Lenovo Z5 Review and Specs

Lenovo created quite a hype when they teased the renders of their upcoming Z5 smartphone. The device caught the eye of the public because its renders showed an all-screen setup. Sadly, that was false hope as the phone was revealed to have a notch. The Lenovo Z5 is still not a shabby looking device. It has an almost bezel-less display and a colorful yet very shiny back panel at an affordable price. You can but it here in the Philippines through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Display and Design

Lenovo Z5 uses a 6.2 inch Full HD Plus LCD Display with the notch. It comes with a DCI-P3 wide color gamut and is known as the ‘Full-Color Screen. The somewhat unfamiliar resolution of 1080 x 2246 comes about through 18:7:9 aspect ratio. The display is a bit wider or longer than a normal 16:9 Full HD Display. The display is bright, with a good contrast and a very strong black point for a smartphone of this class. Lenovo uses rather softer colors and seems to have adopted the display for that. Photos and pictures are pleasantly strong.

The front and back panels of the Lenovo Z5 adopt the Corning Gorilla Glass material. It is smooth and bright, reflecting the shadow of buildings and flowers. The middle metal frame comes with a curved transition. Actually, the phone comes with a small body, which is easy to hold in hands.

Performance

The Lenovo Z5 is equipped with a Snapdragon 636 chip, which has appeared on various models such as the Meizu E3 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. This SoC is known as the youth version of the much-popular Snapdragon 660. The only difference is the clock speed. The SND660’s highest frequency is 2.2GHz, while this parameter for the SND636 is 1.8GHz. The other parameters of these two chips are roughly the same.

The Snapdragon 636 chip uses a 14nm process node, a Kryo 260 CPU, and an Adreno 509 GPU. In addition, there are 14 digital components such as Qualcomm Spectra 160 ISP, Hexagon 680 DSP, and X12 LTE baseband.

What’s more important, the Snapdragon 636 comes with the same Kryo 260 core architecture as the Snapdragon 660, and its CPU core architecture is leading the 62X and other 63X series. There are four cores clocked at 1.8GHz and four other cores running at 1.6GHz. That’s why the CPU performance is about 40% higher than the Snapdragon 630.

The graphics have been improved as well. In the Snapdragon 636, it was using an Adreno 508 GPU. Now it uses an Adreno 509 GPU. The performance was improved by 10%.

Camera

The Lenovo Z5 is packed with a 16MP + 8MP rear dual-camera supporting AI. The main camera uses OV16885 with a f/2.0 aperture, 16MP resolution, 1/3.06” sensor size, and 1um pixel size, while the sub-camera is Hi-Hoc, with 1/4 inch sensor size, 1.12um pixel size. It is responsible for portraits and not involved in imaging. In the front, the phone carries an OV8856, with an 8MP resolution, ¼” sensor size, and 1.12um pixel size.

Thanks to the morhpo and rainbow soft algorithm, the Lenovo Z5 can restore even the backlit part of the shade, without losing details. This is somewhat unexpected.

Battery

To test the 3300mAh battery of the Lenovo Z5, we used PCMark. The brightness was set at 100%, while the volume was at 80%. According to the benchmark, it showed about 6 hours. Of course, it doesn’t mean the requirements for the 1-day use.

At the same time, the Lenovo Z5 was tested for video playback. The brightness was at 53%, while the volume at 20%. After one hour of test, the power dropped from 96% to 86%. Thus, in 60 minutes, the phone consumes 10% when playing videos. In other words, it can provide up to 10 hours of video playback.

For the game testing, we used PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. When the test started, the remaining power was 79%. After half an hour, it reduced to 70%. Thus, the battery consumes 9% in 30 minutes. You can play games for 6 hours.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.0 Oreo, ZUI 4.0
  • Dual nano SIM, Dual Standby
  • 6.2-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2280 x 1080 resolution, ~401ppi
  • 19:9 aspect ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor
  • Adreno 509 GPU
  • 6GB RAM
  • 64GB / 128GB internal storage
  • 8-megapixel front camera
  • 16-megapixel + 8-megapixel dual rear cameras, PDAF, LED flash
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • GPS, A-GPS
  • USB Type-C
  • 3,300mAh non-removable battery

Huwei Y9 2019 Review and Specs

Huawei’s had a big year in 2018, and they’re capping it off with the release of their refreshed lower mid-range offering, the Y9 2019. The new phone dangles the promise of quad-cameras, powerful mid-range processor and modern styling at a price that’s hard to ignore. Here in the Philippines you can buy it through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Display and Design

The Y9 2019 features a 6.5-inch 19.5:9 IPS display with 2340 x 1080 resolution. This gives a vibrant and great viewing experience with good viewing angles. Contents are still viewable even at direct sunlight with just at least 70% brightness which should take care of some people’s brightness woes.

There are a few material changes to the Y9 2019 compared to the Nova 3i though, most notably the material used on the rear of the phone. While the frame of the device is metal (more specifically, aluminum) Huawei says that the rear is made from plastic.

Software

Just like with the Nova 3i and Honor 8X, the Y9 2019 runs on EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. There’s nothing special with this OS if you’ve been reading reviews on recent Huawei devices here on our website. But if this is the first time you’re seeing this, then expect that its user interface is simple, clean, and organized with a visible touch of Huawei’s own unique style of design.


As usual, there are Google apps pre-installed, as well as Huawei’s own native apps: Phone Manager, Health, HiCare, Huawei App Gallery, Tips, Party Mode that features multiple devices outputting the same music, Game Suite, Facebook, Booking.com, and Ride mode. Out of the 64GB of storage, there’s a plentiful 52.5GB storage.

Performance

The Y9 2019 runs on 4GB RAM, the same Kirin 710 chipset as the Nova 3i and Honor 8X, and Mali-G51 MP4 GPU. Expect that tasks such as file transfers, video streaming, multi-tasking, and social media browsing will run smoothly. The fingerprint scanner works well and is very fast as it can unlock the phone in less than 0.3 seconds. The face unlock, on the other hand, has a respectable unlocking speed.


