Honor X7e vs X6e Review: Different Names, Almost the Same Phone!

Honor X7e vs X6e Specifications

Design: Familiar Design, Solid Durability

The Honor X6e and X7e are almost identical in size, thickness, and overall construction. Honestly, when I first used them side by side, I found it quite hard to tell them apart.

There are only a few small differences. The X7e gets a dedicated AI button, a slightly smaller camera island, and is 7 grams lighter at 200 grams compared to 207 grams on the X6e. But in real-world use, I really could not feel that weight difference. Both still feel a little heavy in the hand, mainly because of that massive 7,500mAh battery, which is understandable.

What I do like is the overall finish. Both phones use a plastic frame and plastic back, but they do not feel overly cheap. The clean finish and large camera rings actually make them look a bit more premium than I expected from budget phones.

Color Options

• Honor X7e: Sunrise Orange, Light Blue, Midnight Black
• Honor X6e: Midnight Black, Sunrise Gold

What impressed me more than the design, though, is the durability. Both phones come with IP64 dust and splash resistance, claimed 1.8-metre drop resistance, and SGS five-star drop-protection certification. That is genuinely useful on a budget phone, especially if you are a little careless with your device. Just remember, IP64 does not mean you can submerge them in water. They should be fine against minor splashes or accidental sprinkles.

For security, both phones use a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. In my experience, it was fast, reliable, and I had no complaints with it during daily use.

Display

The Honor X7e and X6e use exactly the same display:

• 6.61-inch TFT LCD
• HD+ resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate
• Up to 1,010 nits peak brightness

Now, Honor advertises this as a 120Hz display, but in my testing, that is not really what you get most of the time. In Auto mode, the display generally runs at 90Hz across social media apps, Chrome, and most parts of the UI, while it can dynamically drop to 60Hz during video playback. I only saw it hit 120Hz inside certain areas like the Settings app.

And even after manually switching the refresh rate to High, I still could not get 120Hz consistently in social media or other regular apps. So realistically, I would treat this more like a 90Hz display in everyday use. Thankfully, 90Hz still felt reasonably smooth for scrolling, animations, and general navigation.

My main issue is the HD+ resolution. Text, icons, photos, and videos simply do not look as sharp as they would on a Full HD+ panel. For regular Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and messaging, this probably will not bother most users too much. And on the cheaper X6e, I can still accept this compromise. But on the X7e, which costs Rs. 39,999, it becomes much harder to justify. At around this price, phones like the Poco M8s are already offering sharper Full HD+ AMOLED displays.

Speakers and Haptics

Both phones come with a stereo-speaker setup, although in my experience, most of the sound seems to come from the top speaker. What I noticed is that the X7e sounds just a little clearer than the X6e, but honestly, the difference is very small. Unless you compare them side by side, I do not think most people will even notice it. Overall, the speakers are perfectly acceptable for the price and good enough for videos, calls, and casual music listening.

The haptics are pretty basic too, but I actually think they are fine for this segment. The vibration is strong enough for typing, calls, alarms, and notifications, and I never felt like it was too weak. In fact, it should easily wake you up in the morning, and you are unlikely to miss a call even when the phone is on vibration mode. So yes, nothing fancy here, but it gets the job done.

Software and AI Features

Both phones run MagicOS 10 based on Android 16, and honestly, this is one area where I think Honor has done a really good job. What impressed me is how light and polished MagicOS feels even on these budget phones. It runs surprisingly well on the X6e with just 4GB RAM, and even more comfortably on the X7e with 6GB. Features like split-screen multitasking, floating windows, Magic Sidebar, and general navigation all worked smoothly enough in my daily use.

The main software difference is the dedicated AI button on the X7e. I like that it is customizable, so you can assign different actions to a short press, double press, or long press. It also gives you access to features like Mind Space, where you can save screenshots, notes, and information for AI-powered summaries, along with tools like AI subtitles, AI Translate, and a few other AI features that are missing on the X6e.

Other than that, the overall software experience is pretty much the same. And for the price, I genuinely have very little to complain about here. In fact, MagicOS still feels like one of the better lightweight software experiences you can get on a budget phone right now, especially compared to some heavier Android skins like HyperOS on Redmi phones.

The one thing that still feels unclear is software support. Honor has not officially said how many years of Android or security updates these phones will receive, so that is something I would definitely keep in mind before buying.

Performance

Both the Honor X6e and X7e are powered by the same MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra, which is a basic entry-level 12nm 4G chipset. And honestly, once I started using them, that pretty much told me what kind of phones these are.

These are mainly built for everyday users, maybe for your parents, someone who just finished school, or anyone who mostly uses their phone for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, messaging, calls, and web browsing. For that kind of usage, both phones work perfectly fine. But once you start pushing them harder, the limitations become obvious. I would not expect heavy multitasking, competitive gaming, or graphically intensive games from either of them. These are simply not performance-focused phones.

And this is kind of the reality of the smartphone market right now. Prices have gone up so much that getting genuinely strong performance at around Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 has become difficult. If you want a noticeably better gaming experience, stronger cameras, and better overall performance, you will probably have to push your budget beyond Rs. 50,000.

It is what it is, really. This seems to be the new normal.

RAM and Storage: Actual Difference

The X7e does have one advantage that I could actually feel in day-to-day use. Its 6GB RAM, which is 2GB more than the X6e, makes multitasking a little smoother. Apps tend to stay in memory better, and switching between multiple apps feels more comfortable on the X7e.

One thing I was glad to see is that both phones still support expandable storage through a microSD card. That is genuinely useful if you keep a lot of photos, videos, or offline media. The only catch is the hybrid SIM slot, so you have to choose between two SIM cards or one SIM card with one microSD card.

