HONOR X8b

The HONOR X8b is a slim mid-range phone built around a large AMOLED screen and a 108MP main camera. HONOR's global product page presents it with the tagline "Unlock your eXtra power" and highlights a 50MP selfie camera, a flicker-free dimming display, a body just 6.78 mm thick and storage of up to 512GB. The official pages reviewed for this article do not state a launch date or a price, and the available storage versions differ by region, so check local listings before buying. This page is based on the published specifications and on manufacturer information, and manufacturer claims are marked as such.

Where it sits in the lineup

HONOR's X series is the brand's value-oriented range for buyers who want a big screen and a strong camera number without moving up to the Magic series. The X8b is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, which is an entry-to-mid-range chip, so the phone competes on design, display and camera specification rather than on raw performance. Close relatives within the brand are described on the HONOR X7c page and, one step up, the HONOR X9c page; the HONOR X8b vs HONOR X9c table lines up the key numbers. A rival from another brand with a very different emphasis, a large battery and a fast screen, is the Moto G24 Power.

Design and build

The phone measures 161.05 x 74.55 x 6.78 mm and weighs approximately 166 g including the battery. HONOR notes that the Glamorous Green version is slightly thicker at 6.98 mm, and that the figures exclude the camera bump and vary by configuration and measurement method. HONOR says the design pioneers within the 7 mm boundary, and 166 g is light for a 6.7-inch phone. It comes in three colors: Glamorous Green, with a leather-style, lychee-skin textured finish that the company describes as retro luxury, Titanium Silver and Midnight Black.

On durability, HONOR cites an SGS Switzerland five-star drop-resistance certification and says the phone uses a high-elasticity material to cushion impacts and tough alloy in the corners. The company also describes an oil- and sweat-resistant finish. As always with such certifications, they describe lab conditions and the company reminds users to avoid drops. The in-box accessories listed include a TPU protective case and a pre-applied screen film (contents may vary by market), which is a useful extra at this price tier. Biometric options are a side fingerprint sensor and 2D face recognition, and the connector is USB Type-C with USB 2.0 speeds.

Display

The screen is an AMOLED panel of 6.7 inches, measured as a standard rectangle, at 2412 x 1080 pixels with a 20.1:9 aspect ratio and 100 percent DCI-P3 color coverage; the panel supports 1.07 billion colors. HONOR gives a peak brightness of 2000 nits and 1200 nits in high brightness mode, both from its own lab and only in certain scenarios, so typical outdoor brightness will be lower. The screen-to-body ratio is quoted as 93.7 percent.

The standout display claim is not a refresh rate but dimming. The panel uses 3240Hz PWM dimming, which TÜV Rheinland certified as flicker-free under its test method; HONOR notes that the standard defines flicker-free as a dimming frequency above 3125Hz, and that the phone is not medical equipment. The company adds low blue light at hardware level, a circadian night display, dark mode and an e-book mode, and 4096 levels of brightness adjustment. The sources reviewed do not state a refresh rate, so anyone who cares about smooth scrolling should confirm it on the retail unit instead of assuming a figure.

Performance, memory and software

The Snapdragon 680 has four Cortex-A73 cores at up to 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at up to 1.9GHz, paired with an Adreno 610 GPU. The phone offers 8GB of RAM with 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, depending on the market. HONOR's RAM Turbo feature converts some storage into extra memory, expanding the 8GB to a marketed 16GB equivalent and keeping up to 30 apps active in the background. That extended figure is virtual memory taken from storage, and it will not match true RAM in speed. Treat the physical 8GB as the real number.

Software is Android 13 with MagicOS 7.2. A feature highlighted on the page is the Magic Capsule, which HONOR says presents real-time app information dynamically. The system also lists Device Clone, app lock, app twin, multi-window and one-handed mode. HONOR's materials do not describe an update policy in the pages reviewed, so long-term support is an open question for buyers who keep phones for several years.

Camera

The rear system has a 108MP main camera (f/1.75), a 5MP wide and depth camera (f/2.2) and a 2MP macro camera (f/2.4), with up to 8x digital zoom and 1080p video. The front camera is 50MP (f/2.1), complemented by a selfie light. HONOR clarifies that 108MP and 50MP output is available only in the HIGH-RES mode with HONOR's processing algorithm, so everyday shots will normally use the standard processing and a lower output resolution. The secondary lenses are basic: a 5MP wide and depth unit and a 2MP macro. Expect the main sensor to carry most of the photography, and note that the specifications do not list optical zoom or optical image stabilization.

Battery and charging

The battery is 4500 mAh typical, with a rated capacity of 4400 mAh. Charging is 35W HONOR SuperCharge, with support up to 11V/3.2A, and the charger and a Type-C cable are included in the box. HONOR's page does not publish a battery-life figure in hours, so it is reasonable to expect a full day of mixed use from the capacity, with heavy gaming or video shortening that. Wireless charging is not listed.

Connectivity and storage

The phone supports 4G LTE across regional variants (some with single SIM only), dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 and the main satellite systems: GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo. No 5G is listed, which is the main connectivity limit if you plan to use the phone for several years in an area where 5G rollout is advancing. The specifications reviewed list no microSD slot, so choose the capacity you will need; HONOR says 512GB can hold more than 125,000 photos at 4MB each.

Who it is for

The X8b is aimed at buyers who value a light, slim body, a bright AMOLED screen and a high-megapixel camera in a mid-priced phone, especially people who take many selfies. It also suits those who are sensitive to screen flicker and want the PWM claim. It is a sensible second phone or a gift for family members who do not play demanding games.

Compromises

• Entry-level chip: the Snapdragon 680 is modest, and the 16GB figure is virtual memory.
• No 5G and no wireless charging in the listed specifications.
• Resolution claims depend on a mode: 108MP and 50MP images need HIGH-RES mode with algorithmic processing.
• Unspecified refresh rate: check smoothness on a real unit.
• Unclear launch date and price: neither appears on the global pages reviewed, so see the rankings and local listings for alternatives.