HONOR X7c Review | Geek Lifestyle

Right on time for the rainy season, HONOR is stepping up their ironclad durability game at the budget range with their brand new HONOR X7c. This IP64-rated device comes with all the essentials that longtime fans have come to know and love about this lineup of smartphones–a decent camera, a massive battery, and a very stylish finish. However, all of these have been kicked up a notch by some special subaquatic survivability.

The All-Angle Water-Resistant approach isn’t something new, as we’ve had our fair share of smartphones that won’t immediately croak once they touch the water, That being said, that particular protection is usually reserved for the more well-equipped seafaring devices–we mean flagships, and those cut from the same cloth. However, it’s a different story with the HONOR X7c.

As such, we’re getting quite the contender in the burgeoning battlefield of budget devices, duking it out with their own specialty of quirky protection. Make no mistak, for it doesn’t end with the IP 64 rating. HONOR has crafted quite the interesting device that will most likely convince those that viewed their earlier showcases of sturdiness as flukes that their consistency is the real deal.

We’ve taken our sweet time with this device, literally put it through the wringer, and seen for ourselves just how far that aforementioned consistency can go.

Geek-sthetic

As always, we’re getting a device that’s more than easy on the eyes. We like how the faux leather back finish is finding its way down the pipeline from the upper midrange, all the way to more affordable gadgetry. Our HONOR X7c comes in Forest Green, and sports a rather luxurious, patterned finish that’s smooth, yet textured to the touch.

Coming in at just 194 grams and 8.1 mm, it’s a lightweight and wafer-thin device–easy to grip, easy to handle. Up top you get the dual camera setup that houses its 108MP main lens. To the sides, it comes with the usual set of ports and buttons plus a sweet 3.5mm headphone jack. We’ll never get tired of them. The power button doubles as a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It’s also worth mentioning that we finally get dual stereo speakers on a budget device. Even the HONOR 90 5G didn’t have any. Look how times change.

Up front, we’re greeted by a decent-looking, 6.77-inch display. It has a bit of chin, but it won’t be much of a problem. An 86.0% screen-to-body ratio isn’t something we’ll be losing sleep over. For as long as we get to have an equally decent viewing experience, we’ll be fine.

Looks-wise, it’s simple yet snazzy. Its overall aesthetic seemingly belies just how hardy it can be. Don’t you worry, we’ll be covering that in a bit.

Binge-Watching Factor

Now, here’s where things get a bit interesting. While we’re only getting an IPS LCD display with an average 720 x 1610 resolution, it’s still nothing to scoff at. It’s mainly because these qualities are evened out by the fact that we’re getting a snappy 120Hz refresh rate. Surprising? Yes. Glad to have it? Definitely.

Whether you’re scrolling through social media, browsing your apps, or catching up on some shows, you’re getting a pretty smooth experience. Watching videos in 1080p quality was rather pleasant as well. Colors were vivid enough, and the display itself had adequate brightness–even under direct sunlight.

We did mention the dual stereo speakers, and they’re surprisingly crisp. The HONOR X7c features a 300% volume boost feature that amps up the audio, but doesn’t distort whatever you’re listening to. In spite of it being 300%, it won’t have your neighbors calling the authorities. It will definitely fill the room, though.

Overall, our viewing experience wasn’t exactly mind-blowing–but it was decent enough to keep us hooked for a few good hours. Unless you absolutely hate silence, you won’t be utilizing the volume boost very often, but finally having dual stereo speakers on a budget device like this is personally, a huge step up.

Gaming Prowess

We’re not done with the pleasant surprises just yet. It’s best to not immediately dismiss the HONOR X7c when it comes to gaming. Sure, it’s powered by a 6-nanometer Snapdragon 685 chipset–which isn’t exactly a powerhouse, but it does provide some rather decent gaming capability. You’re also getting 8GB of RAM (16GB via RAM expansion) and 256 GB of storage to boot. The “virtual” RAM expansion won’t really help much with gaming, but the solitary 8GB can manage just fine.

By just fine, we mean HoYoverse titles on low settings–while not immediately conking out. For a budget phone, we consider this a win. At default settings and with motion blur turned off, as per usual, you can adequately play ZZZ, Genshin Impact, and Honkai: Star Rail. For as long as you don’t expect the most picturesque of scenery and you don’t mind an occasional stutter down in Spiral Abyss, you’ll have an overall, good gaming experience.

