Design and Build: Where Affordability Meets Premium Aesthetics
The Honor X8b makes an immediate and lasting impression, challenging the preconceived notion that budget-friendly smartphones must compromise on design. It is a device that feels significantly more expensive than its price tag suggests. The chassis is remarkably slim and lightweight, contributing to an ergonomic feel that is comfortable for prolonged one-handed use. The construction avoids the creaky, hollow feel often associated with entry-level devices, exhibiting a satisfying structural rigidity.
Honor has paid meticulous attention to the finer details, particularly on the rear panel. The glossy, mirror-finish back is a focal point, available in a range of vibrant and sophisticated colors like Titanium Silver, Midnight Black, and Glamorous Green. This finish creates a dazzling play of light, giving the phone a jewel-like quality. While it is a fingerprint magnet, the visual payoff is substantial. The camera module is elegantly integrated, featuring two large, prominent circular rings for the main sensors set within a raised, polished platform that adds a layer of architectural interest. The flat frame, a contemporary design choice, houses the power button which doubles as a fast and reliable side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and the volume rocker, all offering good tactile feedback.
The Centerpiece: A Truly Stunning AMOLED Display
The defining feature of the Honor X8b is, without doubt, its 6.7-inch AMOLED display. This is a segment-leaping specification that immediately elevates the entire user experience. The panel boasts a resolution of 2412 x 1080 pixels (FHD+), resulting in a pixel density that ensures text is razor-sharp and images are incredibly detailed. Colors are vibrant and punchy, with deep, inky blacks that are a hallmark of OLED technology, providing an infinite contrast ratio that LCD screens simply cannot match.
With a peak brightness level of up to 2000 nits, the display remains perfectly legible even under harsh, direct sunlight, eliminating the common struggle of shading the screen with your hand to see content. This high brightness also contributes to an exceptional HDR playback experience, making supported videos on platforms like YouTube and Netflix pop with dynamic range and vivid color. A smooth 90Hz refresh rate ensures that every swipe, scroll, and animation is rendered with buttery smoothness, making the interface feel incredibly responsive and fluid. This is a stark upgrade from standard 60Hz displays and is a feature users will appreciate in daily navigation and casual gaming. The minimal bezels, particularly the slim chin, maximize the screen-to-body ratio, offering an immersive viewing experience whether for browsing, reading, or consuming media.
Performance and Software: Efficiently Capable
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, the Honor X8b is positioned for efficiency and reliable daily performance rather than raw, flagship-level power. This 6nm processor is adept at handling the core tasks of a typical user with ease. It delivers a smooth experience for social media apps, web browsing with multiple tabs, email, navigation, and streaming high-definition video. Multitasking is handled competently, especially when paired with the available 8GB of RAM (which can be virtually expanded further via Honor’s RAM Turbo feature).
It is important to set correct expectations; this is not a device for intensive, high-frame-rate mobile gaming. While it can run popular titles like Call of Duty: Mobile or Genshin Impact, it is best done at medium to low graphics settings to maintain a stable framerate. For casual games, however, performance is more than adequate. The device operates on MagicOS 8.0, based on Android 14. The software offers a clean, feature-rich experience with useful additions like customizable always-on display options, smart folders, and a range of privacy and security features. While it does include some pre-installed apps, the overall software experience is streamlined and user-friendly.
Camera System: Surprising Versatility in Good Light
The Honor X8b sports a triple-camera array on its rear, headlined by a 108MP main sensor. This high-resolution sensor is the workhorse of the system, capable of capturing a surprising amount of detail in well-lit conditions. In daylight, photos exhibit good dynamic range, accurate colors, and sharpness. The high megapixel count allows for lossless zoom through pixel binning, enabling you to crop into photos while retaining clarity. A 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera provides a different perspective for capturing landscapes or large groups, though it is a step down in quality from the main sensor, with more noticeable noise and softer details at the edges. The third sensor is a 2MP macro camera, a useful tool for close-up shots of objects, though its practical utility is limited compared to the other lenses.
The 50MP front-facing camera housed within a small center punch-hole cutout is a standout for selfies and video calls. It produces clear, detailed images with effective portrait mode effects that accurately separate the subject from the background. Low-light photography is the system’s main limitation, as with most phones in this category. While Night Mode helps to brighten scenes and reduce noise, images can lack detail and exhibit some processing artifacts. Video recording is capped at 1080p at 30fps, which is standard for the class.
Battery Life and Charging: All-Day Endurance
A 4500mAh battery powers the Honor X8b. Combined with the power-efficient Snapdragon 680 processor and the optimized AMOLED display, this capacity translates to exceptional all-day battery life. For the average user, getting through a full day of moderate to heavy use—including streaming, browsing, and photography—is easily achievable, with power to spare for the next morning. The device supports 35W Honor SuperCharge, which is a significant advantage. This allows for a rapid top-up, taking the battery from empty to a substantial charge level in roughly 30 minutes, minimizing downtime and addressing the need for quick power boosts during a busy day.
Audio and Connectivity: Completing the Package
The audio experience is delivered through a single, downward-firing speaker. While it gets sufficiently loud for media consumption and speakerphone calls, it lacks bass and can sound tinny at higher volumes. For a more immersive experience, the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome and increasingly rare feature, allowing users to connect wired headphones without an adapter. Connectivity options are comprehensive, including 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC for convenient contactless payments. The phone also features expandable storage via a shared SIM slot, a boon for those who need extra space for media files.