Honor X7a Review: Premium Design, Excellent Battery Life on a budget

I have been using the Honor X7a for a couple of weeks now. And in this review, I'll be talking about my experience with this smartphone. It retails at Rs. 22,900 in Nepal for the single 6/128GB variant. And, for the price, its specifications don't look particularly inspiring. So, is the Honor X7a a good buy for a budget smartphone in 2023, or are there better options? Let's find out in this review.

Honor X7a Specifications:

• Body: 167.48 x 76.85 x 8.27mm; 196 grams
• Display: 6.75-inches IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate, 8-bit color depth
• Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 20:9
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G37 (12nm Mobile platform)
• CPU: Octa-core - 4x Cortex-A53 (2.3 GHz) - 4x Cortex-A53 (1.7 GHz)
• GPU: PowerVR GE8320
• Memory:6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage (expandable)
• Software & UI: Magic UI 6.1 based on Android 12
• Rear Camera: Quad; – 50MP primary – 5MP ultrawide – 2MP macro – 2MP depth
• Front Camera: 8MP (U-shaped notch)
• Audio: Single speaker
• Security: Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted)
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Compass, Proximity
• Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 5 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS / Glonass / Galileo / BeiDou / Galileo, USB-C port, 4G LTE (VoLTE)
• Battery: 6000mAh, 22.5W wired charging
• Colors: Titanium Silver, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black
• Price in Nepal: Rs. 22,900 (6/128GB)

Honor X7a Review:

Design

• 167.48 x 76.85 x 8.27mm; 196 grams
• Glass front, Plastic back/frames

Let's start the review with the design. And it's pretty much what we're used to seeing on a budget phone—plastic back with plastic frames. So yeah, it certainly lags behind in terms of premium feel when compared to a glass-back phone. But the X7a looks quite appealing for a budget smartphone.

I have the Titanium Silver color variant with me, which has a gradient effect on the back. While you can choose it in Ocean Blue and Midnight Black options as well. In terms of in-hand feel, the smartphone has a noticeable heft to it. It is primarily due to the 6000mAh battery housed within the chassis. Nonetheless, Honor has managed to keep the size and weight at a manageable 8.6mm and 196 grams, respectively. And the weight distribution is also quite good, so I haven't had any problems using the phone for a long period of time. There are also slight curves on the back that aid in achieving a comfortable grip.

Display

• 6.75-inches IPS LCD
• 90Hz refresh rate

My only complaint about this design is that the company should have spared the U-shaped notch in favor of a more contemporary punch-hole cutout. Regardless, the screen here isn't particularly exciting either. While it is large at 6.75 inches, Honor has given an HD+ resolution here. As a result, you will notice a lack of sharpness while watching content right away. This is quite disappointing, especially considering brands like Poco and Realme have been easily offering a Full HD+ resolution at this price range.

Meanwhile, the color calibration of this screen is generally good, as the colors don't look that dull or muted here. Its brightness is also adequate enough. Most importantly, you don't have to rush around looking for a shady spot to take calls or read messages under direct sunlight.

Helio G37

• Octa-core MediaTek Helio G37 SoC (12nm)
• 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable)
• Magic UI 6.1 based on Android 12

The display also supports a refresh rate of 90Hz. However, I did not experience the fluidity and responsiveness of a higher refresh rate in my usage. It's because Honor has paired an inferior MediaTek Helio G37 chip with a full-fledged Magic UI 6.1 based on Android 12 OS. As a result, animations feel relatively slow even in everyday use. Instead, the company should have opted for an Android Go Edition custom skin, which would have provided a far superior day-to-day experience. I would recommend lowering the animations in the developer options for a comparatively smoother experience. Additionally, although gaming is not what this chip is designed for, you can still play casual games like Candy Crush and Subway Surfer. In relatively demanding games like PUBG and Apex Legends, you won't get more than 25fps, that too with frequent frame drops and stutters.

Impressive Battery

• 6000mAh battery
• 22.5W wired charging

Honor has equipped this phone with a 6000mAh battery. And I found the battery backup to be excellent! DXOMark claims that its battery can last up to 3 days and 14 hours on a single charge. In my use case scenario, I was also getting three days of backup in a normal use case, which was very impressive. You get a 22.5W charger in the box, which will charge this phone to 50% in 50 minutes. While juicing it up to 100% takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Camera

• Quad camera setup at the back
• (50MP main, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth)
• 8MP selfie (u-shaped notch)

Let's talk about cameras now. There is a 50MP primary, a 5MP ultrawide, and a couple of 2MP depth and macro cameras on the back. And for selfies, you get an 8MP camera.

Normal

I took a lot of photos with this phone and one thing that's clear is that there are much better options in this price range. In daytime scenarios, you can see that it struggles with shadows and black levels, and photos are washed out too. The lack of saturation in photos and videos will be noticeable. Although ultrawide lenses manage color and contrast better than standard lenses, they cannot provide better detail.

Portraits

In terms of portraits, the edge detection and highlight controls are a bit of a miss.

Selfies

Selfies are also average, but slightly better than the back camera.

Nighttime

Besides that, there is no dedicated night mode in the camera. So, in well-lit conditions, the phone cannot manage exposures and flares, whereas in low-light situations, details and brightness in photos do not come as expected.

Videos

As for the videos, the phone only allows to shoot 1080p/30fps videos from both the front and rear cameras, and they aren't particularly impressive. Videos taken with the back camera appear washed out and have unnatural sharpness. While selfie videos struggle to manage exposure.

Audio and Haptics

• Single speaker
• 3.5mm head

Finally, talking about the audio, Honor has provided a single bottom-firing speaker that is sufficiently loud. Obviously, it is not as good as a stereo speaker setup, but it gets the job done. I am not impressed with its haptics either. To compare, the Poco M5 has a much better haptic response.

Honor X7a Review: Conclusion

That's it for my review of the Honor X7a. While the phone has an impressive battery life and a nice design, it simply does not offer much else. So, all things considered, I believe Honor could have done a much better job with the X7a. So this isn't the best you can get for the money. You can find much better options like the Poco M5, Moto G31, or Redmi Note 11 from last year.

Honor X7a Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Attractive design
• Relatively lightweight design
• Impressive battery backup

Cons:

• Below average performance
• Average Cameras
• Single speaker
• Laggy UI