Honor has unveiled the Honor X8c, a midrange smartphone that combines modern aesthetics, powerful hardware, and a budget-friendly price tag. This device is aimed at users seeking high-performance features without breaking the bank.
With its 108 MP main camera, AMOLED display, and sleek build, the Honor X8c is an appealing choice for content creators, casual gamers, and multitaskers. However, those looking for advanced features like 5G connectivity or NFC might need to consider other options.
Let's dive into the specs and features of this exciting new device to see what sets it apart in the crowded midrange segment.
Design and Build: Sleek and Durable
The Honor X8c impresses with its lightweight design and premium finish. Measuring 161.1×74.6×7.12 mm and weighing just 174 grams, it offers excellent portability. The glass front and choice of plastic or eco-leather back provide a touch of elegance, available in four striking colors: Cloud Purple, Marrs Green, Midnight Black, and Moonlight White. Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
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General |
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Dimensions | H: 161.1 mm (6.34″), W: 74.6 mm (2.94″), D: 7.12 mm (0.28″) |
Mass | 174 g (6.14 oz) |
Material | Glass front; plastic frame; back:
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Colors | Cloud Purple, Marrs Green, Midnight Black, Moonlight White |
With those dimensions and weight, the Honor X8c's body strikes an excellent balance between portability and usability. Its slim profile makes the phone comfortable to hold for long sessions, whether for browsing, gaming, or video calls.
Its lightweight design ensures it doesn't feel cumbersome in your hand or pocket, and it slips easily into a bag without adding unnecessary bulk.
The plastic frame contributes to the phone's lightweight build while maintaining reasonable durability.
It provides a sturdy feel without adding the heft associated with metal frames, making it easier to handle.
The plastic back variant offers a smooth, glossy finish that exudes a modern and minimalist aesthetic. It's less prone to fingerprints and scratches than glass but might lack the premium feel some users desire.
On the other hand, the eco-leather (silicone polymer) back option adds a touch of sophistication and warmth to the design. The eco-leather finish provides a soft and grippy texture, enhancing comfort during prolonged use. It's also more resistant to smudges and minor scratches, ideal for users seeking a more premium tactile experience.
The Honor X8c is available in four elegant color options, each suiting different personalities and tastes:
- Cloud Purple: A vibrant and trendy choice, perfect for those who love making bold fashion statements. This color suits younger audiences or anyone looking to add a playful and dynamic touch to one's tech accessories.
- Marrs Green: A serene and earthy shade that combines modernity with sophistication. Ideal for individuals who appreciate nature-inspired tones and want their device to exude calmness and balance.
- Midnight Black: A classic and versatile choice that never goes out of style. This color appeals to professionals or those who prefer a sleek and understated look.
- Moonlight White: A bright and pristine option that conveys elegance and simplicity. This color is perfect for users who value minimalism and a clean aesthetic.
Overall, the Honor X8c's design prioritizes comfort, making it a practical choice for prolonged use and on-the-go convenience. Its build materials and color options cater to a wide range of preferences, ensuring you can find a variant that matches your personality and lifestyle. Whether you're drawn to the classic black, the fresh white, or the more daring purple and green hues, there's a version of the Honor X8c for everyone.
If we compare the X8c with the predecessor Honor X7c, it's smaller, slimmer, and appreciably lighter. The X7c was 166.9×76.8×8.1 mm and 194 - 196 g.
IP Rating and Durability
(Related: IP ratings explained.)
The Honor X8c's durability is enhanced by its IP64 rating, offering protection against dust and brief water exposure, alongside drop resistance up to 1.8 meters - ideal for those with an active lifestyle. Additionally, the phone can survive minor immersion in water - up to 25 cm for 3 minutes or 50 cm up to 1 minute.
The IP (Ingress Protection) rating system is a standardized classification to denote the degree of protection provided by a device against the intrusion of solids and liquids. In the case of the Honor X8c, its IP64 rating breaks down as follows:
- The first digit, "6", indicates the device's protection against solids, specifically dust. A rating of 6 signifies that the X8c is dust-tight, offering complete protection against dust ingress.