My gaming experience was above average as I can play Asphalt 9: Legends, PUBG Mobile, and Mobile Legends with decent frames per second. Not much frame drops happened during my game testing which is pretty cool given that the Y9 2019 is an affordable device. Warming can be felt at the back part of the phone but it didn’t reach a temperature that’s uncomfortable.

Camera

The Y9 2019 comes with a quad-camera setup, meaning, it has dual rear and front lenses– both secondary lenses are meant for depth-of-field effect. The user interface of the camera is straightforward as the QR code scanner, flash, moving picture, AI camera, and settings can be found on top for the rear camera. There are five main modes for the rear camera namely Aperture, Night, Portrait, Photo, and Video while other modes like Pro mode, Panorama, AR lens, Light painting, HDR, Time-Lapse, Filter, and Watermark can be found on the “More” tab.

The rear cameras are composed of a 13-megapixel f/1.8 snapper and 2-megapixel f/2.4 rear sensor with PDAF. The lower aperture of the rear camera means that it should be able to perform better in low light.

And it does, somewhat. Images taken with the phone in less than ideal conditions are good, though it’s not going to match the performance of more expensive phones. Colors are vibrant, and there’s plenty of detail to be had.

Like Huawei’s recent offerings the Y9 2019 has AI-enhanced shooting capabilities, which basically means the phone has scene recognition that adjusts contrast, exposure, and saturation depending on what you’re shooting. Unlike their other phones, you’ll have to turn it on yourself and it isn’t on by default. 

As far as selfies go, you’ll be enjoying enhanced bokeh effects thanks to the secondary camera, though the phone is a little aggressive when it comes to beautifying your face.

Battery

The Y9 2019 packs a 4000mAh battery, PCMark’s battery benchmark puts the Y9 2019 at 11 hours and 32 minutes with their standard battery drain test. That translates to around a day’s worth of usable battery life with heavy use, with plenty left over. The only thing we don’t like about the phone is the fact that it doesn’t have fast charging thanks to the lack of a USB Type-C connector.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, EMUI 8.2
  • Dual SIM, Dual Standby (Hybrid, 2 nano or 1 nano+microSD)
  • 6.5-inch Full HD+ IPS 19:9 Display, 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~396ppi
  • 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 octa-core processor
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB
  • Mali-G51 MP4, GPU Turbo Technology
  • 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel front cameras with f/2.0 aperture
  • 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel rear cameras with f/2.2 aperture, dual LED flash
  • Fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
  • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi hotspot
  • HSPA+, 4G VoLTE
  • Bluetooth v4.2
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
  • Colors: Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, Aurora Purple
  • Dimensions: 162.4 x 77.1 x 7.9 mm
  • Weight: 173g
  • 4,000mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery

Nokia 6.1 Plus Review and Specs

HMD Global has been making great strides re-establishing the Nokia smartphone brand worldwide. Their phones have been getting positive reviews, with the Nokia 7 Plus bagging awards and accolades globally for being a well-balanced Android One device. The Nokia 6.1 Plus aims to follow through the Nokia 7 Plus’ success with the same pure Android experience paired with a more premium build and more affordable price tag. You can buy it here in Philippines through Lazada via Cash On Delivery & Nationwide Shipping.

Display and Design

Nokia 6.1 Plus sports a 5.8-inch full HD+ display with a notch, Nokia 6.1 Plus has an aspect ratio of 19:9 with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is wrapped in 2.5D curved glass and comes in three colour options of gloss midnight blue, white and black. The smartphone is also quite compact, slim and light. It was quite a delight moving to this phone from a long list of phones with clunky design. Nokia 6.1 Plus fits perfectly in my tiny hands and even in my tight denim pockets. Colors are vibrant, viewing angles are excellent, and the phone doesn’t have any issues with sunlight legibility.

Performance

Nokia 6.1 Plus is powered by Snapdragon 636, a relatively new chip by Qualcomm, which does its job rather well. The processor and Android One software sit well together. The performance, to put it simply, has been smooth. There was no noticeable lag during our extended testing phase.

Heavy games like PUBG and Asphalt 9 ran with no noticeable frame drops. However, the games automatically slotted into lower graphics for better overall performance. The UI was generally buttery smooth and at times overly responsive. The fingerprint sensor on the back panel is also very responsive and feels like has been borrowed from a flagship.

Android One makes Nokia 6.1 Plus a no-nonsense smartphone. There’s no bloatware on the device and animations are snappy as ever.

Camera

The camera on Nokia 6.1 Plus is a dual lens setup which is capable of producing some good looking pictures. The front camera also meets expectations. The primary set up comes with one 16 MP lens with f/2.0 and phase detection auto focus (PDAF), and another 5MP depth sensor.

In the daylight, images shot on the device are sharp with good details and dynamic range. The automatic HDR mode does its job well in containing highlights. For dimly lit areas, the camera does a decent job in letting more light in but the lack of image stabilisation required me to take multiple shots before getting the final shot. There is noticeable noise in darker areas of the picture. Both in day and night, the colour composition mostly felt accurate.

One area where the camera left us more than impressed was the portrait mode which is called “Live Bokeh” in the native camera application. The second lens does a good job of detecting edges and the pictures turn out to be impressive. The camera can also detect more than one person in the frame and adjust accordingly. One can select their desired level of depth while clicking the picture.

 The front facing camera has a 16MP lens with f/2.0 aperture, it also comes with a portrait mode and it’s no exception when it comes to performance. The edges are clear with sufficient light but the unit could struggle a little in dark environments. All in all, you’ll be more than happy with the phone’s bokeh mode.

