Huawei devices constantly gave me the idea that what’s inside, and the manufacturer looks at the mass market through glasses with a pink filter. The appearance of the Honor 6X model in the manufacturer’s lineup forced me to reconsider my position a little. Honor 6X is a direct competitor to Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Meizu M5 Note. Compared to them, the device is notable for exactly three things: a dual main camera, the absence of buttons under the display and potentially higher quality. A-brand, after all.
The text may and most likely does contain grammatical, spelling, punctuation and other types of errors, including semantic ones. I strongly encourage readers to point out these errors and correct me through private messages.
Design
While studying the appearance of the smartphone, several thoughts came to me at once. I think you will agree with me on some things, without even holding the device in your hands.
We look at the back of the device. And we see the next version of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3/4/5/6 and so on. These plastic inserts, the metal back, the fingerprint scanner ring and the camera in the middle are all too reminiscent of Xiaomi smartphones.
I don’t know if Huawei deliberately decided to create this design or if it just happened that way. This is how it often happens in China.
On the other hand, is it important? The smartphone looks good. It fits comfortably in the hand. What more do you need?
Despite the fairly decent thickness of 8.2 mm, it is not felt here. Seriously! Some kind of magic!
The designers of Honor 6X are sly foxes. They greatly “cut off” the side edges, as a result of which the declared thickness of the device remained only in the very center, and in other places the smartphone feels very thin. This is also quite an option on how to competently beat the excess dimensions for a 5.5-inch device.
Another moment that impressed me. The display sandwich does not have an air gap, and therefore the screen seems to be printed on protective glass. Looks especially impressive at an angle.
I praised the smartphone, and now it’s time to scold it. Unfortunately, there is a reason.
In general, the assembly of the device is of very high quality. There are no backlashes, squeaks or other crimes. BUT!
In my copy, the screen panel was glued in vain.
Take a look at some photos below. In the upper left corner, the glass fits perfectly tightly to the plastic side. And the opposite corner has a huge gap (compared to the first corner). There was no dust getting in there, but there is still a residue from the build quality.
With this in mind, if you have the opportunity to test the device before purchasing, be sure to take this opportunity.
I will not describe each element of appearance separately, because everything here is quite standard. The only thing we will focus on is the touch keys, which are not on the case. They take up part of the screen space. This bothers some people a lot, but not at all for me. And all because in this way you can conveniently hold the device in landscape orientation, without fear of accidentally pressing the “Back” or “Home” button and exiting the game or player to the home screen.
Unfortunately, Huawei doesn’t want to hear my plaintive moans about the fact that in the Gallery the navigation bar does not hide anywhere and is constantly active. Why doesn’t she just “smartly” hide from the display when she’s not needed? Like in the same games, for example.
Another mandatory element in the review program is the quality of the external speaker. He is alone here, taking a place to the right of the Micro USB port. The volume is slightly above average, the quality is about the same. In other words, an ordinary, quite decent multimedia speaker without kinks in one direction or another. You can set your own ringtones, they won’t scare others with their quality.
Software
The work is carried out under Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the proprietary EMUI 4.1 shell. There are no application folders, and all programs are placed directly on the home screens. Some people find it more convenient this way - the desired application is downloaded directly from the screen, and there is no need to waste time searching for it in the folder.
There are several pre-installed screen themes, others can be installed from a special application, but this requires a Huawei account. Separately, it is worth noting the beautiful images that are used as wallpaper for the home screen and lock screen. You can set one picture or set up an automatic change.
The advantage of the EMUI firmware is the possibility of detailed settings that allow you to make interaction with the device as comfortable as possible, from the design of the screen and navigation keys to the functionality of the fingerprint scanner. I have already mentioned that the fingerprint sensor can be used not only to unlock a smartphone. Using various gestures, you can also open and clear the notification panel, swipe through images, take photos, record videos, answer calls, and turn off alarms.
There is a useful “Phone Manager” application in which you can optimize the system, view battery consumption, enable energy-saving mode, set fingerprint access in individual applications, etc. The system takes care of the stable operation of the device and offers to close unused resource-intensive applications or perform cleaning temporary memory.
The Health app will help you track your physical activity, set and achieve simple sports goals. You must indicate your gender, height, weight and date of birth, which will be used to calculate calories and body mass index. The number of steps taken is displayed on the lock screen and notification panel.
There is also a file manager, video and music player. In general, the shell is very convenient to use, there are ample customization options and a good set of pre-installed programs.
