Honor X5b Review: Affordable Innovation or Budget Compromise?

Dhaka
January 14, 2025, 08:59 PM
by Farhana Afrose Rini

UNB News
Dhaka
Publish- January 14, 2025, 08:59 PM
Farhana Afrose Rini
Update- January 14, 2025, 11:10 PM

Honor X5b

Launched in October 2024, the Honor X5b aims to redefine affordability in the budget smartphone market. Packed with modern features and a competitive price point, this device is poised to challenge its rivals. In this review, we explore the key specifications, standout features, drawbacks, and pricing details of the Honor X5b, with a focus on its availability in Bangladesh.

Main Features of Honor X5b

Design and Build Quality

The Honor X5b boasts a sleek design with 163.9 mm by 75.8 mm by 8.7 mm dimensions and a weight of 194g. Its plastic body feels sturdy and durable, complemented by modern aesthetics and color options such as Ocean Blue, Starry Purple, and Midnight Black. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor adds convenience, offering quick and secure access.

Compared to the Honor X5, the X5b has a slightly more refined build, with improved ergonomics. However, in comparison to its competitors like the Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4, the Honor X5b holds its ground in terms of design but is marginally lighter than its rivals, which might appeal to users seeking portability.

Display Quality

The Honor X5b features a 6.56-inch TFT LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate, delivering smooth visuals and a better scrolling experience than its predecessor, the Honor X5, which lacked a high refresh rate. With 530 nits of brightness, it’s display performs decently indoors but struggles slightly under direct sunlight.

The X5b offers a 720 by 1612 pixels resolution, a standard for entry-level smartphones. However, its panel falls behind the similarly priced competitors like Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4, which feature IPS LCDs.

Camera Performance

The Honor X5b is equipped with a 13 MP (f/1.8) rear camera and a 5 MP (f/2.2) front camera. The rear camera produces good results in daylight, with decent sharpness and natural colors, but struggles slightly in low-light conditions. The 5 MP front camera is serviceable for selfies, though details may appear soft in challenging lighting.

Compared to the ancestor Honor X5, the X5b provides better color reproduction and detail. However, it falls short of the Walton ZENX 1, which boasts a 52 MP primary sensor capable of capturing sharper and more vibrant images. The Lava Yuva 4’s 50 MP camera also outperforms the X5b in versatility and low-light performance.

Processor Performance

Under the hood, the Honor X5b is powered by the MediaTek Helio G36 12nm chipset, paired with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. This configuration ensures smooth performance for everyday tasks such as web browsing, video streaming, and messaging.

The Helio G36 is a step up from the Helio G25 in the ancestor Honor X5, offering improved performance in multitasking and light gaming. However, when pitted against competitors, the Unisoc T606 chipset in the Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4 delivers better performance, especially for heavier apps and gaming.

Gaming Performance

The Honor X5b handles casual games like Candy Crush and Subway Surfers well, providing smooth gameplay with minimal frame drops. However, resource-intensive games such as PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile can only run on low settings, with noticeable stutters during extended sessions.

While it offers an upgrade over the Honor X5 in gaming, it lags behind the Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4, which are better equipped to handle more demanding gaming scenarios due to their superior GPUs.

Battery Life

The Honor X5b packs a 5,200 mAh battery, providing excellent longevity for a full day of moderate usage. Whether streaming videos, browsing, or engaging in light gaming, the battery life is more than sufficient for most users.

This is a slight improvement over the 5,000 mAh battery in the Honor X5, which already delivered respectable endurance. However, the Honor X5b lacks fast-charging capabilities, limited to 10W charging, which can be a drawback compared to competitors like the Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4, which offer similar battery life and charging speeds.

Software and User Interface

Running on Android 14 with Magic OS 8, the Honor X5b delivers a user-friendly interface with minimal bloatware. The software is responsive and provides useful customization options, making it a good fit for those seeking simplicity and functionality.

This is a notable improvement over the Honor X5, which shipped with the lightweight Android 12 Go Edition. While the Honor X5b provides a smoother and richer software experience, it is on par with the Walton ZENX 1 and Lava Yuva 4, both of which run Android 14 with equally polished interfaces.

Storage Options

The Honor X5b offers 64 GB of internal storage, expandable via microSDXC, and is paired with 4 GB of RAM. This configuration is a solid upgrade from the Honor X5, which came with 32 GB of storage and 2 GB of RAM.

However, the Walton ZENX 1 outshines the X5b with its 8 GB of RAM with 64GB internal storage featuring up to 256GB expandable storage, offering significantly better multitasking capabilities. Additionally, the Lava Yuva 4 provides a 128 GB variant, making it more appealing to users with higher storage demands.

Pros and Cons of Honor X5b

Pros

- 6.56-inch TFT LCD with 90Hz refresh rate.
- 64GB storage with a microSDXC slot.
- Runs on Android 14 with Magic OS 8.
- Large 5200mAh battery for extended use.
- OTG support for external devices.
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner for quick access.
- Audio jack support for wired headphones.
- Smooth daily performance with MediaTek Helio G36.

Cons

- Low 720p display resolution.
- Basic 13MP rear and 5MP selfie cameras.
- No gyro-EIS for video stabilization.
- Lacks fast charging, limited to 10W.
- No reverse charging or NFC support.
- Single RAM and storage configuration (4GB/64GB).
- Not suitable for heavy gaming or multitasking.
- No 5G support, limited to 4G networks.

Price of Honor X5b

The Honor X5b is priced at around 12,000 BDT, making it a strong contender in the budget smartphone segment.

Final Words

The Honor X5b is ideal for budget-conscious users seeking a reliable phone for daily tasks, casual gaming, and long battery life. However, this smartphone is not suitable for heavy gamers, photography enthusiasts, or users needing advanced features like 5G or high-resolution displays. Choose it if affordability and basic functionality are your priorities.