Battery

The battery is a 3060mAh unit which seems standard with a display size of 5.8-inch. However, in our usage, the Nokia 6.1 Plus did not disappoint. The phone can last a single day on 100 per cent charge. For context, my average day starts around 7 am and ends around 11 pm. Despite keeping the hotspot on for a couple of hours and gaming sessions that could last for 30 minutes, the battery never died on me. The phone gets Quick Charge 3.0 but the charger in the box does not support it.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo (Android One)
  • Dual Nano SIM, Dual-standby, Hybrid
  • 5.8-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2280 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~435ppi
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor
  • Adreno 509 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB internal storage, expandable up to 400GB via microSD
  • 16-megapixel front camera, f/2.0
  • 16-megapixel (f/2.0) + 5-megapixel (monochrome, f/2.2) dual rear cameras, PDAF, dual-LED flash
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
  • USB Type-C
  • Dimensions: 147.2 x 71 x 8.6 mm
  • Colors: White, Black, Blue
  • 3,060mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0

Xiaomi Mi A2 Review and Specs

More and more low-priced phones have been coming out featuring performance and camera quality unheard of even a few years ago. Last year’s Xiaomi Mi A1 was good example of this. This year, its Android One successor, the Mi A2, goes even further. You can buy it here in philippines through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Display and Design

Xiaomi Mi A2 packs a 5.99-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD Display. It’s a half-inch bigger than its predecessor, with a new 18:9 aspect ratio, but the overall footprint of the Mi A2 is pretty much identical to the Mi A1. It has a 1,080 x 2,160 resolution with a pixel density of 403 ppi — not bad given its size — ensuring crisp detail.

Despite being an LCD, the panel offers decent contrast and bright, but not over-saturated colors. If you like Samsung displays you might find it a little undercooked. If you prefer a more neutral palette you’ll likely not mind. The Mi A2 has pretty decent viewing angles and good touch response, but its brightness leaves a little to be desired. The Mi A2 is still legible outdoors in anything but the most intense midday sun, but you’ll likely need to bump up your brightness. In fact, you’ll probably find yourself always keeping the Mi A2 screen at a higher brightness percentage than usual. 

The build quality of the Xiaomi Mi A2 is excellent, building on the classic styling of the Mi A1. The discrete antenna bands, brushed aluminum, and smooth lines of my black unit give it a pebble-like look. Just don’t go dropping it in any rivers though — there’s no IP rating. The all-aluminum back is grippier than most glass-backed phones. It handles general wear and tear better too. The design is about as unassuming as most other phones these days, with fairly small bezels surrounding the display and a familiar iPhone X-like layout on the back for the vertically stacked dual cameras. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is good and reliable, though not as fast as higher-end sensors. In many ways the hardware just gets out of the way here, providing a clean foundation for the software. The Mi A2’s design won’t necessarily inspire you, but it’s equally unlikely to make you cringe.

Software and Performance

The Xiaomi Mi A2 runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo with the August security patch. It’s a nearly-unadulterated version of Android with only a few additions. The Camera and Feedback apps can’t be uninstalled, but Mi Community, Mi Drop (local file sharing app), Mi Remote (for the IR blaster), and File Manager (a more powerful file manager), can all be removed if you don’t want them.

If you’re familiar with stock Android, you’ll find yourself immediately at home here. Launcher 3 is your launcher, the Quick Settings and notifications drop-down are untouched, and neither are the Settings. Even System UI Tuner is there. Google’s other apps are pre-installed as well: Calculator, Calendar, Chrome, Clock, Contacts, Drive, Duo, Gmail, Google, Maps, Messages, Phone, Photos, Play Movies, Play Music, Play Store, and YouTube.

The Mi A2 includes the new Snapdragon 660 mobile platform (up from the 625 in most other comparable Xiaomi phones). The 14nm 660 comprises four high-performance Kryo 260 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and four low-energy Kryo 260 cores at 1.8GHz. The GPU is the Adreno 512. This processing bump is noticeable throughout the Mi A2. 

There are a few RAM and memory configurations: 4GB of RAM with 32GB or 64GB of storage, and 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. I used the 4GB/64GB version for this Xiaomi Mi A2 review. At the time of this review, the only version available in India is the 4GB/64GB version, with the 6GB/128GB version coming later. There is no microSD expansion on the Mi A2, which makes the 32GB version hard to recommend. 

Camera

The Mi A2 has a primary 12MP, f/1.75 lens and a secondary 20MP, f/1.75 lens. Unlike the Mi A1, there’s no longer a 2x optical zoom lens. Now the secondary lens is dedicated for low light shooting, though it also helps for portrait mode bokeh effects. The Mi A2 uses pixel binning to combine light data from four adjacent pixels on the 20MP sensor into two-micron Super Pixels, resulting in a 5MP image that’s upscaled back to 20MP resolution.

The front-facing camera uses the same 20MP sensor at f/2.0 aperture. It also offers front-facing HDR, a 4,500K selfie light and portrait mode. In the camera’s app portrait mode, the Mi A2 will automatically choose the best camera for the conditions. The rest of the time you’ll have to manually switch to the 20MP sensor by swiping over to Manual mode and tapping the button on the side. Despite what you might have read elsewhere, the Mi A2 only switches automatically in portrait mode, which is not all that great.

The Mi A2 offers auto HDR on both the rear and front-facing cameras. There are AI beautification modes if you’re into that kinda thing, a front-facing flash for low-light selfies, a good panorama mode, filters, and a straighten option to correct your wonky horizons. For video, there’s support for 4K at 30fps, FHD at 60 and 30fs, and HD at 30fps. Video stabilization only works well at FHD and it’s best during daylight hours. While the stabilization is still there at night time, it’s much easier to spot, and thus less effective, thanks to the shuddering lights in the footage. There are also slow-motion and time-lapse videos.

Battery

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has a svelte 3,000mAh battery in order to fit into that ultra-slim chassis. While battery life wasn’t bad, the thought of the larger battery Xiaomi could’ve put in a slightly thicker device persisted. Had Xiaomi opted for a 3,500mAh battery that concern would have been quashed and we’d still have a super-thin phone. Of course, this would have stepped on the toes of the Mi A2 Lite’s 4,000mAh cell (and non-existent camera bump).

The combination of stock Android with no bloatware and the economical Snapdragon 660 means you’ll still get a decent day’s usage out of the Mi A2. At my standard screen brightness (around 50 percent) I consistently managed over five hours of screen-on time. Battery life was perfectly acceptable, but not groundbreaking. The LCD display and more power-hungry chipset are the most likely culprits here.

