Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
HONOR 5X hands-on and first impressions
CES 2016 has been quite busy thus far, and we’ve already seen tons of interesting new gadgets that have us pretty interested. One of the most exciting announcements from the trade show is that HONOR is finally planning on breaking into the U.S. market with the HONOR 5X. This is particularly big news, since up until now, the China-based smartphone manufacturer hasn’t yet sold any of its devices directly in the US. Rather, interested folks have needed to import Huawei or HONOR smartphones through third parties, which can be a bit pricey at times. Thankfully US residents have no need to go through this process any more.
So what does the HONOR 5X bring to the table? We’ve just gone hands-on with the device, and we’re ready to give you our first impressions. Without any further ado, here is our first look at the HONOR 5X.
If you’re at all familiar with the general design of HONOR devices, you actually might be a tad surprised here. The HONOR 5X sports a metal body that feels quite premium in the hand. Around front you’ll find a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display that comes in at a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It’s not often that we see smartphones at this price point sport Full HD displays, so we’re happy this HONOR device comes with a slightly higher resolution display than the rest of the pack. And just like the HUAWEI P8, the 5X has small bezels surrounding all parts of the screen.
The fingerprint sensor on the HONOR 5X is a breeze to set up
The HONOR 5X measures 8.15mm thick and weighs in at 158 grams, which doesn’t make this device extremely light, but it is definitely acceptable for an affordable smartphone. Of course, the added thickness has one bid advantage – more room for a larger battery. The 5X comes with a non-removable 3000mAh unit, which HUAWEI claims can last over a full day for heavy users. On the bottom, the 5X comes with a mono speaker placed inside machine drilled holes. HUAWEI has also chosen not to include USB Type-C on this device, instead going with the standard MicroUSB.
Performance so far is pretty hit-and-miss, though EMUI v3.1 is very promising
Speaking of user interface, the 5X runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with HUAWEI’s EMIU version 3.1 on top. There is a planned upgrade to Marshmallow sometime in the coming months, though we have no details as to when exactly we can expect it to arrive.
Specs
| HONOR 5X | |
|---|---|
Display | 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution, 401ppi TP & LCD full lamination |
Operating system | Android 5.1 Lollipop HUAWEI EMUI 3.1 |
Processor | Octa-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 |
Memory | 2GB of RAM |
Internal Storage | 16GB, expandable up to 128GB via microSD |
Dual SIM | Yes |
Cameras | 13MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, SmartImage 3.0 image processor, 28mm wide angle lens with flash 5MP front camera with f/2.4 aperture, 22mm wide angle |
Mobile Connectivity | GSM 850, WCDMA Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, LTE Bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 17 |
Connectivity | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4QG Bluetooth 4.1 microUSB 2.0 GPS, AGPS, Glonass |
Sensors | Fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Digital compass |
Battery | 3000mAh, non-removable |
Dimensions | 151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15mm 158g |
Colors | Dark Grey, Daybreak Silver, Sunset Gold |
Gallery
Like what you see so far? You can purchase the HONOR 5X from both Amazon for $199.99 in Dark Grey, Daybreak Silver and Sunset Gold color options. We’re really enjoying this device so far, so we’d like to know your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned as we’ll be updating this post with a hands on video later today.
