Introduction
The HONOR X6b is the brand’s latest budget phone that focuses on durability and practicality. This device aims to deliver a solid user experience without breaking the bank, making it a great option for students, budget-conscious consumers, and casual users.
Design and Build Quality
The HONOR X6b’s design strikes a balance between durability and aesthetics. The phone features flat sides with a matte finish, which not only gives it a modern look but also makes it less prone to smudges. It even extends to the rear of the device, further enhancing its appearance.
One of the standout features of the X6b is its focus on durability. HONOR has implemented several design elements to improve the phone’s resilience:
| Collision reinforcement on all four corners |
| Buffer and anti-drop architecture |
| Force-distributed design |
These features contribute to the phone’s impressive durability, as evidenced by its ability to survive multiple drops from a height of 5 feet onto flat surfaces. This is further validated by a 5-Star Overall Drop Resistance rating from SGS. We even did an actual drop test for it, and the phone survived.
Despite all of these, the device does not have Ingress Protection, which is a bit weird for something that’s being marketed for being durable.
One minor drawback is the use of a notch for the front camera, which may look a bit dated compared to the punch-hole designs common in many current smartphones.
Performance
At the heart of the HONOR X6b is the MediaTek Helio G85 processor, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. This configuration provides a good balance of performance and value for the price point.
For everyday tasks like browsing, social media, and light multitasking, the X6b performs admirably. It can even handle some gaming, though with varying degrees of success depending on the title. For instance, it can run Honor of Kings well at high settings with anti-aliasing enabled. However, more demanding games like Honkai: Star Rail are best played at lower settings for optimal performance.
Camera
The HONOR X6b features a dual-camera setup on the rear, consisting of a 50MP main camera and a 2MP depth sensor. While an ultra-wide lens would have been a welcome addition, this configuration is reasonable for a budget device.
The main camera performs well in good lighting conditions, capturing detailed images with accurate colors. It even manages to take decent photos in slightly challenging lighting situations. For video recording, both the rear and front (5MP) cameras can capture footage at 1080p 30fps.
While it won’t compete with flagship camera systems, the HONOR X6b’s camera setup is more than capable of capturing everyday moments and social media-worthy shots.
Audio and Multimedia
Audio on the X6b is handled by a single speaker. The sound quality is acceptable, you get some low-end presence, decent vocal clarity, and less pronounced treble. It’s also loud enough for personal use without noticeable distortion at high volumes. For those who prefer wired audio, the X6b retains the increasingly rare 3.5mm headphone jack.
If you have compatible wireless headphones, the phone also supports LDAC, aptX, and aptX HD, though I would still prefer to go wired.
The HONOR X6b has a 6.56-inch HD+ TFT LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. While it doesn’t offer the deep blacks and vibrant colors of an AMOLED screen, it’s still more than adequate for everyday use and media consumption. The display can reach up to 780 nits of brightness, ensuring good visibility in most lighting conditions.
An interesting addition is the Always-on-Display feature, typically found in more expensive smartphones. The X6b also incorporates Dynamic Dimming, which adjusts screen brightness intelligently to reduce eye strain.
Battery and Charging
One of the HONOR X6b’s strongest features is its battery life, with its 5,200mAh battery delivering excellent longevity. In PCMark’s Work 3.0 battery benchmark, which simulates various tasks including basic video and photo editing, the X6b scored an impressive 14 hours and 22 minutes.
When it’s time to recharge, the device supports 35W HONOR SuperCharge technology, which can bring the battery to 20% in just 10 minutes, which is particularly useful for quick top-ups when you’re short on time.
Zero to full took around close to 1.5 hours, which isn’t exactly the fastest, but is still decent considering the 5,200mAh battery.
Software
The HONOR X6b runs on MagicOS 8, based on Android 14. This software experience is relatively clean, with minimal pre-installed apps, providing a user-friendly interface that won’t overwhelm less tech-savvy users.
The phone offers a full suite of biometric security options, including both fingerprint and face recognition. One standout software feature is Magic Capsule, which offers real-time information and quick interactions for compatible apps. For example, it allows users to control music playback without fully opening the music app, enhancing convenience and multitasking capabilities.
Of course, I will keep saying that the UI in general really needs some refining, as some tasks require more steps than what I feel is necessary to complete.
HONOR X6b: Verdict
The HONOR X6b has a durable design, long-lasting battery life, and practical software features. The capable main camera, decent performance for everyday tasks, and thoughtful additions like the headphone jack and expandable storage further adds to its value, placing itself as a good contender for the budget smartphone segment, where every extra useful feature is a plus.
The device is also well-suited to its target audience. Students will find value in its durability and long battery life, budget-conscious users will appreciate its balanced feature set and affordable price, and those who are not power users will appreciate its straightforward interface and reliable performance for everyday tasks.
As with any device, the X6b does have some tradeoffs, such as the older-style notch display and the lack of an ultra-wide camera. However, these are understandable given its PHP 6,999 price point and are unlikely to be deal-breakers for most users in its target demographic.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