The global Mi A2 unit (which I have) supports 5V/2A charging via Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0. The version available in India will support Quick Charge 4.0, although you won’t get a QC4 charger in the box; it’ll be 10W no matter where you are.

There’s only the standard battery-saving mode in Android Oreo, but Android Pie will bring Adaptive Battery and Adaptive Display to help eke out a little more from the Mi A2’s diminutive battery. Fast charging the 3,000mAh battery takes an hour and a half.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, Android One
  • Dual SIM, Dual standby
  • 5.99-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~403ppi
  • 2.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor
  • 4GB/6GB RAM
  • Adreno 512 GPU
  • 32GB/64GB/128GB internal storage, non-expandable
  • 20-megapixel front camera, 1.0µm, f/2.2, LED flash
  • 20-megapixel (1.0µm, f/1.8) + 12-megapixel (1.25µm, f/1.8) dual rear cameras, LED flash
  • AI photo modes, HDR
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
  • FM Radio
  • USB Type-C
  • Infrared blaster
  • Dimensions: 158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm
  • Weight: 166g
  • Colors: Gold, Rose Gold, Blue, Red, Black
  • 3,000mAh non-removable battery, 10W charger

VivoY81i Review and Specs

Vivo may be becoming more aggressive in the midrange and premium segments, but that doesn’t mean they’re letting go of the budget range just yet. The Y81i is a testament to that, and it just unveiled itself in Malaysia. It’ll retail for MYR 599, which converts to around US$ 144. Here in the Philippines you can buy it for ₱6,999 through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Display, Design and Hardware

The Vivo Y81i is a more toned-down and affordable version of the Y81. This cheaper variant retains the iPhone X-like design that the latter has, with the same 6.22-inch 1520 x 720 HD+ resolution screen. Since they sport the same design and screen size, it’s hard to tell these two devices apart just by looking at them. They also have identical specs across the board as the only main compromise here is the processor used.

The Y81i is a toned-down version of the Y81i, sporting a less powerful MT6761 processor compare to the MediaTek Helio P22 of Y81. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage expandable via microSD up to 256GB.

Camera, Software and Battery

Coming to cameras, the front notch houses a basic 5MP selfie sensor with f/2.2 aperture and AI Face Beauty while the rear houses a 13MP sensor. The front camera comes ready with face unlock as the handset doesn’t have a fingerprint reader. In terms of connectivity, the Vivo Y81i offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, micro-USB 2.0, USB OTG, and GPS. There’s also a Motorbike Mode for commuters that rejects calls and alerts senders of the receiver’s current status. The Vivo Y81i comes with a similar 3260mAh battery pack to the Y81 and weighs 143 grams. It will be offered in Red Black and Blue color options. On the software side of things, the Vivo Y81i comes with Android 8.1 Oreo-based Funtouch OS 4.0 which is Vivo’s own custom skin on top of Android. The battery is the same as the Y81 with 3,260mAh capacity which is good enough for up to single day of usage.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, FunTouch OS 4.0
  • Dual SIM, Dual Standby (nano)
  • 6.22-inch HD+ IPS display, 1520 x 720 pixel resolution, ~270ppi
  • MediaTek Helio A22 quad-core processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
  • 5-megapixel front camera, f/2.2
  • 13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.2, LED flash
  • Face Unlock
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
  • FM Radio
  • microUSB 2.0
  • Dimensions: 155.06 x 75 x 7.77mm
  • Weight: 143g
  • Colors: Matte Black, Red
  • 3,260mAh Li-Ion non-removable battery

Redmi Note 6 Pro Review and Specs

Xiaomi’s success has been built upon a simple formula: offer powerful hardware at aggressive prices to undercut the competition. One recent example of this strategy was the predecessor to the Redmi Note 6 Pro. With the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Chinese manufacturer has been very hard to beat around the $200 price mark thanks to the use of the Snapdragon 636 SoC. The device has been extremely popular, so naturally, that increases the expectations we have from its successor, the Redmi Note 6 Pro. Here in the Philippines you can buy it through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Build and Design

Redmi Note 6 Pro has a 6.26-inch display with 19:9 aspect ratio. A resolution of 2260 x 1080 pixels with  403ppi pixel density. There is a notch cut-out at the top, something that the Redmi Note 5 Pro did not have—but since almost every new phone has a notch, we really cannot hold that against anyone. The display is a tad richer than before, and the extra real estate makes it even better to navigate between apps. There is a very slight reflectiveness if there are annoying overhead lights, but the automatic brightness changes adapt quickly enough. 

Software

Redmi Note 6 Pro runs the company’s custom MIUI skin. You get the latest version, i.e. MIUI 10, based onAndroid 8.1 Oreo. With the competition already pushing out updates to Android Pie, Xiaomi could have launched the Redmi Note 6 Pro with the latest version of the OS. 

Xiaomi’s custom UI has a few visual tweaks such as a new app switcher layout that looks fresh. You still don’t get an app drawer, and all app icons appear on the home screens when installed. Like most other smartphones with notches, you have the option to mask the notch with a black band. You also get theme support so you can customise the look of the smartphone.

Xiaomi preinstalls quite a number of apps including Google’s entire suite, Mi Drop, Cleaner, UC Browser, Mi Remote, Mi Store, Mi Community, Amazon Shopping, Facebook, NewsPoint, and Dailyhunt plus a few others. During our review period, we had Dailyhunt and Mi Video constantly spamming us with notifications.

A swipe to the right from the first homescreen gives you card-style updates, shortcuts for apps, and widgets for things like stock prices, and checking train PNR numbers. There’s even a panel for Ola that opens the app if installed or redirects you to the company’s webpage to let you call for a cab. You also get calendar reminders here and shortcuts for Swiggy, Redbus, and BigBasket. We found ads in apps including Mi Music and Mi Video, which got really annoying.