Connectivity: No 5G is a bummer!

One limitation I kept noticing on both phones is connectivity. The X6e and X7e are still limited to 4G, and honestly, that is getting harder to ignore at this price. If 5G eventually launches in Nepal, these phones simply will not support it. And even if you travel to countries like India, where 5G is already widely available, you will still be stuck on 4G.

So if 5G matters to you, I would definitely keep that in mind. There are already cheaper options like the Honor X6d and Redmi Note 17 with 5G support, and for some buyers, those could make more sense.

Other than that, the basics are all here, including dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. In my use, call quality and network reception were reliable, so I had no real complaints there. But overall, the more expensive X7e does not give you any meaningful connectivity advantage over the X6e.

Camera

The camera setup is basically the same on both phones, with a 50MP main camera, an auxiliary lens, and a 5MP selfie camera. And honestly, this is another area where I feel the X7e does not really separate itself from the cheaper X6e.

There is no ultrawide, telephoto, or useful secondary camera here, and both phones are limited to 1080p at 30fps video without OIS. I can accept these compromises more easily on the X6e, but on the X7e at Rs. 39,999, the camera hardware feels a little too basic for the price. More importantly, I did not find any meaningful camera hardware upgrade on the X7e over the X6e.

So rather than spending too much time on the specs, let’s get straight to the camera samples I took from both phones.

Main Camera

There is not much difference between the two phones in daytime photos. What I noticed is that the X6e produces slightly more contrasty images than the X7e, but overall, the output is very similar.

Honestly, there is nothing special here, but for basic photography, both phones should be fine. If you are mostly taking casual photos for social media or everyday moments, they get the job done. I cannot really expect high-end camera output from the X6e at this price, but I do feel the X7e could have used a better sensor considering it costs Rs. 39,999.

And yeah, I think the days when we used to get an ultra-wide camera and even 4K video recording in Rs. 30,000 segment phones are slowly gone. It is a bit sad, but that seems to be the reality of the smartphone market right now.

In low light, what I found is that both phones can still capture the overall feel of the scene pretty well if there is enough artificial lighting around. But once you move into much darker situations, detail and clarity start to fall apart. That is not really surprising given the basic sensor and limited processing power. So with some light around, the output is usable, but I would not expect serious night photography from either phone.

Portraits

Both phones can shoot portraits at 1x and digitally cropped 2x, which I am glad to see. But surprisingly, the X7e does a noticeably better job with 2x portraits. The X6e can look quite messy in terms of detail, while the X7e processes the image more cleanly. The X6e is also a little more contrast-heavy, which can sometimes make portraits look more punchy, but in some shots, the shadows become too dark. Edge detection on both can be slightly hit or miss, but overall, the portraits are still decent.

For me, these are good enough for casual portraits during festivals, holidays, or family outings. You can get perfectly uploadable shots for social media, just do not expect high-end portrait quality. If you really want excellent telephoto portraits, you will probably have to push your budget closer to Rs. 60,000 or above. These phones are simply built for basic portrait photography, and that is fine.

Selfie Camera

Both phones come with a basic 5MP selfie camera, and honestly, I was not expecting much here. Still, the results are good enough for everyday use. Skin tones tend to look a little whitish, but in good lighting, the selfies are perfectly usable for social media.

You can also shoot reels, TikToks, or casual video clips without much trouble. I would not expect high-end selfie quality, but for social media, video calls, and normal everyday use, the front camera gets the job done.

Video Quality

Both phones can record up to 1080p at 30fps from the rear and front cameras. What I found is that the video quality is basic, but still fairly usable. Colors look decent enough for casual clips, reels, and occasional videography.

The main limitation is stabilization. If your hands are shaky, you will notice wobble quite easily. But if you can keep the phone reasonably steady, you can still get decent-looking videos and capture everyday moments without much trouble.

Battery and Charging

• The X7e and X6e both packs a large 7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery.
• Both phones support 45W wired charging.
• They also support 7.5W reverse wired charging.

In my use, both phones comfortably lasted around a day and a half, which is honestly one of their biggest strengths. If you charge them in the morning, you really do not have to worry about the battery for the rest of the day. I was also quite happy with the 45W charger included in the box. Considering the large battery, charging still feels reasonably quick, and overall, the battery experience is very reliable for everyday use.

Honor X7e and X6e Conclusion: Which one makes more sense?

So overall, I would describe the Honor X7e and X6e as battery, design, and durability-focused budget phones made mainly for everyday users. What impressed me most is the massive 7,500mAh battery, 45W charging, solid drop protection, smooth high-refresh-rate display, and especially the lightweight and fluent MagicOS experience.

But after using both phones side by side, one thing is very clear to me, the X7e is not substantially better than the X6e. You are getting the same display, same processor, same camera setup, same battery and charging, almost the same software experience, and even the same 4G limitation. The main upgrades on the X7e are 6GB RAM, more storage, the dedicated AI button, and a few extra AI features.

And with an Rs. 8,000 price gap, I honestly think the X6e makes more sense for basic users, whether it is for your parents, students, first-time smartphone buyers, or someone who mainly uses social media, calls, browsing, and wants dependable battery life. Unless you specifically need the extra RAM and storage, the X6e gives you almost the same experience for less money.

Once you are spending around Rs. 40,000 though, I would personally start looking elsewhere. The Honor X8d gives you an AMOLED display at around the same starting price, while the Redmi 17 5G is another option if 5G matters to you.

And yeah, this is just the reality of the budget smartphone market right now, in Nepal and globally. Prices keep going up, but the compromises are still there. Getting a genuinely good all-round phone on a tight budget is becoming harder every year.