Honor launches new 8X budget smartphone for £229, announces Band 4 fitness tracker
Huawei sub-brand Honor has launched the latest and most powerful addition to the X-series line-up – the Honor 8X . It’s also announced a new fitness tracker, the Honor Band 4 .
Set to retail for the competitive price point of £229.99, the Honor 8X features a 6.5-inch Notch FullView Display with a 91% screen-to-body-ratio and chip-on-film (COF) technology along with a comprehensive list of top features.
Available in two striking colour choices in the UK – blue and black (red is only currently only available in other markets) – the Honor 8X uses a metal middle frame equipped with advanced COF technology and a patented antenna design.
It also comes equipped with a new generation eye comfort mode certified by TüV Rheinland – a feature that reduces blue light radiation emitted by the screen to prevent eye fatigue, but which does make the screen a little yellow in tint (it can be switched off).
The Honor 8X has impressive dual-lens 20M + 2M rear and 16M front facing cameras. The cameras possess AI which recognises 22 different categories and 500 scenarios in real-time. The AI technology optimises camera settings and enhances photo quality based on what users are shooting, claims Honor.
The new night shooting mode enabled by AI technology eliminates the blurring of photos when taking night shots under a maximum 6-second exposure, even with a shaky hand, says Honor.
The octa-core Kirin 710 chipsets also deliver excellent performance, claims the manufacturer. Compared to the previous generation, the CPU single-core performance has increased by 75%.
The Honor 8X also has a Mali G51 GPU, which is enhanced by revolutionary GPU turbo. The overall GPU performance is increased by 130% compared to the previous generation, making the phone suitable for demanding gamers.
Honor 8X – First impressions
Tech Digest received the Honor 8X at a pre-briefing two weeks before last night’s London launch (October 10th, 2018) and we’ve been really very impressed so far. Yes there are a few signs that this is a budget model, including a Micro USB port rather than the more expensive (but better) USB-C port. But what’s particularly impressive is the phone’s excellent dual lens camera. It’s excellent quality especially when it comes to creating portrait photos with a narrow depth of field for that really arty look – certainly better than any iPhone I’ve looked at. Battery life seems very good indeed and the screen is very large for a phone that really isn’t that big or that heavy. We’ve got the electric blue model which is very classy looking. Just a couple of things we’re not that keen on. The fingerprint sensor on the back is a bit of a pain to use and the phone is incredibly slippy in the hand – we would definitely recommend getting a case to protect it! Full review to follow soon.
The Honor 8X has 128GB ROM and supports an expandable microSD card up to 400GB. The smart user interface EMUI 8.2 not only keeps the system running smoothly, claims Honor, but also brings new features such as facial recognition under dim light and fun augmented reality (AR) capabilities.
The Honor 8X also features intelligent power saving technology and a 3750mAh battery, which can last for more than one-day on a single charge.
The Honor 8X features the latest in AI Communications to automatically recognise weak-signal or strong interference scenarios and adjust the signal and voice quality when you are using your phone. If a user is in a noisy environment, such as on the tube or in windy conditions, the smartphone will recognise the background noise and enable AI noise cancellation to improve voice quality and enable clearer conversations.
The manufacture claims the Honor 8X also has fast 4G reconnection that helps rapidly restore mobile connections in different scenarios, such as exiting an elevator or a tunnel.
Says Mr. George Zhao, President of Honor:
“With the newly unveiled Honor 8X, Honor is setting out to hit new benchmarks in terms of the balance between value, design and performance. The Honor 8X doesn’t just meet the needs of our customers, it represents a stunning leap forward in smartphone technology, tearing down old conventions on what is possible, while keeping a strong focus on design aesthetics. ”
Also coming soon is the Honor Band 4 (pictured above) – the latest in Honor’s line of innovative activity trackers. Featuring an AMOLED full colour display, the device boasts Huawei TruSleep™ sleep monitoring technology which his capable of identifying and providing advice on sleeping issues such as insomnia and other irregular sleeping habits.
Billed as the perfect companion for the Honor 8X, the Honor Band 4 can act as a remote control to take photos and can even help you locate your phone when you misplace it.
Priced at £59.99, the Honor Band 4 is water resistant to 50 metres and has advanced swim tracking capabilities like swim stroke recognition.
All of this comes in addition to classic tracker features such as heart rate monitoring, long battery life and the ability to track and share your daily workout stats.
For more information visit Honor online at www.hihonor.com