- The second digit, "4", denotes the device's resistance to liquids. A rating of 4 indicates that the X8c is protected against splashing water from any direction, but it is not fully waterproof.
While an IP64 rating may not be as robust as the higher IP68 rating seen on many phones - which offers greater protection against water, it still provides a reasonable level of defense against environmental elements. To safeguard your Honor X8c from potential harm, you may want to consider a few protective measures:
- Protective Case: Investing in a high-quality protective case can add an extra layer of defense against accidental drops, bumps, and scratches. Look for cases specifically designed for your X8c's form factor to ensure a perfect fit and maximum protection.
- Screen Protector: Applying a tempered glass or film screen protector can help shield the display from scratches, smudges, and minor impacts. This additional barrier can prolong the lifespan of your screen and maintain its pristine condition.
- Avoiding Extreme Conditions: While the Honor X8c boasts an IP64 rating, it's still prudent to avoid exposing the device to extreme environmental conditions whenever possible. This includes prolonged exposure to water and dusty or sandy environments.
By incorporating these protective measures into your device care routine, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your X8c is safeguarded against the challenges of everyday use.
For comparison, the predecessor Honor X7c also came with an IP64 rating.
Display: Vivid and Smooth
(Related: Know more about the various kinds of displays and screen specs.)
The 6.7-inch AMOLED display is a highlight of the Honor X8c. With a resolution of 1080×2412 pixels, it delivers sharp visuals at a pixel density of about 394 PPI. The 120 Hz refresh rate ensures buttery-smooth animations and scrolling, making it perfect for gamers and video enthusiasts. In terms of brightness, the panel shines with a peak of 2800 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even under direct sunlight.
Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
---|---|
Size | 6.7″ (170 mm) diagonal |
Type | AMOLED, 120 Hz |
Resolution (px) | 1080×2412, about 394 PPI |
Brightness | HBM: 1200 nits; Peak: 2800 nits |
The display of the Honor X8c is undoubtedly one of its standout features, offering a combination of vibrant visuals, smooth performance, and excellent outdoor visibility.
The AMOLED technology provides superior color accuracy and contrast. Each pixel emits its own light, allowing for true blacks (as the pixels turn off completely) and vibrant, lifelike colors. This makes the display ideal for watching videos, playing games, and browsing colorful content.
AMOLED screens are also more power-efficient than LCDs when displaying darker images, as only the lit pixels consume power. This contributes to improved battery life during day-to-day use.
The display covers close to 90% of the front panel, providing an immersive viewing experience with minimal bezels.
This design maximizes screen real estate, making it perfect for multimedia consumption and gaming.
The Honor X8c's display boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate, doubling the traditional 60 Hz standard. This higher refresh rate provides smoother animations, faster touch responses, and a more immersive experience, especially in gaming and scrolling through social media feeds.
You will notice the difference in fluidity, particularly during fast-paced gameplay and transitions between screens.
With a resolution of 1080×2412 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio, the Honor X8c offers crisp, detailed visuals at around 394 PPI (pixels per inch). This pixel density ensures that text, images, and videos appear sharp, with no noticeable pixelation, even when zooming in.
The aspect ratio also makes the screen tall and narrow, enhancing one-handed usability while providing more vertical space for multitasking and reading.
At 1200 nits, the HBM (High Brightness Mode) ensures comfortable viewing in bright ambient lighting, such as indoors under fluorescent lights or during cloudy days outdoors.
The exceptional, 2800 nits peak brightness is a game-changer for direct sunlight visibility. Whether you're navigating outdoors, watching HDR content, or taking photos under the midday sun, the display remains legible and vibrant. This makes the Honor X8c a great companion for users constantly on the move.