There are gesture shortcuts on the Redmi Note 6 Pro which let you take a screenshot or launch the camera app. You also get the option to switch to fullscreen gestures instead of the on-screen Android navigation buttons. We found a new Enterprise mode that, from the looks of it, lets you create a separate enterprise profile. The Redmi Note 6 Pro shows you a list of fullscreen-compatible apps and gives you the option to force non-compatible apps to run in fullscreen mode.

Camera

This is a camera beast housing dual camera setup at the front as well as the rear. The one at the back has a 12MP sensor with 1.4 micron pixel size and f1.9 aperture for capturing more light along with a 5MP depth sensor for bokeh images. The camera app UI is neat and intuitive to use. Various camera modes including short video, video, photo, photos, square, panorama and manual, are placed at the bottom, making it easier to switch modes while capturing an image.

There is the new AI scene detection icon at the top that can identify up to 32 scenes and quickly detected human faces, text and more that captures great images. Although while capturing bokeh images, the camera suggested placing the objects within 2 meter range, even if the subject wasn’t within the given range, it still managed to capture decent bokeh image. There are some image editing options for bokeh images too. This includes adjusting background blur level, adding studio lighting on faces, and adjusting background light trails. Post adjusting the light trail, I was able to save the image as a short 3 second video. The camera does a pretty impressive job of capturing natural looking colours while retaining details in normal photo mode as well as portrait mode.

There has been a significant improvement in the front camera module. Unlike the previous generation models, where bokeh selfies were captured using AI software, this one comes with a 20MP primary sensor along with 2MP secondary sensor. The selfie camera seamlessly identifies the face and blurs the background. The beautification setting with the Portrait mode helps in capturing Instagram ready images as it smoothens the skin tone and offers additional advance settings, eliminating the need of using an image editing software.

Performance andBattery

The phone runs on Mi Global UI 10.0 stable built on Android version 8.1.0 and successfully managed to handle daily usage including fetching emails, gaming, and photography along with web browsing, streaming videos, social networking and calling. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC (same as on Redmi Note 5 Pro) and my review unit had 6GB of RAM and 64 GB onboard storage with support for expandable memory. The security app can be used to optimise the performance along with learning cache and obsolete files, analyse battery usage and boost speed. The 4000 mAh battery lasted me close to two days on a single charge.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, MIUI 9
  • Dual SIM, hybrid
  • 6.26-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2280 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~403ppi
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor
  • 3GB RAM
  • Adreno 509 GPU
  • 32GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
  • Fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock
  • 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel front camera
  • 12-megapixel + 5-megapixel dual rear cameras, LED Flash
  • 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 5.0
  • GPS,GLONASS, Beidou
  • Infrared Blaster
  • microUSB 2.0
  • Dimensions: 157.9 x 76.4 x 8.2mm
  • Colors: Blue, Black, Red, Rose Gold
  • 4,000mAh Li-Po non-removable battery

OPPO A3s Review and Specs: Budget Friendly Smartphone

In general, we often see smartphones with dual cameras in mid-range and high-end smartphones, but now, OPPO brings dual cameras to an entry-level device that is worthwhile. We are talking about the OPPO A3s, which comes with a pair of 13 + 2-megapixel camera. It supports portrait mode, and it comes with 4,230 mAh battery for full entertainment with a 6.2″ HD+ display. The OPPO A3s is one of the most pocket-friendly handsets to come with the trendy notch display design. Here in the Philippines you can buy it through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

Build and Design

OPPO A3s packs a 6.2-inch HD+ (720 x 1,520 pixels) In-Cell IPS LCD “Super Full Screen” display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and a small cutout on the top that features the front camera and the earpiece. There are minimum bezels to the left and right sides of the display but the bottom bezel is reasonably thick for some reason. The display quality offered by the A3s is impressive. The viewing angles and maximum brightness ensure that the handset remains usable even in outdoor conditions. For those who are wondering, the notch does not bother you few minutes into using the handset and as you have already made the choice of going for a handset with a notch design, it is pretty much a given that you will not be disappointed. The A3s does not feel heavy in the hand and is easy to hold despite a large screen size. The phone also feels sturdy and should survive an occasional fall or two. Overall, the build quality offered by the smartphone is decent, especially for its price range.

Software and Performance

The OPPO A3s uses ColorOS version 5.1 operating system based on Android OS version 8.1 Oreo. The user interface is simple and can customize the home screen, such as changing the wallpaper and themes. There’s a phone management application. For setting up various applications, such as clearing RAM memory, virus scan, or privacy settings, to access the message.bringing the widget to the home screen, and changing the screen unlock effect.

The OPPO A3s uses a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 450 processor, Adreno 506 graphics processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of ROM which is further expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. In terms of gaming performance, the internal specifications may not seem quite good. However, it has a Game Acceleration system that will help manage the memory and optimize for more games.

Camera

 OPPO A3s comes with a rear-facing dual camera setup, which consists of a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor, supported by an LED flash unit. At the front, we get an 8-megapixel sensor for taking selfies and video calling. The camera setups, both front and rear, presented some exposure issues while clicking pictures for us. Even when we tried to focus on the source of light, a procedure that usually helps in adjusting the exposure, there were prominent lens flare issues presented by the smartphone.

The front camera, just like the rear setup, comes across as a hit-and-miss. Provided apt conditions, the handset can produce some good images but as it is not the case in everyday scenarios, this comes across as a major drawback for the A3s. 

Battery

OPPO A3s packs in a beefy 4,230mAh battery. As you might expect from the capacity, the handset manages to last beyond a day of heavy usage with ease. In our video loop test, the smartphone managed to last 19 hours before running out of battery. This means you can easily take the A3s out for a road trip without caring much about the charger.