Fingerprint's scanner
It is located on the back of the smartphone, directly under the protruding camera eye. You take the device in your hand, and your index finger is placed exactly on the touch pad and the smartphone immediately unlocks. There are no problems with this, the scanner is not dull or glitchy, they say that it is constantly self-learning. The more often you unlock your device, the more information it accumulates about your fingerprint. This is probably true.
The fingerprint sensor also has a whole bunch of different functionality. The Honor line has always been famous for this, and even the smartphones of the “mother” company (I mean Huawei). With its help, you can do “selfies”, scroll through photos in the Gallery, lower the notification shade, and so on. All this functionality is really relevant and even useful. I advise you to get used to using all these goodies, because they make operating your smartphone a little more pleasant and convenient.
Of course, you can “block” individual applications or the “Personal” section with your fingerprint. The latter is located in the file manager and you can store all your ins and outs there. I’m a boring character, I have nothing to store there, so I don’t use it. I would like to! Maybe…
Software
The device runs Android 6.0 with Emotion UI 4.1 shell.
You should expect software updates soon, because a beta version of the update with Android 7 + EMUI 5.0 is already available online. I didn’t risk installing software for developers, so I’ll briefly describe the capabilities that are available in the current firmware version. First of all, I was pleased with the expanded functionality of the fingerprint scanner. Now it can act as a small touchpad for scrolling through photos in the gallery or answering an incoming call. I often thought that the smartphone was designed with the idea: “Honor 6X should completely serve itself.” As soon as applications appear that consume excessive RAM or battery, the built-in software instantly limits their activity and displays a notification about it.
Interface
The Huawei Health app became my personal trainer during the test. It quite accurately calculates the distance traveled and motivates you to walk more. As a result, instead of the usual 5-6 thousand steps a day, I tried to walk 8-10, and on weekends I even came close to 20 thousand steps.
Pedometer
The smartphone software works quickly and stably. I did not notice any brakes and/or crashes during testing. There was only one annoying bug. After receiving an incoming call, for the first two seconds the interlocutor’s voice could not be heard at all. I was unable to find the root of the problem.
Display
I already spoke about the lack of an air gap. I repeat once again that with this type of screen, the convenience and experience of use (positive, of course) increases significantly.
Despite the fact that the smartphone is not some kind of flagship, it is inexpensive - we have Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and a decent level of pixel density - 403 ppi. For a 5.5-inch diagonal this is the standard, and nothing more is needed.
For virtual reality, such a resolution will not be enough, however, Quad HD doesn’t do anything special, so you shouldn’t chase after incomprehensible and unnecessary characteristics. Especially in the middle price segment. Believe me, it is impossible to see individual pixels here from a comfortable distance for the eyes.
The screen itself is juicy, there is a good reserve of brightness, the picture is not greatly inverted at different angles, so rest assured. Below we compare the screens of Honor 6X (top or left) and Neffos C5 Max (bottom or right).
The oleophobic coating on the glass is, of course, in place. Traces of use, of course, remain, but can be easily removed by simply wiping the screen on your jeans. The finger glides across the glass easily and naturally.
The protective glass itself (the brand is not disclosed) has a very slight 2.5D curve. As for me, the more it is rounded, the better, but this is also quite good. Those who like to “decorate” their device with a protective film will love this.
Screen
The smartphone display is a typical solution for the mid-price segment. 5.5 inches, good viewing angles, color rendering is limited to warm tones, but can be easily corrected with the slider in the settings. Resolution - FullHD, like its classmates.
The brightness reserve is good, the speed of automatic adjustment leaves much to be desired (1-2 seconds), but the accuracy is excellent. In the sun, the display remains readable, and reading a book in a dark room at minimum brightness does not tire the eyes.
