Nexus 5X vs Honor 5X: our early thoughts
Honor has announced its expansion into US territory at CES 2016, and the device it's making that leap with is the Honor 5X. Given its US$200 price, you could be forgiven for thinking the Honor 5X would be a quickly-forgotten, poorly-made handset, but I don't think that's the case. Here's a quick overview of how it compares to the current mid-ranger from Google, the Nexus 5X.
The Nexus 5X, built in a partnership between Google and LG, was released toward the end of 2015 at a price of US$379 for the 16 GB version. That's not an outrageous price to pay for a good smartphone and in our Nexus 5X review, we called LG's return to this smartphone series "heroic".
We did find some problems with the design of the Nexus 5X however, and devices like the Honor 5X are part of the reason. When a sub-200 dollar smartphone like this Honor device can be presented in an attractive metal unibody, we have to ask why the Nexus 5X is trapped inside a less appealing plastic shell?
Then there's the protruding camera sensor on the rear of the Nexus 5X – the Honor 5X is already looking like a more attractive device from an aesthetic point of view.
Inside, the Honor 5X seems like it will be able to keep up with the Nexus 5X for the most part. The two phones feature similar hardware numbers for the camera, memory and display resolution (check out the specs sheet below for all the details).
Where Honor steps ahead is that it includes microSD support and that its battery capacity is a little over 10 percent larger that the Nexus'.
The Nexus 5X has a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor which powers stock Android, while the Honor has an octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor and runs its EMUI software. Despite having fewer cores, however, we expect the Nexus 5X to outpace the performance of the Honor 5X.
Nexus 5X vs Honor 5X specs
| Nexus 5X | Honor 5X | |
|---|---|---|
| System | Android 6.0 Marshmallow (stock) | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop (EMUI software) |
| Display | 5.2 inch,1,920 x 1,080 pixels | 5.5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels |
| Processor | Hexa-core, Snapdragon 808 | Octa-core, Snapdragon 615 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Internal storage | 16 / 32 GB | 16 GB + microSD support |
| Battery | 2,700 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Camera | 12.3 MP (rear) / 5 MP (front) | 13 MP (rear) / 5 MP (front) |
| Price | US$379 | US$200 |
| Extras | Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
This has the potential to be a really interesting showdown. Few people would prefer Honor's software to stock Android, and of course, Nexus device owners can look forward to fast updates, but if what you care about is price and hardware, the Honor 5X could be a real steal.
What are your thoughts on these two devices? Let me know in the comments.
Having the honor 5x as my daily driver for 2 weeks now, I have to say that for the price, this phone is amazing! The fingerprint scanner works 99% of the time. The software is a little laggy, but what do you expect from 2gb ram. I bought a case for $5 and an aluminum mirror finish case for $8. Love the phone so far.
I owned a Huawei before it got stolen. Something that everyone seems to agree with Huawei (and now with their honor brand) is that connectivity is first-class.. and sorry, that is still something very important to me for a mobile tool..
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Looks and finish aside the Nexus is probably the better phone, but it Honor does show up the weakness in current Nexus model; its just to expensive for what is really a midrange device especially outside the US; in europe the Nexus 32gb sells for 550 US dollars equivalent. For that price it needs to have the hardware specs of a 6P with the smaller screen.The market is moving on fast in terms value and phones like the Honor are the future for most people.
Honor5x looks good, buth I stell prefer NexusX even it cost almoust 200$ more.