honor Malaysia has just launched the much anticipated honor 5X on our shores. Although it is the successor to the honor 4X, the 5X is a markedly different device with a much more premium metal construction; the 4X only had a plastic body. While honor Malaysia has not revealed the price and availability of this device yet, our initial impression of the honor 5X is quite favourable.
First, let’s talk specifications. The honor 5X has a 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor paired with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable with a microSD card up to 128GB), a 3,000mAh battery, dual-SIM support, as well as 13MP rear and 5MP front-facing cameras. Other than these, the honor 5X also has an all-metal body and a rear fingerprint sensor. For a mid-range device, these are very respectable hardware. In fact, it reminds me of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, which is essentially a direct competitor to the honor 5X.
In my hands, the honor 5X feels very much like a premium device, although it is a tad lightweight for my taste. Regardless, the metal body has a glossy finish to it, which makes it easy to get a good grip on the device. Aside from this, I like the side buttons of the 5X as well, which give a very satisfying tactile feedback. In short, the honor 5X is a well-built smartphone, and that’s not even the best part about it.
One of my biggest qualms with the honor 4X – and the honor 7 – is its camera, which has a noticeable shutter delay. Thankfully, the honor 5X doesn’t seem to have this issue throughout my brief time with the smartphone. That being said, the autofocus speed of the camera could’ve been better, although we are talking about a mid-range device here. Those who are looking to do some casual photography with the honor 5X should be content with its camera performance.
Camera performance aside, I didn’t notice any noticeable lag or stutter while navigating around the honor 5X’s user interface. It seems like the Snapdragon 615 processor is up to the task, although it remains to be seen how the chipset will perform in day-to-day usage. Other than that, I really like the honor 5X’s 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display: it is bright, sharp and vibrant. The 1080p display is definitely an improvement over the honor 4X’s 720p panel.
The honor 5X is an interesting mid-range device, but whether or not it will be a compelling smartphone will depend on one thing: its retail price. If it does retail at RM999 (as Lazada’s listing suggests), the 5X will be a tough proposition. After all, it only goes for 999 Chinese yuan (about RM650) in China.
Regardless, we will find out soon enough just how much the honor 5X will go for locally from honor Malaysia. It will be interesting to see if the honor 5X’s RM999 price tag on Lazada will be its official retail price.
