so that sometimes when switching from 1x to 0.6x it feels like I’m taking a photo or shooting videos with a 2012 webcam.
For video, we can shoot at a max resolution of 1080p of FHD at 30 frames per second with both the front and back cameras.
Interestingly, only when shooting at HD or 720p users get access to a 21:9 aspect ratio for video recording.
In general photos and videos taken with the main sensor are still good enough for social media posting, I mean in general all photos are somewhat good enough for social media posting depending on the post..
So I guess, I mean to say, photos taken with the main sensor will always look better than its own ultrawide sensor in all conditions. The ultrawide sensor is nice to have compared to none at all, but could be greatly improved with the next iterations.
Video quality isn’t anything to write home about but should still be suitable for video calls either way.
OS, Apps and UI
Out of the box, the HONOR X7b runs on MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13.
MagicOS is a good interface that offers users a bunch of customization options in iOS-like fashion.
--Well to be honest a lot of operating systems are becoming very iOS-like nowadays, except for maybe stock Android.
Of course my favorite things about interfaces are the accessibility shortcuts and with MagicOS it seems we can’t really set one to quickly access the camera without turning on the screen. The power button can only be set to activate Google Assistant, and double pressing the volume down button only turns the flashlight on or off, so why couldn't we set that for the camera?
UI animations do look optimized especially when setting the screen’s refresh rate to 90Hz but when set to Dynamic, we can see the stutters in animations running at a lower frame rate, especially noticeable when unlocking from a long sleep.
Yes this is a nitpick, but I’m pretty sure adjusting the aggressiveness of dynamically switching between frame rates can be solved with software optimization.
Either way, it is still a very usable experience and if you don’t have the same preferential woes as I just mentioned, you’ll be just fine.
Plus, users can rest-assured that HONOR has stipulated that devices like the HONOR X7b are promised quarterly security updates. And usually commits to two years of software and security patches.
Performance and Benchmarks
The brains behind the HONOR X7b’s operations is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, a 6nm chipset comprising an octa core CPU capable of 2.4 GHz clock speeds, and features an Adreno 610 GPU.
In the Philippines, the HONOR X7b’s only configuration comes in the form of 8GB of RAM paired with 256GB of internal storage. It also features an additional 8GB of virtual RAM that users cannot add or lessen, which basically sounds like HONOR saying "just deal with it”.
Basic tasks like transferring files wired or wirelessly were really a non-issue here, but don’t expect 1 second installs from this device.
Running productivity apps like Google docs and sheets is a breeze, with no major lags using split-screen views and floating windows.
But when it comes to gaming, the experience can be a little lackluster, especially for the Genshin and Honkai fanatics.
Technically, Genshin Impact can run on almost any device of today but its performance on said devices can really differ.
On the HONOR X7b, the game recommends setting graphics settings to low by default, but we were able to bump it up to medium at 30fps with the phone getting a little hot to the touch faster.
But with lighter, less graphically demanding titles like Mobile Legends and Fall Guys, I could easily bag wins no problem.
Games like PUBG Mobile and Farlight 84 ran on this phone with no major issues with graphics set to Smooth.
Those of you who want to check-out our benchmarks, can find them below:
Antutu v10.2.1 - 317,470
Antutu Storage Test - 37,896
S.Read - 892.7 MB/s
S.Write - 771.3 MB/s
3D Mark: Wild Life - 450 (2.7 avg fps)
Geekbench 6
Single: 414
Multi: 1,423
Geekbench 6 GPU Vulkan - 574
Geekbench 6 GPU OpenCL - 348
PC Mark Work 3.0 Performance - 7,806
Battery and Connectivity
A more standout feature from the HONOR X7b is its massive 6,000 mAh Lithium Polymer battery with support for 35W HONOR SuperCharge, which allowed us to charge the device from 8% to 100% in about an hour.
In PCMark’s Work 3.0 battery test, our unit garnered a result of 15 hours and 13 minutes, which does seem crazy for something less than 10k.
In our proprietary video loop test, which involves the phone being set to airplane mode, its brightness set to 50% and volume muted to account for mixed usage conditions, the HONOR X7b lasted 15 hours and 37 minutes.
Technically these scores point to average battery life from the handset, although in my real-world testing it it did last very long.
I got one and a half days with my use, allowing me to charge from a low percentage by evening of the second day.
I personally haven’t been gaming on my phone much nowadays unless it’s for Block Blast!, which really isn’t a hardware intensive game, and I didn’t really use Waze much during my testing because I’ve already memorized my route to and from the office by heart at this point.
For connectivity options, the HONOR X7b does not feature 5G, since the Snapdragon 680 is a 4G chipset.
Which means for mobile data it only goes up to LTE.
And of course it features the usual dualband Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and GPS standards, providing seamless access to general online services and navigation.
Call quality was also pretty good on this device, no major issues here.
Conclusion
Alright, so we already know the HONOR X7b is priced at PHP 8,999 for its only configuration at 8 + 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.
So the question remains, how far did the PHP 9,000 go?
--Well the HONOR X7b offers exceptional value for budget-conscious consumers. It gets an impressive battery life, an IPS display with good contrast, and a usable camera system.
It stands out as a compelling choice in the entry-level segment. Whether for just the phone essentials, video or music consumption, or casual photography. The HONOR X7b delivers a satisfying experience without breaking the bank.
What we LIKED:
- Battery life.
- Good IPS display.
- Dual stereo speakers.
- Price.
What we Liked LESS:
- No 5G.
- Side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
- Wobbly side buttons.
- Software could be a bit better fine tuned.
HONOR X7b specs:
6.8-inch FHD+ IPS TFT LCD
2412 x 1080 pixels, 90Hz refresh
850 nits (peak) brightness
Qualcomm Snapdragon 680
8-cores, up to 2.4GHz
8GB RAM (+8GB extended memory)
256GB storage
Expandable via microSD
Triple rear cameras:
– 108MP f/1.75 main
– 5MP f/2.2 wide-angle
– 2MP f/2.4 depth
8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter (hole punch notch)
Dual nano-SIM
4G LTE
Dual-band Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo
USB Type-C (USB 2.0)
3.5mm audio jack
NFC (only CLK-LX1 model)
Fingerprint sensor
Dual stereo speakers, 200% volume
MagicOS 7.2 (Android 13)
6000mAh battery
35W HONOR SuperCharge
~199g
166.7 x 76.5 x 8.24 mm
Flowing Silver, Emerald Green, Midnight Black
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