Full Specifications:

  • Android  8.1 Oreo, ColorOS 5.1
  • Dual SIM, Dual standby
  • 6.2-inch HD+ IPS display, 1520 x 720 pixel resolution, ~271ppi
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor
  • Adreno 506 GPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 256GB
  • 8-megapixel front camera, f/2.2 aperture
  • 13-megapixel (f/2.2) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4) dual rear cameras, LED flash
  • Face Unlock
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
  • GPS, A-GPS
  • FM Radio
  • microUSB
  • Dimensions: 156.2 x 75.6 x 8.2mm
  • Weight: 168g
  • Colors: Dark Purple, Red
  • 4,230mAh non-removable battery


Honor 8X Max (Huge Screen) Review and Specs

The definition of the giant screen Smartphone industry has been constantly changing.  In just 2018, we saw two giant screen phones with screen sizes of 6.9 and 6.95 inches respectively. It can be said that the screen of the mobile phone has broken through 7 inches. Honor released the Honor 8X Max with a 7.12-inch screen. Here in the Philippines you can buy it through Lazada via Cash On Delivery.

The Honor 8X Max is the latest smartphone from the global tech giants Huawei. Huawei may have been facing some setbacks these past few months, but when it comes to their Honor Brand, they’ve been seeing a lot of success. 

Design and Display

The Honor 8X Max is a large tablet, almost phablets style phone. It looks a lot like the recently launched Honor Note 10, particularly from the back. It has a water-drop style notch similarly to the Oppo F9 Pro. 

In terms of shape, the Honor 8X Max has a similar shape to that of the iPhone X making it an elegant and stylish Android smartphone. It is largely rectangular, with trim, rounded corners. Like the iPhone X, it also has no home button; the fingerprint scanner is located at the back of the phone.


The Honor 8X Max is equipped with an unprecedented 7.12-inch screen, which realizes the wonderful three sides border-less design. At the same time, the sleek pearl shape design is integrated into the mobile phone, and the screen ratio is as high as 90.05%. The 7.12-inch screen has a resolution of 2244×1080 and a full-field display ratio of 18.7:9. The narrow bezel design complements the further narrowed screen, giving the Honor 8X Max a grip that is only the size of a 6.3-inch phone.

As a giant screen audio and video equipment, Honor 8X Max use a screen, as low as a 2nit screen to make movies more comfortable in low light condition, and in strong sunlight the screen will automatically brighten, making the phone picture brighter and clearer. In order to further enhance the comfort of viewing, Honor 8X Max also added a low blue light filter to effectively filter the harmful blue light that causes eye fatigue, adjust the color temperature and brightness, and prevent visual fatigue. There is more than 4096 brightness adjustment technology, the brightness is more pleasant.

These also make it the world’s first Rhine eye-certified Smartphone series. For the first time, Honor and Rhine applied the low-blue and light bio-safety certification to the Honor 8X series, which gives the device an eye protection model 2.0 that meets the Rhine standard to better protect our eyes. Therefore, reading with Honor 8X Max, the experience is more comfortable, and its reading mode has a paper-like reading experience, quite powerful.

Software

The Honor 8X Max comes loaded with the Android 8.1 operating system. You can upgrade to the latest available OS whenever you wish. A dual SIM (GSM and GSM) phone that accepts only Nano-SIM on both ports. Both SIM ports provide you with all the latest connectivity options like 3G, 4G LTE, GPS, and Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi standards supported include 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. It has Bluetooth connectivity which helps you connect to all sorts of devices like the air pods, portable Bluetooth speaker, or car Bluetooth speaker. You can use the air pods to listen to music wirelessly, accept calls, and operate your phone while it’s still in your pocket. It also comes with the latest sensors you’d expect in a high-end smartphone like fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, compass/magnetometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope, and ambient light sensor. These sensors help to monitor various activities and provide various functions to your smartphone.

Hardware and Performance

The smartphone has a 1.8 GHz octa-core with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 as its processor. It also has a 4GB Ram size and a 64GB internal memory size. The Honor 8X Max has an SD Card slot for expandable storage that can be expanded up to 256GB. Some of the internal memory will probably be taken up by the operating system so you should expect to have 58 – 60GB memory space left for your use.

In the comprehensive performance review of Antutu, the comprehensive Antutu score of the Honor 8X Max standard version reached 115354 points, which the CPU score reached 55880 points, and the GPU score reached 21139 points. This performance is sufficient for most everyday applications, and has relatively good game performance and is more practical.

Camera

The Honor 8X Max is equipped with 16MP + 2MP HD dual rear camera, F2.0 aperture, support PDAF high-speed phase focusing technology, focusing speed as fast as 0.2s, not only can watch long movies, but also can grab long movies, and can easily grasp movement.

It has 8MP front camera also with a f/2.0 aperture, which is incredible considering it’s for taking selfies and/or making Snapchat/IG live videos. The phone also has an auto-focus feature that helps to fine-tune the camera’s focus, giving you clearer and better quality pictures. The rear camera also lets you record high definition videos taking full advantage of the 1080 pixels on the screen.  The camera also comes with several other features like the ‘beauty’ feature that lets you glamour up your selfies and pictures. If you’re a budding photography enthusiast, then you’ll love the aperture feature, which gives you full control of the camera aperture. The camera also has full AI support that you can turn on and off.

Audio and Battery

The Honor 8X Max features high-profile dual speakers, not just louder, it also supports Dolby Atmos! Dolby panoramic sound can combine the content of the film to present a dynamic sound effect, and more realistically create a sound effect from far and near. Achieve 360° omnidirectional sound field surround, showing more sound details and enhancing the audience’s viewing experience. At present, most only use a single speaker, and all the sounds come out from only one mouth, which can not fully display the sound field effects in the movie. 

If there is no large-capacity battery, there will be no electricity in minutes! The Honor 8X Max uses 5000mAh of the large battery, and users can also use it for one and a half days. Fully charged to support watching video for 20 hours, playing games for 12 hours, listening to music for 72 hours. The most important thing is that Honor 8X Max supports 9V/2A fast charge, the highest 18W charging power, can charge 31% in 30 minutes, can be full in 2 hours! It also supports OTG fast reverse charging, supports reverse charging of mobile phone 0.5A, and supports fast reverse charging of rechargeable hardware 1A such as charging treasure. It is very convenient to use it to charge the Honor Band 4.