In conclusion, the Honor X8c's AMOLED display combines cutting-edge technology with user-centric features. Its high refresh rate and resolution provide smooth and sharp visuals, while the extraordinary brightness levels ensure usability in all lighting conditions. Whether you're an avid content consumer, a casual gamer, or someone who values a visually striking display, the Honor X8c excels in delivering an exceptional viewing experience.
For comparison, it's a big upgrade over the predecessor X7c's 6.77-inch, 720×1610 px IPS LCD display, which also featured a 120 Hz refresh rate.
Networks
(Related: Cellular networks explained.)
The Honor X8c supports GSM, HSPA, and LTE networks, ensuring reliable connectivity for calls and data.
GSM and HSPA are the stalwarts, providing 2G and 3G connectivity, respectively. Then there's LTE, the foundation of modern 4G networks, delivering faster internet speeds and improved call quality.
SIM
The Honor X8c supports dual Nano-SIM.
Chipset - Performance: Efficient and Reliable
Under the hood, the Honor X8c is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 chipset, built on a 6-nm process. The octa-core CPU, with its mix of two types of cores, delivers reliable performance for multitasking, casual gaming, and everyday tasks. The Adreno 610 GPU ensures smooth graphics rendering, though it may struggle with graphics-intensive games at higher settings. Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
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Chipset | Qualcomm SM6225 Snapdragon 685 (6 nm) |
CPU | Octa-core (4×2.8 GHz Cortex-A73 + 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A53) |
GPU | Adreno 610 |
The Honor X8c is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 chipset, an efficient and capable midrange SoC (System on Chip) designed to deliver a balance of performance and power efficiency. Built on a 6-nm process, the Snapdragon 685 is a modern chipset that emphasizes energy efficiency while maintaining respectable performance.
Its smaller fabrication process allows for lower heat generation and power consumption, making it well-suited for extended use in gaming, multitasking, and general smartphone operations.
The CPU features a hybrid architecture with a mix of high-performance and power-efficient cores:
- 4×2.8 GHz Cortex-A73 (Performance Cores): These cores handle demanding tasks such as gaming, photo editing, and multitasking. They are designed for high-speed computation and provide the necessary processing power for apps and activities requiring significant CPU resources.
- 4×1.9 GHz Cortex-A53 (Efficiency Cores): These cores are optimized for low-power tasks such as background updates, web browsing, and messaging. By delegating lighter tasks to these cores, the phone conserves battery life while ensuring smooth performance for everyday activities.
This big.LITTLE architecture ensures the CPU can dynamically switch between cores based on workload, balancing performance and efficiency to meet user demands.
The Adreno 610 GPU is responsible for rendering graphics and visuals in games, apps, and the user interface. While it may not be a flagship-level GPU, it performs well in the midrange category, offering smooth performance in less graphically intensive games like PUBG Mobile (low to medium settings) and Candy Crush.
The GPU provides excellent video playback with support for high-resolution videos and animations. It is designed to handle most graphical tasks without overheating or over-draining the battery.
However, for graphics-intensive games like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile, the GPU might struggle at higher settings, requiring you to lower graphical quality for smoother gameplay.
In summary, the Snapdragon 685 chipset, with its balanced CPU and GPU setup, makes the Honor X8c a reliable choice for midrange users. While it is not designed for high-end gaming or professional-level tasks, it delivers a dependable and efficient experience for general use. This makes the Honor X8c a solid option for users looking for a phone that handles daily tasks with ease while offering enough power for occasional gaming and multimedia enjoyment.
For comparison, the predecessor X7c featured the same chipset, CPU, and GPU combination.
Memory and Storage: Flexible Options
Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
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Memory Card Slot | No |
RAM / Internal Storage Variants | 6 GB / 128 GB, 8 GB / 128 GB, 8 GB / 256 GB, 8 GB / 512 GB |
The Honor X8c caters to different storage needs with its multiple variants. However, the absence of a microSD card slot may be a limitation for users requiring expandable storage.