Specifications Honor 6X (model BLN-L21)
- HiSilicon Kirin 655 processor with 8 Cortex A53 cores, 4 of which operate at 2.1 GHz, 4 others operate at 1.7 GHz (16 nm, 64-bit)
- Mali-T830 MP2 graphics
- RAM 3 (1523 MB free after reboot) or 4 GB (not sold here)
- data storage 32 (22.50 GB available out of the box) or 64 GB (version not for Russia)
- Supports Micro SD memory cards up to 128 GB
- 5.5-inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution (403 ppi density), no air gap
- 8 MP front camera (f/2.0 aperture, fixed focus, 77-degree lens)
- main cameras 12 + 2 MP (f/2.2, sensor size 1/2.9'', one pixel 1.25 microns, PDAF focusing, 1080p video recording)
- battery 3,340 mAh (charging at 5V, 2A)
- OS Android 6.0.1
- EMUI 4.1 shell
- sensors: accelerometer, light and distance sensor, Hall sensor, digital compass, fingerprint scanner
- Connectors: Micro USB 2.0 (OTG works), 3.5 mm audio port
- Dimensions: 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm
- weight 162 grams
Wireless capabilities:
- 2G, 3G, 4G LTE Cat. 4 (bands: 1, 3, 7, 8, 20)
- Dual SIM support
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz only), Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio, NFC
- Navigation: GPS, Glonass, Beidou
Perhaps in 2022 it’s time to start scolding devices for not having USB Type-C, but I won’t do that. I think it's still too early. It's worth waiting until winter. Then the release of a device without a new universal port will definitely be considered bad manners.
There is one very nice bonus that is guaranteed to please device owners - the presence of NFC.
Honor 6X, as it were, marked the beginning of a new round of development, when contactless payments and other wireless goodies come to affordable devices. Until now, the number of cheap smartphones equipped with an NFC chip tended to zero. I hope that this trend will soon become a mass phenomenon and NFC will no longer be the preserve of exclusively expensive and flagship products.
For full-fledged “deliciousness,” the only thing missing is support for dual-band Wi-Fi, but the 2.4 GHz frequency is enough for reliable signal reception. Fortunately, the 6X has no problems with receiving “waffles” and connecting to cellular networks.
Additional functions
Studying the additional features of the Huawei Honor phone, model 6X, we will start the review with the presence of an NFC chip. Modern smartphones are increasingly using a bank card for payment. To do this, the device must support NFC technology.
Various sources give diametrically opposite information about the presence of an NFC chip in the smartphone. Therefore, before purchasing, it is better to check by going to the “Settings” tab. Then open "Wireless Networks", "Connections" or "NFC". And there you will find the NFC option. If it is not there, the phone does not support this technology. When purchasing via the website, please check the information before placing your order.
Phone Manager app
- Performs system optimization
- Displays traffic
- Manages the data clipboard
- Sets up the battery
- Protects apps from being opened by requiring a fingerprint
The “Health” program is an amateur option for monitoring physical activity and weight. The smartphone counts the number of steps and displays the results on the lock screen. Takes into account running and cycling results.
The smartphone keyboard supports Swipe type typing mode. Switching languages on the Honor 6X panel is just as inconvenient as other Honor models.
The search for contacts is carried out by the progressive Smart Dial application.
The player of the Huawei Honor phone, model 6X, is supplemented with a karaoke function without manual settings; the lyrics of the songs are shown in a creeping line. To improve the quality of watching videos, you can use a third-party player, for example, MX Player.
The smartphone has:
- FM radio without recording function
- Voice recorder with good sensitivity
- Flashlight
- Calculator
- Magnetic compass.
The Honor 6X smartphone is one of the best mid-range Huawei models in terms of price and quality ratio. The phone successfully copes with functional tasks, provides high quality communications, replaces a camera, allows you to take selfies, listen to music and radio. Honor 6x is designed for the mass consumer and can perform typical tasks for several years.
Performance
The eight-core Kirin 655 processor is mainly responsible for the performance. Yes, this is not the top-end, 950 series or higher, but, as practice shows, even its capabilities are enough to solve all the problems necessary for a modern smartphone owner. The device doesn’t shoot 4K video, but I have a feeling that this is a software limitation on the manufacturer’s part. I am sure that the smartphone would support this function.
In general, Kirin solutions are consistently inferior to similar “stones” from Qualcomm. Thus, the top Kirin 960 chip is slightly inferior to the Snapdragon 821. In our case, the 655th processor directly competes with the Snapdragon 625, but again is slightly behind it. This is eloquently evidenced by synthetic tests.
Let me remind you that a similar 625th “snap”, all other things being equal, gains about 60,000 virtual parrots. It's not that important anyway. It’s much more interesting how the device performs in everyday tasks.
The system interface works perfectly smoothly.
Nothing slows down, doesn’t lag, and there’s no hint that some processes are difficult for the smartphone. When navigating and switching between programs, you get the feeling that you are using some kind of flagship.
Applications launch quite quickly, and this also applies to heavy programs. I don’t even know what to complain about here.
