HONOR is on a roll this quarter as they introduce their 3rd smartphone of the year – the HONOR X8c. It is a direct upgrade from last year’s X8b with an updated design and tweaked hardware to deliver improved performance and longer battery life.
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 |
| Screen | 6.7-inch AMOLED, 2412 x 1080 |
| RAM | 6GB, 8GB |
| OS | Android 15, MagicOS 9.0 |
| Rear Camera | 108MP f/1.75 OIS Main, 5MP f/2.2 Ultrawide |
| Front Camera | 50MP f/2.1 |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Network | Dual-SIM, 4G LTE |
| Connectivity | WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 35W HONOR SuperCharge |
| Others | In-Display Fingerprint Scanner, IP64 Dust and Water Resistance |
| Dimensions | 161.05 x 74.55 x 7.12mm |
| Weight | 174g |
| Colors | Mars Green, Midnight Black, Moonlight White, Cloud Purple |
The HONOR X8c is encased in the brand’s traditional white box with its branding at the front. Bundled with it are the usual set of accessories including documentation, 35W HONOR SuperCharge adapter, a white USB-A to USB-C cable, a SIM ejector pin, and a silicone case.
The HONOR X8c shares a similar faux leather finish at the back as its predecessor, but its design has been altered to a textured checkered appearance. Its look is definitely uncommon and separates itself from other devices in the price range.
The frame itself is made out of plastic with curved edges, but the faux leather makes it feel premium than it actually is. The device sits comfortably in the hand and the textured back minimizes slipping.
Its chassis is rated for IP64 dust and water resistance. While not as resilient as the X9c 5G, it will be able to survive rain or splashes. Its display also supports Rainproof Touch that lets you use it even while it’s wet without any issues.
Placed at the right-hand side are its buttons while at the other side is its SIM card tray that has space for two Nano SIM cards. At the bottom are its USB-C port and grilles for its bottom-firing speaker. Unfortunately, there’s no storage expansion options or a 3.5mm audio jack.
HONOR packs the X8c with a 6.7-inch 2412 x 1080 AMOLED display that runs at 120Hz with a cutout for its front-facing camera and LED flash, and built-in fingerprint scanner. Its panel size and resolution are similar, but its refresh rate is faster compared to its predecessor.
The pairing of a FullHD+ resolution on a 6.7-inch panel is just right in our opinion as it can deliver sharp images while still having plenty of real-estate while watching. The AMOLED panel is also what you expect with its deep blacks and vibrant colors. You’ll be able to comfortably use the smartphone outside even while its sunny thanks to its high brightness.
The X8c relies on its bottom-firing speaker for external audio. Performance isn’t spectacular, but it is serviceable. Vocals remain clear and there is good definition throughout the volume range. Bass is lacking as expected and there’s little in the way of sound stage.
The HONOR X8c employs two cameras at the back: a 108MP f/1.75 main camera with OIS and a 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide; and a 50MP f/2.1 selfie camera with a dedicated LED flash at the front. They have removed the 2MP f/2.4 macro, but this is still essentially the same setup as last year’s model.
Its main 108MP f/1.75 main camera takes 12MP stills by default. You’ll be able to get decent shots in good lighting as it can capture full details and vibrant colors. Shadows are darker than we would like, and some of the vibrancy of the colors are lost if they are hidden in the dark. Low-light performance can look smudged if you leave it at auto, but this can be remedied with a steady hand or by using Night Mode.
Much like the main camera, its ultrawide shooter has its moments. The 5MP shooter lacks the resolution for close examination as details can get lost. From afar, however, shots look moody with a slight preference for underexposure especially in high-contrast photos.
Powering the X8c is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 685 chip, which is a slight upgrade from last year’s Snapdragon 680. Its chip is slightly faster in both the CPU and GPU department to improve performance. The chipset is complemented by 8GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage.
General performance is pretty good. We encountered minimal stutter while using the device and playing games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Honor of Kings delivered steady framerates. You will need to turn down a few graphical settings if you want a playable experience on heavier games such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.
As for benchmarks, the device is able to post numbers above its predecessor. PCMark Work 3.0 puts it at the 9,640 mark while AnTuTu scores it at 346,750. These are respectable numbers, but nothing outstanding for a lower midrange device.
As for power, HONOR has upgraded its battery reserves to 5,000mAh compared to last year’s 4,500mAh. Charging speeds, however, remains the same with the device supporting 35W HONOR SuperCharge
In our experience, the HONOR X8c will be able to last a day with a bit of charge still in its tanks to carry over to the next day. Charging speeds is largely the same as from before with 5% to 100% lasting around an hour and 45 minutes.
The HONOR X8c is only a slight upgrade from its predecessor, and that shows from its performance. There are minute improvements across the board. Its chipset is faster and is able to deliver the numbers expected from a lower midrange device, its cameras are decent and the 2MP macro lens isn’t missed, and the overall design is indeed distinctive. The only real addition here is the chassis is now rated IP64 for dust and water resistance.
Since it is only a refresh of an older smartphone, there’s very little new to find here. Don’t get us wrong, the X8c is a solid device for people upgrading from an older generation device, but this will be a safe skip for anyone who purchased a similarly priced device for the past year.
The HONOR X8c is priced at PhP 13,999 in the Philippines. It is now up for pre-order at all HONOR Experience stores and authorized retailers nationwide until March 21, 2025 with a free HONOR Bluetooth Speaker II.
Alternatively, getting it through HONOR’s official online channels will net you a free HONOR Earbuds II.