For comparison, the predecessor X7c came in two variants: 6 GB / 128 GB and 8 GB / 256 GB.
Cameras: Exceptional Clarity
The dual-camera setup on the Honor X8c is led by a 108 MP main sensor, offering impressive detail and clarity. OIS and PDAF enhance low-light and motion photography. The 5 MP ultrawide lens adds versatility, though its resolution might feel limited for enthusiasts.
Selfie lovers will appreciate the 50 MP front camera, which captures crisp, detailed shots. Both the main and selfie cameras support 1080p video recording at 30 fps.
Rear Camera
The Honor X8c's dual-camera setup focuses on delivering a versatile and high-quality photography experience. While the number of lenses may seem modest, their capabilities and supporting features make this setup a reliable choice for everyday photography. Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
---|---|
Number of Cameras | 2 (Dual) |
Resolution (Megapixels) | 108 MP (wide), 5 MP (ultrawide) |
Focal Length | 24 mm, N/A |
Aperture | f/1.8, f/2.2 |
Sensor Size | 1/1.67″, N/A |
Autofocus | PDAF, N/A |
Image Stabilization | OIS, N/A |
Video Recording | 1080p at 30 fps, gyro-EIS |
Other Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
The high-resolution, 108 MP sensor is the centerpiece of the camera system, capturing detailed and sharp photos. Its wide aperture (f/1.8) allows for better light intake, resulting in brighter and clearer shots, particularly in low-light conditions.
It is ideal for general photography, including landscapes, portraits, and low-light scenes.
The secondary, 5 MP ultrawide lens is designed for capturing wider scenes, allowing you to fit more into the frame. It's perfect for group photos, architecture, and landscapes. Its ultrawide perspective adds creative options for photography enthusiasts.
While functional, the resolution is relatively low, meaning details might not be as sharp compared to the primary lens.
Among the camera features, PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) ensures quick and accurate focusing by using a dedicated sensor to measure the phase difference between incoming light rays.
This is especially useful when capturing moving subjects or switching focus rapidly.
OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) helps reduce blur caused by hand movements or shaky environments.
This is particularly beneficial for low-light photography, where longer exposure times are required, and for steadying video footage.
Useful for low-light conditions, the LED flash ensures subjects are well-lit when natural light is insufficient.
It also comes in handy for nighttime portrait photography.
Panorama mode enables you to capture expansive landscapes or wide group shots by stitching multiple frames into one seamless, ultra-wide image.
And HDR (High Dynamic Range) automatically balances exposure levels in high-contrast scenes, ensuring that highlights are not overexposed and shadows retain their details.
This is particularly useful for backlit scenarios or brightly lit outdoor shots.
The Honor X5c offers high-definition, 1080p at 30 fps video recording for detailed and smooth footage.
Gyro-EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) helps reduce shakiness in video recordings by electronically compensating for motion. This feature enhances video quality, especially when recording while walking or moving.
In conclusion, the Honor X8c's camera setup prioritizes high resolution and versatility over sheer numbers. The 108 MP primary lens ensures excellent detail and dynamic range, while the 5 MP ultrawide lens adds creative flexibility. Features like OIS and gyro-EIS enhance usability, ensuring the phone delivers consistent results in challenging conditions, whether it's low-light photography or recording steady video.
While it might not rival flagship devices with more elaborate setups, the Honor X8c's dual-camera system offers a well-rounded experience, particularly for casual photographers and content creators who value reliability and ease of use.
For comparison, the older Honor X7c featured a dual camera setup, featuring a 108 MP (24 mm, f/1.8) wide lens supporting PDAF, and a 2 MP (f/2.4) depth sensor. It could record 1080p videos at 30 fps, and its feature set included LED flash and HDR.
Front Camera
The selfie camera sits inside a centered oval, pill-shaped cut-out on the top of the display. Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
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Resolution | 50 MP (wide) |
Aperture | f/2.1 |
Video Recording | 1080p at 30 fps |
For comparison, the predecessor Honor X7c featured an 8 MP (f/2.0) wide selfie shooter, capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps.