Let's look at the games and the best litmus test here is World of Tanks Blitz. At high graphics settings, FPS does not drop below 30 frames per second. An excellent result for such a device.
The smartphone swallowed 4K video easily and never even choked. And this, by the way, is an indicator that the device has a certain margin of safety and a reserve for the future.
Battery and charging
The Honor 6X smartphone is powered by a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3340 mAh. One charge with moderate use is enough for a couple of days. The manufacturer stated that you can read books at a brightness of 100 cd/m2 for 15 hours, and watch high-quality videos via Wi-Fi for 11.5 hours. The battery drains faster when playing games; the charge lasts only 4.5 hours.
In fact, a video at 40% brightness can only be watched for 9.5 hours. The higher the screen brightness, the faster the battery drains. Compared to the 5X model, the operating time on one charge has doubled, and the battery capacity has increased by 10%. This happened thanks to the settings of the Kirin 655 processor (model 650 for Honor 5X).
A charger with a voltage of 5 V and a current of 1.6 A fully charges the battery in 2 hours 40 minutes. There is no fast charging function, nor is there wireless charging. There is inaccuracy in the estimation of operating time. At 2% charge, the smartphone should work for about 30 minutes. But the phone turns off after 2 minutes.
Photo and video
When I first found out that the Honor 6X is equipped with two rear cameras and will cost around $250, I just burst out with a malicious laugh. “This is another marketing bullshit,” I thought. And fortunately, I was cruelly mistaken. However, let's go in order.
Front-camera
The front sensor takes pretty decent pictures. The only thing is to disable all facial enhancements. With it, the muzzle turns out flat, waxy - absolute tin. If you shoot in as-is mode, you immediately become like yourself, like a person.
- resolution 8 megapixels
- f/2.0 aperture
- fixed focus
The front-facing lens here is not as wide as we would like - 77 degrees. The standard for the market is 85-90 degrees, but there are models with wild lenses as much as 120 degrees.
However, the most important thing is that the front camera takes large (3264 x 2448 pixels), clear and detailed pictures. No more is required from her.
Main cameras
Honor can be called a pioneer in the dual rear camera smartphone market. In 2014, they were the first to make such a device. It was Honor 6 Plus. And then the background blurred, but it did so very little. Now the manufacturer’s developments have moved forward, and interest in the topic has been greatly fueled by Apple, releasing the iPhone 7 Plus, which lathers like hell.
I’ll say right away that our hero may cost 4 times (!) less, but he won’t lose face. I'm telling you.
- resolution 12 + 2 MP
- aperture f/2.2
- matrix size 1/2.9''
- single pixel size 1.25 microns
Granted, the 6X doesn't do the same bokeh that fixed-lens DSLRs can, but the end result is much closer now than it was two years ago. The aperture value in the range f/0.95-f/16 is achieved here, albeit artificially, but very successfully.
Photo taken with a machine gun
Photo taken in Stereo mode
It is highly desirable that there is plenty of ambient lighting. As soon as there is little light, software algorithms begin to fool around and blur parts of objects that are supposed to be in focus. So you should only use the blur effect outdoors and during the day. Let's remember.
For pictures taken in Stereo mode, you can change the focus after taking the photo, directly in the Gallery. When you copy them to a computer, they will be ordinary frames and nothing can be changed about them. The image is saved in the same form as it was saved during the last processing on the smartphone.
PDAF autofocus, that is, fast and trouble-free, is declared here. In principle, its work is visible in practice - the smartphone easily focuses in 99% of situations. At night, the focusing process is somewhat strained, but still fast and without errors.
Here's another tip for shooting in dark places. When the lighting is low, but you want to take a clear picture and have the opportunity to somehow fix it so as not to blur the picture, it is better to use the night mode. Then the photo will look sharper and more contrasty than the exact same frame taken in normal mode.
Regular photo (automatic, HDR)
Night mode
The thing is that software algorithms tightly suppress all noise. And on the screen of a phone or laptop, night shots generally look good, but if you zoom in, the watercolor is immediately visible. Specific modes (the same “Night”) use other algorithms that are more gentle on the picture, so with a creative approach to photography you can achieve more.
We can download the original examples from this link.
Video shooting
The smartphone is capable of recording videos in a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. I have already said that the hardware could handle 4K, but this function will apparently be given to more advanced solutions. Every day is not Sunday. Considering the flow rate (up to 17 Mbit/s), you should not expect breakthrough quality. The videos are quite ordinary and 100 percent suitable for viewing on a phone.
