Why the HONOR 7X puts all other sub-$200 handsets to shame

Sponsored by HONOR.

It used to be that if you wanted to pick up a new smartphone without paying a fortune, your options were limited. You could either get into bed with a carrier for years for that “discounted price”, or you had to buy a phone that was cheap in every sense of the word – price, quality, and performance. Thankfully, times have changed.

These days there are a ton of affordable phones out there at various price points, but when it comes to sub-$200 phones the best choices are either locked to a prepaid carrier or have designs that just feel dated and out them as budget models.

When it comes to unlocked sub-$200 handsets that are offered in the US market, easily the best and most popular choice is the Moto G5 Plus. Or at least that was the case. Now there’s a newcomer that’s shaking things up, the HONOR 7X.

While the Moto G5 Plus offers reasonably decent specs for the price, there’s no arguing that a number of compromises have been made in the process. This especially holds true when it comes to the phone’s design.

Meanwhile, the HONOR 7X offers a stunning design, compelling specs, and much more. Here’s a few reasons why the HONOR 7X simply has no real competition.

The HONOR 7X has a design that isn’t stuck in the past.

While the Moto G5 Plus has a metallic design that’s certainly not bad looking, it feels pretty clunky and honestly gives away the fact it is a budget phone.

The HONOR 7X is the only phone at this price that offers a gorgeous 18:9 display, a feature previously reserved for phones that cost north of $1000. Despite being nearly the same exact size as the Moto G5 Plus, the HONOR 7X’s tall display means you get a bigger 5.93-inch display versus the comparatively paltry 5.2-inch screen found on the G5 Plus.

Even on the backside, the HONOR 7X has a metallic design that’s cleaner and more premium. We also are big fans of rear-facing scanners and find this a nice plus.

More power, same price.

The Moto G5 Plus is powered by a modest Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 with just 2GB RAM. While this is good enough to get most basic tasks done without issue, the HONOR 7X packs a much bigger punch thanks to the in-house Kirin 659 processor that’s paired with 3GB RAM.

The HONOR 7X’s processor, RAM, and GPU are much better equipped to handle all your games, media, and apps without skipping a beat. Combine that with a larger, more immersive display and it’s pretty clear the 7X is miles above other phones in this segment.

Dual camera for the win.

While there are budget phones that offer dual camera configurations, they tend to be priced at $250 and beyond. For example, the Moto G5 Plus has a single camera experience at 12MP. Compare that to the 16MP & 2MP rear configuration on the HONOR 7X. Even the front snapper is a step above at 8MP, vs 5MP.

For such a low price tag, you’ll be hard pressed to find as good of a camera experience as the HONOR 7X offers.

A bigger battery keeps you going strong.

While the Moto G5 Plus has a decent sized 3,000 mAh battery, the HONOR 7X has a slight edge with the 3,340mAh battery found within. Both should make it through a full day’s use without a hitch, but the HONOR 7X gives you just a little extra oomph for the money.

A more feature packed experience.

Motorola’s approach is very close to stock Android which translates to a smooth experience that many users enjoy. Of course, it also means that there are less extra features and for some, it might just a bit too boring.

The HONOR 7X runs on EMUI 5.1, which is based on Android Nougat. This take on Android admittedly looks different from stock and requires some adjusting. On the other hand, it also offers quite a few compelling features you can’t get from other budget phones.

Some of the best features found in EMUI 5.1 include “HUAWEI Ultra Memory”, which is a special machine-learning approach to resource management which allows apps to run in the background much more efficiently. There’s also an Ultra Response feature that registers touches faster allowing for smoother swiping and scrolling.

Beyond that, EMUI has several gestures and other extra features allowing you to better customize your Android experience.

Budget, redefined.

The Moto G5 Plus is a good phone for $200. But the HONOR 7X is an exceptional phone at a price that’s hard to believe considering the solid camera, beautiful design, and excellent performance. 

Dollar for dollar, the HONOR 7X can’t be beat. There just isn’t another phone in this segment that comes close in the US market right now. For consumers, the 7X is great news because it means that the bar has now been permanently raised on what to expect from a phone that’s under $200. For the competition, it means they better head on back to the drawing board.