As for everything else under the sun and within the app stores, you’ll be in for a treat. Cranking up the settings to high on Honor of Kings still yielded some decent gameplay and graphics. The massive storage also helps in making sure you don’t need to keep reinstalling said games you enjoy.

Gaming may not be this device’s main selling point, but given how it can run just about any mobile game with a bit of tweaking makes it a bit more well-rounded.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

Do you remember when 108MP cameras were all the rage in the midrange? Everyone does, because that was literally just last year. Luckily for us, things are much more different in the present. The rate at which technology is stepping things up makes for some rather interesting developments for more affordable devices. That’s exactly the case with the HONOR X7c and its capable camera setup.

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The 108MP main shooter captures some pretty good shots. Sure, daylight was a factor, but you wouldn’t immediately assume that these shots were from a device of this caliber and price range, We’re limited to 2X lossless zoom for both normal shots and portrait, and that’s a-okay with us. Night Mode worked rather decently as well. While it didn’t exactly throw a flashbang into the photo, it did make pitch-black scenarios a bit more discernible.

One would usually scoff and roll their eyes at the mention of a 2MP auxiliary depth lens and–well, we did, too. But we can’t deny that it does come in clutch with some tasteful bokeh, essentially complementing the main shooter quite nicely. We’ve officially ended the era of weird AI background blur that’ll eat up your hair, glasses, and even your backpack.

Selfies courtesy of the 8MP front camera look decent right out of the box, as we avoid beauty mode like the plague. However, should you choose to use it, you need not worry. No 2X zoom for the front, though.

As for video, you can shoot up to 1080[ at 30fps for both front and the main cameras. We’re hampered by the chipset, so there’s not much we can do here. This won’t be a phone you’d use for more professional video content. As for video calls and online meetings, it’ll serve you well.

Everyday Reliability

There it is, boys and girls. The HONOR X7c’s crowning glory. Much of the smartphone’s reliability is delivered via its ridiculously sturdy nature and beastly longevity. Let’s unpack that.

The IP 64 rating is but the icing on the cake of HONOR’s All-Angle Water-Resistance. That IP rating alone can only do so much. On paper, you’re getting just a bit of resistance from dust and light water splashing. Drenching and dropping it in a battery of tests, including leaving it in the kitchen sink isn’t exactly “light water splashing” last time we checked.

While we can’t get into the nitty gritty of how it was designed, the HONOR X7c can withstand much more than just splashes and spills. Having it fully submerged in a 20cm basin wasn’t on our seasonal bingo card, and yet, the smartphone works just fine. Accidentally dropping your non-flagship phone in the toilet won’t immediately spell disaster anymore. Sure, it’s a bit embarrassing, but no one has to know, right? You can also save up on rice–if you actually used that method from way back.

Check out our splash tests here and here.

All things considered, we wouldn’t recommend going loco and hurling it into the ocean or something. Consider it a device that you can bring anywhere, regardless of the weather conditions.

If you think we’re done talking about manhandling the HONOR X7c, you’re quite mistaken. 5-star drop resistance is the name, and playing catch with flowers in the garden is the game. We can’t say for sure, just how durable the display is–as the proprietary screen protector did receive a few scratches, but we didn’t get any major cracks. The phone’s backside also stayed smooth as well.

Last, but not least, longevity. Sweet, sweet longevity. In the couple of weeks that we’ve had the device, we’ve charged the massive 6000 mAh battery less times than the fingers you can count on one hand. We decided to leave it on standby–both for fun and as a test, and it didn’t even drop below 20% in a span of three days. It’s insane. Once we did have to power up, the 35W wired charging delivered a solid performance, going from 0 to 100 in just about an hour.

Mobile data will always be the exception to the rule, so you can expect those 20+ hours to get cut by more than a quarter. Even less if you factor in some heavy gaming. In our case, once we really decided to put things into maximum overdrive, we still lasted an entire day without charging. If you consider real life scenarios with this smartphone as a daily driver, and you don’t play Honkai: Star Rail for most of your waking hours, you’ll absolutely have a lot of power to spare.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The HONOR X7c is a surprisingly well-rounded device. With decent cameras, a capable chipset, and some spiffy aesthetics that disguise its truly rugged, no-nonsense nature, you’re looking at a smartphone that will brave the elements, probably even better than you can. It just refuses to die.

If you’re looking to snag one for yourself, it’s priced at PHP 8,999 with a free HONOR Gift Camping Light Speaker for every purchase from November 8-10. As for availability, make sure to check out HONOR’s online retailers via Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.