Cameras
The sweet spot of the Honor 6X is the cameras. The only question that tormented me: “Is the second camera a tribute to fashion, or a really useful thing?” Based on the testing results, I am more inclined towards the first option. The main role when shooting is always played by the main 12 MP sensor (Sony IMX386; f/2.2), and the 2 MP appendage (Omni Vision OV2680) serves to measure the depth of the frame and create a bokeh effect. Among the camera's abundant settings, you can select a special mode that allows you to change the focus point after the fact, when the photo has already been taken. At first you rejoice like a child, but in everyday life you quickly forget and use only the main shooting mode. By the way, when transferring such “double” photos to a computer, the effect is not saved. That's why I show it in screenshots. Sample pictures
The degree of persistence of the Chinese on the topic of cameras is quite high. For example, the Honor 6X has a special mode for photographing food, and when you start the front camera (an average 8 MP Sony IMX219 sensor), the “blonde joy” filter automatically turns on, which smooths out the unevenness of your face and hides pimples, also known as “beauty mode”.Camera settings
In general, I liked the work of the main camera of the smartphone. During daylight hours the pictures are good, especially if there are few details in the frame. In the dark, the camera begins to make noise as expected and blur the pictures, but few people find it easy in such conditions.
More photos
Full-size photographs can be downloaded from this link.
Sound quality
Ordinary, nothing stands out from its competitors. In other words, listening to music on headphones is possible and even necessary. It's just that all modern smartphones sound about the same. Equally good.
There is some strange enhancement called SWS (it used to be DTS), which in fact makes the sound louder and that’s it. No revelation occurs after its activation. All these software algorithms seem to return the sound to a normal state, which was artificially lowered in order to justify the insertion of these very software chips. It's kind of stupid.
The standard player is convenient and moderately functional. There is everything you need to simply listen to music and sort it conveniently. Even an analogue of Cover Flow, which left us with the release of iOS 7, is present here.
conclusions
It cannot be said that the Honor 6X stands out from its competitors in any way or has distinct advantages. As befits a device in the mid-price segment, it simply works and allows you to comfortably perform routine tasks.
The smartphone has no critical flaws, and an update to Android 7 with EMUI 5 and new features (an updated task manager, the ability to use two user accounts in applications) should arrive in the near future.
Honor 6X will appeal to those who do not accept the solutions of Xiaomi, Meizu and other Chinese brands, those who do not want to bother with firmware and localization.
What I liked:
- neat design, compact dimensions;
- good display brightness reserve;
- quality of images during daylight hours, capabilities and WOW effect from the second camera;
- speed of applications and games;
- no heating under load;
- well-thought-out shell, automatic management of resource-intensive applications.
Battery life
Until now, the smartphone has made me happy. Yes, there were some rough edges, but I can’t consider them as shortcomings. Well, they do not negatively affect the ease of use and impressions of the device. Fortunately, the trend has not deviated from the path in terms of autonomy.
The smartphone can easily work for one and a half, or even two days on a single charge.
In this case, all wireless interfaces will be enabled, including geopositioning, two active SIM cards and constant background notifications. Screen operating time of 5-6 hours is the norm.
Compared to most modern smartphones, which cannot boast of even 4 hours of display light, this indicator is very worthy.
Individual characteristics
There is a fingerprint sensor on the back panel. It works instantly and accurately recognizes fingerprints. It is designed not only for unlocking your smartphone with your finger. For example, you can use it to open the notification panel, answer a call, turn off the alarm, or use it instead of the shutter button. Notably, these features are available without registering a fingerprint.
The main feature of this smartphone is the presence of a dual camera. If previously such a solution was found only in the premium segment, now the trend is gradually changing. Huawei was among the first manufacturers to support the new trend for the mid-price category.
Alternatives
Xiaomi Redmi Pro
It can shoot using a dual sensor (13 and 5 megapixels), is equipped with an Amoled display, and outperforms its competitor due to the 10-core Helio X20, but costs a little more.
LeEco Cool1
with black frames around the screen, it is inferior in terms of assembly and design, but can boast of two 13 MP photo modules, a more powerful chip (Snapdragon 652), and a lower price tag.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
It costs much less than its competitor, surpasses it in processor power (Helio X20), but in terms of shooting quality it is inferior to all of the listed options.
