HONOR X6b Review | Geek Lifestyle

HONOR has never one to shy away from creating memorable marketing gimmicks for their smartphone launches. With the smashing success of the HONOR X9a, as well as the more recent drop-to-sawa HONOR X9b, it’s interesting that the brand is spreading what was once the HONOR X9-series’ most iconic feature, the crazy durability, to a more affordable line. That’s the major focal point of the HONOR X6b and its 5-star Shock Resistance rating from Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS).

According to the brand, the device can withstand standard drops of up to 5 feet tall – and trust us we tried dropping it on the ground repeatedly as well. So far not a dent or crack on our unit.

But aside from this, is the HONOR X6b just a one-trick pony or does it have what it takes to be worthy of your hard-earned Peso. Let’s investigate.

Geek-sthetic

Just because something is affordable doesn’t mean it can’t look good. The guys from HONOR took this design adage to heart when they created the HONOR X6b because by God it’s a gorgeous! Our unit in particular, the HONOR X6b in fashion-forward Starry Purple exudes simplistic elegance especially as the light catches the device and disperses hues of shimmering orange amongst a predominantly pastel-like purple. The matte printing process ensures that the phone will not get any unwanted fingerprint smudges and contrasts well with the smooth glass-like enclosure for the device’s camera module. The HONOR X6b also has flat bezels and a somewhat flat screen. I say somewhat because the entire display area is a bit raised which adds another layer of contrast to the overall design.

That being said, the chin on the HONOR X6b is quite pronounced. So, if you’re looking for a device with a slimmer screen-to-body ratio, this might not be the phone for you. The device isn’t particularly the thinnest in the market as well but this is understandable considering the large 5200mAh battery that the phone has and the inclusion (still) of a 3.5mm combo jack – which comes into play for extended binge-watching sessions.

Binge-Watching Factor

The HONOR X6b has a large enough 6.56” HD Display with 90Hz refresh rate support. While it may not be the top-of-the-line displays that we’ve grown accustomed to, it is serviceable. Depending on the clarity of your media, you should be able to enjoy most of the movies, series, or video clips that you binge on the daily – and yes this is despite the large black borders running around the display.

Truth be told, you’ll only really get to notice these minute details once you truly scrutinize every single aspect of the phone (and if you have another smartphone of a different tier to compare it to). But for the price-point of the unit, we’re fairly happy with the display. If there’s anything that I wished the brand implemented, it’s that they should have included stereo speakers on the unit. But, I do understand that unfortunately that’s still considered a luxury especially among entry-level smartphones.

Gaming Prowess

The HONOR X6b is powered by an old reliable MediaTek Helio G85 chipset to power you through your gaming experience. This is coupled with a 6GB RAM that has an HONOR Turbo boost mode should you need it. Do take note that the MediaTek Helio G85 isn’t particularly new and we did feel the weight of the 4-year chipset as we tried cranking up the graphics on Mobile Legends: Bang-Bang.

That being said, you can technically play Genshin Impact with it but you’ll have to crank settings to as low as possible for a smoother game experience.

Other more casual games perform decently well with the unit like Asphalt Unite.

Personally, we’d want something a little bit with more power to help us through our gaming session, but if you’re the type that just wants a quick chill game every now and then, then this unit should be capable enough to handle that task.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

The cameras on the HONOR X6b are not as remarkable as those from the higher series but they do a decent job in capturing photos as long as you have enough light. The rear cam consists of a 50MP Camera and a 2MP Depth Sensor. For selfies, we wished the brand didn’t scrimp so much on the hardware. While the 5MP can create somewhat serviceable images, the color temperature is a little bit too bland for my taste – and yes, this is with the beautification mode turned on already.

Our suggestion is to use the AI-assist just so the phone can add another layer of post-processing that should enhance your captured images further.

Here are some samples:

: 1X Zoom

: 2X Zoom

: Water droplet details

: Indoor

: Outdoor Selfie

: Indoor Selfie with controlled lighting

For low-light environment, while the phone does have a Night Mode, you may have to use a tripod or to keep absolutely still so your shots can come out nicely.

: 2X Zoom w/o Night Mode

: 2X Zoom with Night Mode

Everyday Reliability

This is perhaps where the HONOR X6b truly shines. First off, the phone has a large 5200mAh battery that should give you about 3 days of battery life if you use the phone moderately. If you need to top up, the phone does come with a 35W HONOR SuperCharge.

Just to add to the premium experience, one of the key features the unit has is the HONOR Magic Capsule, a responsive notification button that adds another layer of productivity as it gives one quick access to various app commands. Apps that make use of this feature are your entertainment streaming apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify.

Lastly, the HONOR X6b has a 5-Star SGS Rating for Shock Resistance which contributes to ensuring that your phone is protected from unwanted drops and bumps. It’s not the glass protecting the screen that’s reinforced but even the side bezels as well.

While we don’t recommend purposefully throwing your phone to the ground (or smashing things with it for that matter), it’s amusing that the local marketing guys are encouraging us to try our hand at stress-testing the units as much as we can. Hey, it’s not everyday that a brand can be brazenly stand behind their marketing claims like this. So we did throw it to the ground a few times and so far, we haven’t had any issues with our unit.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The HONOR X6b retails for just Php 6,999 but you can actually take it home for just Php 5,390 when you purchase it at exactly August 9, 2024 at Shopee’s 9.9 Super Shopping Day Sale. If you’re feeling extremely lucky, you might be the one to take the unit home for just 1 Peso during HONOR’s Piso Sale over at their Shopee Store during 9.9 as well. If lady luck isn’t on your side, you can still bring this extremely durable cutie-patootie for just Php 5,699 when you place an order from August 9, 2024 to August 19, 2024.

We’ve tested a lot of phones on this price point and we’d be hard pressed to find an alternative that ticks all the boxes that the HONOR X6b does – especially if you’re able to get the phone below the 6k Peso mark. While it may not be the best photography phone in the market, it makes up for superb design, very decent interiors, and a durability that’s 5-star worthy