Overview
What’s so special about the X7a?
As you may all know now, Honor launched the X9a early this
year, one of the highly anticipated smartphones from the X Series. Impressive? Most
likely with its elegant, endearing looks. Now, HONOR unveiled the X9a’s sibling
— the HONOR X7a smartphone.
The X7a is a budget offering, although it still has to
deliver a good user experience. However, great photography is well-posited thanks
to its 50MP main camera. The X7a as expected, is a very reasonably priced smartphone,
even more, affordable than its forerunner, the Honor X7. But wanting a new 2023
model with a 6000mAh battery and a rear quad camera, this is it! The low point
here is that it does have some limitations in specs and performance since it
only has 128GB storage and only runs on a MediaTek Helio G37 chipset.
The Design
The X7a has a sleek, sparkly back a lot like mid-range
phones of the past, but at least does have a nice grippy feel…even without a
case. It is grippy enough that even if your hands get sweaty after an intense
gaming session, they won’t fall out!
At first look, it’s hard to tell the difference between Honor
X7 launched last year and the new X7a. They look more or less the same. The X7a
feels fine to hold because the sides are made of metal, and the keys are effortlessly
reachable when handling it with just one hand. Hence, you won’t inadvertently
press any button on the screen, and it is fairly slim too. Also, the Honor X7a
comes with a design layout that wraps around the camera module cut-out. Additionally,
the curving panel provides an outstanding look with the Honor branding at the
bottom corner.
The front display doesn’t appear fabulous in the first
place. But the large display measuring 6.75 inches TFT LCD panel will surely provide
sufficient HD resolution support. The LCD panel sports a 1600×720 resolution
and a 90Hz refresh rate. Although the display lacks vibrant colors and crisp
contrast it is still good to see that a side-mounted fingerprint scanner is perfectly
positioned. At the back, you visibly find the redesigned camera bezel showcasing
a new rectangular housing. One of the camera lenses is now separate along with
the flash. A lens decal was also added to give some style to the rear of the
phone.
At the top, you will find the dual-sim card slot and microSD
card slot. And at the bottom, are the 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C port, and a
loudspeaker.
The Performance
The X7a runs on Magic UI 6.1 based on Android 12. So, it does look nice on the home screen. Also, a bunch of apps is pre-installed which you can always remove if you do not need it or if you want to free up some space. Though customization is wanting, you can still modify it to your liking.
The X7a is only powered with Mediatek Helio G37 processor
but does come with a Ram Turbo. This X7a also comes with either 4GB or 6GB RAM
and the internal storage is limited to only 128GB but can be expanded with a
MicroSD card. In mixed-use situations, the Honor X7a is considered a top
performer in some cases such as calling, video, and music streaming. Sadly,
I cannot fathom wholeheartedly that this X7a is a gaming phone given the
specs, however, you can still play games with it. Just do not expect it to run a
game with heavier visuals. But just the same, do remember to set expectations!
As for connectivity, you do get the basics like 4G and
Bluetooth 5.1.
Camera
Despite being a budget phone, the X7a has a quad rear
camera setup much like its forerunners. It has a 50MP f/1.8 main, 5MP
f/2.2 ultrawide, 2MP f/2.4 macro, and 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. Surely, the rear
camera is great for shooting … certainly no matter what the subject matter is.
At the front is a good 8MP f/2.0 wide selfie shooter - impressive as other
smartphones in this price scale.
Furthermore, since you do have a 50MP main camera at your
disposal, you get high-resolution photos. You can ably take good photos in the daytime and indoors, so long as there is enough light. Expectedly, the photos
are not the best when shooting at night or in low-light environments. There is
no night mode, but you can use pro mode to help improve it a bit though. On the
other, it is certainly perfect for when traveling and if you need to crop the
pictures together with 10X digital zoom.
However, with the 5MP ultrawide shooter, the camera takes
surprisingly decent photos in the daytime and bright indoor areas. Photos look
great even when the lighting is not that great, of course with minimal editing.
You can be able to get some great contrast if you are shooting using pro mode. Video
recording is topped at 1080P@30FPS and is not that terrible for those
that just want to capture memories. It is the same for the front camera. They are
average at best, but taking into account the phone’s price point, it is great!
Battery and Charging
The X7a is equipped with a pretty huge Li-Po 6000mAh battery,
bigger than most smartphones in the sector. It is even bigger than the
batteries found in more expensive phones. It claims that its battery can last
up to 3 days on a single charge. This means longer times before recharging the
phone.
When charging, X7a comes with 22.5W fast charging. The phone
requires at least two hours to refill the 100% battery life. This includes a 5W
reverse charging support.
The Honor X7a smartphone price point starts at $365.00 on
Amazon.
Conclusion
In our review, the Honor X7a is not the phone you would
probably have if you had the budget for a more powerful one. But looking at it,
you cannot go wrong with this one if it is for business use or a gift for the
kids. It is very affordable, and it has everything you might need on a phone.
The device comes in three colors: Titanium Silver, Ocean
Blue, and Midnight Black.
Product Specifications
NETWORK:
Technology: GSM / HSPA /
LTE / 5G
LAUNCH: Announced 2023, January 04
Status Available Released 2023, January 06
PLATFORM:
OS: Android 12, Magic UI 6.1
Chipset: Mediatek MT6765H Helio G37 (12 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (4x2.3 GHz Cortex-A53
& 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU: PowerVR GE8320
BODY:
Dimensions: 167.5 x 76.9 x 8.3 mm (6.59 x 3.03 x
0.33 in)
Weight: 196 g (6.91 oz)
SIM: Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM
(Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
MEMORY:
Card slot: microSDXC
Internal: 128GB 6GB RAM
DISPLAY:
Type: TFT LCD
Size: 6.75 inches, 110.0 cm2 (~85.4%
screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution: 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~260
ppi density)
MAIN CAMERA:
Quad: 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF
5
MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide)
2
MP, f/2.4, (macro)
2
MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features: LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video: 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA:
Single: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
Video: 1080p@30fps
SOUND:
Loudspeaker: Yes
3.5mm jack: Yes
COMMUNICATIONS:
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band,
Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth: 5.1, A2DP, LE
Positioning: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
NFC: No
Radio: Unspecified
USB: USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
FEATURES:
Sensors: Fingerprint (side-mounted),
accelerometer, proximity, compass
BATTERY:
Type: Li-Po 6000 mAh, non-removable
Charging: 22.5W wired
5W
reverse wired
MISCELLANEOUS:
Colors: Titanium Silver, Ocean Blue,
Midnight Black