The Honor 8X Max is available in 2 versions, one with a Snapdragon 660 and one with a Snapdragon 636 in lower-priced. The Snapdragon 636 adopts a 14nm process, 8 core kyro260, and the highest frequency is 1.8Ghz. The Adreno 509 GPU is 10% better than the Adlonno 508 of the Snapdragon 630. Performance is 40% higher than Snapdragon 630. The Snapdragon 660 is equivalent to the enhanced version of the Snapdragon 636. The CPU has a higher frequency and the GPU is upgraded to Adreno 512.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, EMUI 8.2
  • Dual SIM, Dual Standby (nano, hybrid)
  • 7.12-inch Full HD+ IPS display, 2244 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~350ppi
  • 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636/660 octa-core processor
  • Adreno 509 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB / 128GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB via microSD
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 5GHz, Wi-Fi hotspot
  • 16-megapixel (f/2.0) + 2-megapixel (f/2.4, depth sensor) dual rear cameras, PDAF, LED flash
  • 8-megapixel f/2.0 front-facing camera
  • microUSB, USB OTG support
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, FM Radio
  • GPS, A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS
  • Colors: Red, Blue, Black
  • Dimensions: 177.6 x 86.3 x 8.1 mm
  • Weight: 210 g
  • 5,000mAh non-removable battery

Huawei Nova 3i Review and Specs

The Philippines is one of the first markets around the world to get their hands on the new Huawei Nova 3i. Unsurprisingly, this country is one of Huawei’s top priorities, considering the local success of the Nova 2i last year which packs a capable processor, good display, feature-packed cameras, all of which are housed in a sturdy and premium body for an affordable price. With it’s successor Huawei Nova 3i you can buy it here in the Philippines through Lazada for ₱15,990 via Cash On Delivery.

Display and Design

The Nova 3i is equipped with a 6.3-inch FullView Display 2.0 with FHD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution or equal to 409ppi. Given the notch design, it now has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and boasts an 81% screen-to-body ratio. Users also have the option to lower the resolution to HD+ (1560 x 720) or switch on Smart resolution so it can do it automatically to help save power. There’s also an option to adjust color modes from Normal to Vivid, as well as color temperature from Default to Warm to Cold. In addition, there’s split screen support and you can also hide the notch if you’re not fond of it. The quality of images and texts are sharp while the colors are punchy. Viewing angles are great without showing any color shifting. These are good indicators that it can provide users with a good viewing experience when browsing, watching videos or playing games. When it comes to audio quality, the Nova 3i’s single speaker is loud and crisp enough for casual listening to music, videos, and gaming, as well as hands-free voice calls.

Software

The Huawei Nova 3i runs on Android 8.1 Oreo, which isn’t the very latest version of Google’s OS, but it’s the latest major release. Note that the exact version of Android doesn’t majorly matter as it comes with EMUI 8.2.0 skin on top. 

In all honesty, the EMUI has improved a lot over the years. Although it’s not the best custom skin, it still reasonable fluid and stutter-free on the Nova 3i. It is easy to operate, and despite a different icon pack and other tweaks, it still sticks to the principles laid by Google. 

The EMUI is heavily built skin, which comes with its own advantages and flaws. It packs a lot of neat tricks hiding inside the phone, so if you buy it, you will end up spending a lot of time discovering all its features. My favorites are pick up to reduce the ringing volume or wake your phone, raise to ear to make calls, smart screen resolution, private space and app cloning.

Performance

Powering the Nova 3i is Huawei’s new mid-range chipset, the Kirin 710 octa-core chipset clocked at 2.2GHz and Mali-G51 GPU. So far, it performed great when it comes to ordinary tasks like navigating the UI, launching and switching between apps. The fingerprint scanner and face unlock is fast and responsive that is comparable to the P20 series, and can unlock our device almost instantaneously.

Running multiple apps in the background is not an issue thanks to the 4GB RAM. It also proved to be capable when it comes to gaming as it was able to run Asphalt 9 and Mobile Legends smoothly. PUBG Mobile is also very playable, although you’re limited to Smooth and Medium Frame Rate graphics settings.

Camera

Just like its predecessor, the Huawei Nova 3i’s claim to fame is its quad-camera setup. There’s a 24-megapixel front camera and a 16-megapixel shooter on the back. Both of them  are partnered with a depth-sensing, 2-megapixel sensor.

The 16-megapixel primary camera can take good pictures. However, despite the Artificial Intelligence (AI) mode turned off, there are times where the images Huawei Nova 3i captures still feels like it passed through tons of automatic software post-processing.

The details feel a little soft and the colors look unnatural. But other than those few instances, it can surely take Instagrammable photos. They look sharp, has vibrant colors, and good contrast.

On the other hand, the 24-megapixel front camera takes even better pictures, which isn’t surprising since it boasts a more pixel-packed sensor. It has good colors and contrast, although the quality will be put to waste once you use its novelty features. 

The Huawei Nova 3i also has the AR Lens features. There’s the 3D Qmoji, which is Huawei’s take on Apple’s Animoji. It’s fun to use, but its facial tracking is not as accurate as the iPhone X. There’s also the Snapchat-like effects that add random elements in your face and changes the background. It also comes with a dedicated background music per effect. Probably the most interesting novelty is the 3D Objects. This is the most common exhibition of AR technology. The system can add 3D animations in the on the frame, which moves dynamically as if it’s actually in the real world.

Clearly, one of Huawei Nova 3i’s strongest suits is its cameras. Not just because of the hardware itself, but also because of its intelligent software and capable AI processor.

Connectivity and Battery Life

The Huawei Nova 3i comes with a standard connectivity suite like dual 4G with VoLTE support, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS. NFC is absent but not really a deal breaker. Calls are loud and clear while mobile is fast as long as the signal is good in the area. GPS works well with navigation apps like Grab, Google Maps, and Waze.


It packs a 3340mAh battery which can suffice most users with basic day to day tasks like phone calls, streaming content, music and scrolling through long social media pages periodically.


Of course, if you are a smartphone gamer and have a weakness for demanding titles like PUBG Mobile, the one-day battery claim doesn’t apply. The GPU Turbo technology does optimize the battery life, but that’s not enough to stretch the battery life to one day with 3-4 classic PUBG matches and given that you survive for at least 20 minutes. 