Battery Life: All-Day Endurance
(Related: Battery specs and charging types explained.)
Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
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Battery Type | Li-Po |
Capacity | 5000 mAh |
Wired Charging | 35 W |
Equipped with a 5000 mAh battery, the Honor X8c ensures all-day usage, whether you're streaming, gaming, or browsing. The 35 W wired charging capability means you can quickly top up your battery when needed.
For comparison, the older X7c came with a 5200 mAh or 6000 mAh battery (depending upon the market) with 35 W wired charging.
Sound
(Related: Know more about the sound specs and features.)
Here are the relevant specs:
Specification | Honor X8c |
---|---|
Loudspeaker | Yes |
Headphone (3.5 mm) Jack | No |
The lack of a 3.5 mm headphone jack may be drawbacks for some users.
For comparison, the predecessor X7c featured stereo loudspeakers. It supported Hi-Res 24-bit, 192 kHz audio as well as the 3.5 mm jack.
Connectivity
The Honor X8c doesn't compromise on connectivity and convenience. With support for dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, it ensures you can connect to common Wi-Fi networks. Also, there's Wi-Fi Direct, a feature that allows direct device-to-device connections without the need for a router. It's perfect for fast file transfers and seamless collaboration.
The X8c boasts Bluetooth 5.0 / 5.1, ensuring a seamless connection, whether you're connecting to headphones, speakers, or other devices. With features like A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) for high-quality audio streaming and LE (Low Energy) for power efficiency, your Bluetooth experience reaches new heights.
With GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS support, you can navigate with confidence, whether exploring new cities or embarking on outdoor adventures.
Unfortunately, NFC enthusiasts might feel a void here.
Last but not least, the trusty USB-C 2.0 - the universal connector. Whether you're charging your device, transferring files, or connecting to external devices, USB Type-C 2.0 ensures a reliable connection. It's the jack-of-all-trades, allowing you to expand your device's capabilities and stay connected to the wider world of technology. And the support for OTG (USB On-The-Go) enables your device to act as host and connect to other USB devices, such as flash drives, keyboards, cameras, and more, without needing a computer as an intermediary.
Sensors
The Honor X8c comes equipped with the following sensors:
- Ultrasonic Proximity Sensor: Detects the presence or movement of an object with ultrasonic waves, without physically contacting it. It is used, for example, to turn off the screen when you position your device close to your ear while making a call. The ultrasonic method provides for a highly accurate detection (as compared to the regular proximity sensors that typically use infrared) and is often used for more advanced proximity sensing, such as for the creation of immersive experiences like gesture controls.
- Fingerprint Sensor: Used for quick and secure unlocking. It is side-facing in the X8c.
- Gyro: The gyroscope can detect when your device is being twisted or turned in any direction. It enhances the accuracy of apps and games that rely on precise motion, like augmented reality (AR) apps and racing games.
- Accelerometer: The accelerometer detects changes in the device's orientation and acceleration. If you tilt, shake, or move your device, the accelerometer knows.
- Compass: The compass determines your device's orientation. It is essential for navigation apps, map orientation, and augmented reality experiences.
Final Thoughts and Value Proposition
At its price point, the Honor X8c delivers excellent value for its price. Its standout features include the AMOLED display, 108 MP camera, and sleek design, making it a strong contender in the midrange market. However, the absence of 5G and NFC, coupled with a lack of expandable storage, might deter tech-savvy users seeking future-proofing.
In conclusion, the Honor X8c strikes a balance between performance, style, and affordability, making it ideal for users prioritizing display quality, camera performance, and sleek design. While it may not satisfy power users or those needing advanced connectivity features, it offers great value for the price, earning its spot as a compelling midrange option in 2025.
Feature (top) image credit: Honor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Honor X8c release date?
The Honor X8c has been announced on the 14th January, 2025. It is expected to release later in the same month.