Honor X5b+ review: Good for the price

The budget section of the Nepali market is filled with many offerings. And Honor has also thrown the ring in the hat with Honor X5b+ and Honor X5b. Both are almost the same phones with just the Plus version beating a higher res rear camera and extra internal storage. So, we have chosen the Plus version to review. Without further ado, let's get into the Honor X5b Plus review. Before heading in, let's take a look at the Honor X5b Plus specs.

Honor X5b Plus Specifications:

• Display: 6.56-inch TFT LCD, 90Hz, 530 nits (720 x 1612 pixels)
• OS: Android 14, Magic OS 8
• Chipset: MediaTek Helio G36 (12nm)
• CPU: Octa-core (4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53)
• GPU: PowerVR GE8320
• Memory: 128GB storage, 4GB RAM
• Expandable Storage: microSDXC
• Main Camera: 50MP, f/1.8
• Front Camera: 5MP, f/2.2
• Battery: 5200mAh, 10W charging
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, USB Type-C 2.0
• Sensors: Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity
• Audio: Loudspeaker, 3.5mm jack
• Colors: Ocean Blue, Starry Purple, Midnight Black
• Price in Nepal: NPR 14,499
• Buy Honor X5b here

Honor X5b Plus Review:

A Good-looking Design

The Honor X5b+ bears an attractive design for a budget phone. If you are someone who's coming from a bar phone, this guy will appease you for sure. The Blue variant I have looks gorgeous. Flipping to the front, you get a 6.56-inch TFT LCD panel with an HD+ resolution. For my day-to-day usage with scrolling dozens of reels on Instagram or watching some serious Podcasts on YouTube, the display felt okay for the price while an IPS panel would have been more appreciable. While the 90Hz refresh rate is also just fine, if not great.

Performance

On the performance side, the Honor X5b Plus packs a basic Helio G36 processor under the hood. This 12nm fabbed SoC is also found in Redmi A3. For the price, the fabrication is efficient enough to draw less power, which is good for a longer battery life. Talking of the actual performance, the chip runs fine for normal tasks such as web browsing, social media, and light games. I noticed some occasional stutters but it's completely normal for a budget phone. So, I let that slide in. Other than that, the MagicOS is also simple and most importantly, there are no ads whatsoever.

Connectivity

Getting to the connectivity side, you get VoLTE support on both NTC and Ncell. Meanwhile, VoWiFi or Wi-Fi Calling also works fine on NTC's network while Ncell is yet to implement this service. So, you can get HD quality calls by either using a 4G network or WiFi on the Honor X5b Plus. One thing I did miss here is the lack of support for 4G carrier video calling. It's a pretty handy feature that lets you video call without using any internet data from NTC to NTC SIM.

Camera

Lastly, let's talk about cameras. This phone houses a primary 50MP sensor while upfront, there is a 5MP selfie snapper. You can take some decent images (for the price). The same goes for selfies. Likewise, you can shoot basic 1080p 30fps videos from this phone.

Daylight

Portraits and Selfies

Night

Battery 

The 5000mAh battery here lasts for 1 and a half days if you are a moderate user. While the 10W charging speed is quite slow. I really wish it was at least 15W.

Honor X5b Plus Review Conclusion:

Okay concluding, the Honor X5b Plus suffices your need if you are looking for an affordable phone. It's got a good battery life and good looking design. I mean, there is not much to complain over here.

Honor X5b Plus Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Nice design
• Decent Cameras
• Simple UI

Cons

• Slow 10W charging