The charging speed is a little disappointing on the Nova 3i. The Kirin 710 does not offer Huawei’s 22.5W SuperCharge and instead, it has 10W charging via micro USB. It takes around 2 hours to charge from 0-100%, which is slow considering what competition has to offer. And with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, a lot of Android users are accustomed to fast charging. 


If you are less smartphone dependant throughout a day, even 80% of the battery can sail you through without needing a charger. So, the battery life is quite good, which would have been sweeter if it had fast charge support.

Full Specifications:

  • Android 8.1 Oreo, EMUI 8.2
  • Dual SIM, Dual Standby (Hybrid)
  • 6.3-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~409ppi
  • 2.2GHz HiSilicon Kirin 710 octa-core processor
  • Mali-G51 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 128GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
  • 24-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual front camera
  • 16-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual rear cameras
  • 480fps slow-motion video recording
  • Fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock
  • HSPA+, 4G LTE
  • WiFi, WiFi hotspot
  • Bluetooth
  • GPS, A-GPS
  • FM Radio
  • microUSB
  • Colors: White, Black, Gradient Blue
  • 3,340mAh non-removable battery

Honor 8X Review and Specs

Honor has released a number of smartphones in 2018 — perhaps too many depending on who you ask — but they all aim to offer exceptional value and build quality that punches well above their price tag. Honor are not known to be flagship-killing mid-range devices, but they have built a steady reputation as solid mid-range, mid-performing devices for the everyday user. With the 8X, Honor has taken its closest step towards offering a phone that looks like a 2018 flagship, at least on the surface. The Honor 8x is available here in the Philippines for ₱12,990 in Lazada which offers Cash On Delivery and Nationwide Shipping.

Design and Display

The Honor 8X looks like the quintessential Honor smartphone, featuring a glossy textured glass back finish with its dazzling light reflecting properties, metal trim, notched display, and eye-catching looks all around. The 91 percent screen to body ratio and minimal chin is undeniably impressive. The standout feature of the Honor 8X, or at least the one that I think is going to sell these phones, is that large 6.5-inch display that adorns the entire front of this device. It’s a 19.5:9, 1080 x 2340 pixels LCD and it looks a lot more expensive than it is. That means that the 8X offers slightly more than Full HD and a pixel density of 397 ppi. The notch is quite wide but it can be hidden in the software.

Software

The Honor 8X launches with Android 8.1 with Huawei’s EMUI 8.2 customization on top of it. It will be familiar to anyone who has had an Honor or Huawei phone in the past. EMUI still has it opponents, but I am a big fan of the level of customization and utility control that is baked into this OS. You have the ability to switch between an iOS-style format with multiple home screen or a stock Android-like app drawer. You can also change the layout of your home screen to have either smaller or larger icons, which impacts how many apps you can fit onto each homes screen. There’s a fair amount of bloatware on the device out of the box including Huawei’s own apps such as HiCare, AppGallery and Health. There’s also a handful of quirky features that we have come to expect from Huawei and Honor. A Party Mode app lets you create a hotspot to share music with other Honor phones users, syncing the music that comes out of all the linked phones’ speakers. There is also a karaoke feature that will play your singing voice back through your headphones for blasting out your favorite tunes.

Performance

The Honor 8X features a Kirin 710 octa-core processor with up to 2.2 GHz. The version I tested had 4GB of RAM. It’s fine for daily usage. Apps launch quickly, and I had no problems with multi-tasking with 2-3 things on the go at once.

This is not a high-performance phone though, and when pushed to the limits, you start to see some of the cost-cutting measures that were required to get the 8X down to this price point.

In terms of audio performance, there is nothing much to report. The sounds quality isn’t amazing, not terrible. Fine for watching videos at low volume, but I wouldn’t want to listen to music out of it. The speaker is on the right-hand side so it’s easy to avoid covering it with your hand in landscape mode.

Camera

Camera performance is usually the first sign of economy in the smartphone business, but it’s not as obvious here as on a lot of mid-range devices. The dual camera on the back, featuring 20MP and 2MP sensors.

The ultra-low light mode is back as is a synthetic wide aperture feature for those bokeh shots that everyone wants these days. You also get the same AI camera tech in the 8X that you’ll find on Huawei’s flagships phones. The camera can identify 50 different objects from 22 categories and will automatically optimize a variety of settings according to what you’re shooting. The recognition part works great, and you’ll get a text flash up on your display while you point the camera so you can check that the AI is seeing what you are. When it comes to actual results, however, I found mixed results. AI camera tech tends to be a little too strong in my experience. It’s almost like the software wants to make it obvious that it has changed something. You’ll often find over-saturated, overly-punchy images. You can always deactivate it with a single tap, though. The maximum resolution for shooting video is 1920 x 1080 at 60 fps.

Battery Life

With a 3,750mAh battery, the Honor 8X has no problem surviving a full day with even the most demanding user. A second day of full use will be on the cards for most, although taking lots of pictures and gaming will knock a couple or so hours off the total on time. Lighter users could well extend usage well into a third day, as was the case when I only used the phone for some web browsing and music streaming. 

If for some reason you find yourself short of juice, the Honor 8X packs in two power saving modes. The regular power saving mode limits background activity, reduces visual effects, and turns off email syncing to save on power. The more extreme ultra power saving mode limits the phone to just a selection of apps to greatly extend battery life up to several days.

Honor 8X Specifications:

  • 6.5-inch 19.5:9 Full HD+ (1080 x 2340) IPS display, 397ppi
  • HiSilicon Kirin 710 2.2GHz octa-core CPU
  • Mali-G51 MP4 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB/128GB storage
  • microSD up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
  • 20MP f/1.8 PDAF + 2MP rear cameras, LED flash
  • 16MP f/2.0 front camera
  • 4G LTE
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • micro USB, OTG
  • EMUI 8.2 (Android 8.1 Oreo)
  • 3,750mAh battery
  • 160.4 x 76.6 x 7.8 mm
  • 175 g