HONOR X5 Plus Review; A Performance Worth The Price

INTRODUCTION:

It's common for brands to release smartphones that target budget-savvy tech consumers. The challenge lies in how to come up with a mobile phone that sells for a relatively affordable price but isn't compromising in terms of the essential features. Does the new HONOR X5 Plus comply with this formula? Let's find out.

HONOR X5 Plus Review; A Performance Worth The Price

DESIGN and BUILD:

HONOR opted for the common route for the design language of the HONOR X5 Plus. Its overall look is familiar – similar to most smartphones under the same segment.

The smartphone is surrounded by flat corners and curved edges. Dressed in color options of Cyan Lake and Midnight Black, the device has a shimmery back panel that gives out that premium touch. The highlight of its rear are its dual cameras situated on two vertical circles, planted on a square metallic accent.

Midnight Black

Out of the two color options, the Cyan Lake variant appears to be the more eye-catching one. It has the kind of blue hue that looks classy, enough for the HONOR X5 Plus to be mistaken as a smartphone under a much higher price point than its tag. The Midnight Black version, meanwhile, is for those who would like to have a minimalist and versatile shade that would go well with every outfit.

Volume Keys and Fingerprint/Power Button

On paper, the HONOR X5 Plus weighs approximately 188 grams, including the battery, and measures 75.7mm (W), 163.32mm (H), and 8.35mm (D). Pretty much the standard size for a smartphone.

Loudspeaker, USB-C Port, Microphone, 3.5mm Audio Jack

The good news is, the HONOR X5 Plus feels light and easy in the hand. Its buttons are tactile and responsive. On the right side of the smartphone are its volume and power buttons, the latter with an integrated fingerprint sensor, which quickly unlocks the device. At the bottom is its USB-C port, alongside a speaker grille and an almost rarely seen 3.5mm headphone jack.

Card Tray

If you're feeling indifferent with recently released smartphones that come without a power adapter, fortunately, the HONOR X5 Plus plays it differently. Its package comes with a brick charger, USB-C wire, transparent silicone case, SIM ejector tool, and the usual paperwork.

One could argue that HONOR played a safe game in terms of the overall appearance of the HONOR X5 Plus, but what's important is that it's designed to hit the right spots – it's attractive to look at and intuitive to use.

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DISPLAY:

The screen of the HONOR X5 Plus is a telltale that the device is an entry-level smartphone. It comes with an antiquated waterdrop notch that conceals its front camera and is surrounded by prominent bezels.

6.56-inch 90Hz Display

But then again, it appears like the HONOR X5 Plus is designed to give smartphone users what matters the most. Considering its price point, its 6.56-inch HONOR FullView display in HD+ resolution produces decent colors and details. One thing worth noting about the HONOR X5 Plus is that it comes equipped with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is usually found on much pricier smartphones.

Plus, HONOR made sure to also include its Dynamic Dimming technology on the display of the HONOR X5 Plus. This is the same feature present on some of the brand's higher segment devices, and it's a nice move to also put it in a budget smartphone such as the HONOR X5 Plus. With Dynamic Dimming on the device's display, the HONOR X5 Plus's screen is capable of adjusting to ambient light to protect the eyes.

PERFORMANCE:

Out of the box, the HONOR X5 Plus operates on an Android 13 with a MagicOS 7.1 skin on top. Convenience features like a multi-window, device clone, and app twin are present. There are pre-installed apps that most users might find useless, but they can be uninstalled easily.

MagicOS 7.1

Its processor is, as expected, an entry-level Helio G36 chipset. This is common among budget-friendly smartphones, and it delivers where it matters. With this, the HONOR X5 Plus is capable of smoothly switching from one app to another, and it keeps its cool even with multiple apps running simultaneously in the background.

The HONOR X5 Plus is essentially not a gaming device, but it decently covers casual mobile games in low to mid settings, enough to enjoy a run of Call of Duty Mobile without lags and freezing.

Be mindful of loading apps and keeping contents on the HONOR X5 Plus, though, as it comes in a limiting combination of 4GB RAM and 64GB storage with microSD 1TB expansion support.

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CAMERA:

Comprising the dual rear cameras of the HONOR X5 Plus are a 50-megapixel F1.8 lens and an F2.4 depth camera. Shooting options include portrait with beauty and bokeh modes, time-lapse, HDR photo, capture smiles, panorama, PRO, HDR photo, and stickers. It supports 10x digital zoom, and images can go up to 8160x6120 pixels.

50MP Dual-Rear Camera

HONOR has been doing an excellent job of showcasing its imaging master through its smartphones, and the HONOR X5 Plus contributes to this in its own ways. Photos taken under good lighting conditions came out acceptable, with ample color saturation and detail sharpness. It's not a surprise that it struggles when it comes to night shooting, which is a common problem area even with smartphones that are more expensive than the HONOR X5 Plus.

5MP Front Camera

For its asking price, the 5-megapixel front camera takes good selfies when there is ample lighting, albeit mediocre portraits at night or in dim environments.

Camera Samples:

Food

Clubhouse

Buildings

Buildings, 2x Zoom

Buildings, Night

Plants

Selfie

Selfie, Night

The smartphone takes videos at up to 1080p quality. Looking at the snippets we took using the device, the lack of OIS is evident.

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BATTERY:

Power users would love the HONOR X5 Plus because of its massive 5,200mAh battery, which can last up to two days of moderate to heavy use. However, there isn't any fast-charging support at play here, so it takes a while before the HONOR X5 Plus gets recharged to 100% via the standard 5V/2A charger. In our case, we waited around two hours on average for a full charge.

CONCLUSION:

HONOR X5 Plus

The HONOR X5 Plus is a very welcoming addition to the brand's well-loved X series. It serves as a good salvo for those curious to test the waters on what HONOR offers without breaking the bank. If you're the kind of user that needs a pretty smartphone mainly for productivity and social media scrolling, then the HONOR X5 Plus, with its long-lasting battery, is the right choice at Php5,990.

How much is the HONOR X5 Plus price in the Philippines?

The HONOR X5 Plus price in the Philippines is Php5,990.
HONOR X5 Plus on Lazada Philippines
HONOR X5 Plus on Shopee PH.

When will be the HONOR X5 Plus available in the Philippines?

The HONOR X5 Plus is now available in the Philippines.

HONOR X5 Plus Specifications:

Dual SIM, dual standby, supports 4G/LTE connectivity
6.56-inch HD+ (1612 x 720) IPS TFT LCD, 90Hz refresh rate
Dimensions: 163.32mm x 75.07mm x 8.35mm
Weight: 188 grams
Magic UI 7.1 based on Android 13
Octa-core (4x2.2GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x1.7GHz Cortex-A53) CPU, PowerVR GE8320 GPU, Mediatek Helio G36 12nm 4G chipset
4GB physical RAM + virtual RAM
64GB internal storage, expandable up to 1TB via MicroSD card, uses SIM 2 slot
50MP f/1.8 PDAF main + 2MP f/2.4 depth dual rear cameras, 1080p video recording at 30fps
5MP f/2.2 front camera, 1080p video recording at 30fps
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/, dual-band
Bluetooth v5.1
USB 2.0 Type-C with OTG function
GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
Multimedia Player
3.5mm audio jack
Sensors: fingerprint (side-mounted), light, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope
Battery: 5,200mAh non-removable lithium-ion polymer, supports 10W wired charging
Colors: Cyan Lake, Midnight Black
HONOR X5 Plus Price Philippines: Php5,990

HONOR X5 Plus Review; A Performance Worth The Price