Honor 6X specs: Kirin 655 processor, 3GB RAM and 5.5-inch display

The Honor 6X definitely isn’t a powerhouse.

As you’d expect for an inexpensive unlocked phone — starting at just $249 — the Honor 6X doesn’t exactly push the envelope with its internal specs. Just like the Honor 5X that came before it you get a mix of newer mid-range chips and a few older components, which overall line up to get the job done but won’t wow you.

That means you get a mid-range processor, just a 1080p display, Micro-USB for charging and no extra bells and whistles, but in exchange you get an ample 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, as well as a fingerprint sensor and a large 3340 mAh battery. Read on for the full list of Honor 6X specs.

Honor 6X hands-on preview: Great hardware desperately waiting for a software update

Honor is still attempting to make strides in the U.S., but is the 6X compelling enough?

You really have to hand it to Honor. Huawei’s millennial-focused offshoot is still spitting out smartphones despite the relatively tepid reception of its previous two devices in the U.S. Remember, Honor has no carrier backing stateside, which puts it at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the brood. It’s unlikely that the launch of the Honor 6X, the smartphone announced at this year’s CES, will do much to move the needle either.

Regardless, that’s not a reason to write it off. The Honor 6X is a compelling device, even though it’s not as sparkly and showy as its flagship sibling, the Honor 8. Pricing has yet to be finalized, but what we’ve previewed of the Honor 6X is a fair reminder of what Huawei’s capable of when it throws a device into the ring — and that’s offering major bang for your buck. This midrange device may run on middle-of-the-road hardware, but it really does offer more than the average smartphone in its price point (sub-$250). Now, if it only the company had the marketing to get that point across.

Honor 6X Specs

Honor 6X Fundamentals

The Honor 6X’s fingerprint sensor doesn’t offer push-button action like the Honor 8.

Like last year’s Honor 5X, which also debuted on the CES show floor, the Honor 6X already exists overseas. Americans will see the same-looking hardware; the main differences are in network bands and storage space. (If you’re curious, we’ve got the a comparison between the Honor 6X, Honor 8, and Honor 5X.)

Design wise, the Honor 6X isn’t a far departure from its predecessor. It sports the same hard aluminum lines, slight curvature on the edges, dual stacked rear-facing camera lenses, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner that, again, proves the backside is the most practical place for it. The fingerprint scanner offers a few tricks, too: you can program gestures to do things like snap a photo, answer a call, or bring down the notification panel, though the 6X doesn’t offer push-button action like the Honor 8.

This isn’t the kind of hardware that will move mountains.

The Honor 6X is still living in the past, as far as ports go. It still has a 3.5mm headphone jack, but you might groan when you see its Micro-USB port. On the plus side, you’ll easily be able to buy a replacement cord from even the shadiest of bodegas around the block, but you won’t reap the benefits that come with a USB-C connection, and that includes rapid charging of its massive 3340 mAh battery pack.

Inside, the Honor 6X is paired with a decidedly midrange processor, the octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 655. It’s a moderate piece of kit, considering the cost of the phone — it retails about $150 in China, with pricing yet to-be-determined for the U.S. — but this isn’t the kind of hardware that will move mountains. At the very least, the Honor 6X is paired with 3GB of RAM, so that’ll help keep it chugging along as apps become even more demanding over time, but you’re definitely not jumping into virtual reality with this thing.

It’s worth noting that my Honor 6X preview unit is not running finalized software. The actual device will ship with EMUI 4.1 on top of Android 6.1, with the update to EMUI 5.0 on top of Nougat hitting in February. However, whatever is running on the Honor 6X at the time of writing is infuriating to use.

There are constant touchscreen display issues, and I have grown increasingly impatient each time I have to type something because of the frequent lag. I asked my colleague, Justus Perry, if he saw an increase in performance on the 6X after a software update was pushed to his preview unit, but his device was still having trouble registering his touches after the fact.

Honor 6X Camera

I can’t offer a definitive preview of the interface that comes with the Honor 6X because of the “beta state” of the software, but at least I can gush a bit about its dual rear-facing 12-megapixel and 2-megapixel camera combination. I’m continually impressed by Honor’s camera hardware, particularly in its cheap devices. This isn’t the kind of camera performance you would expect from a smartphone of this caliber, but look at how neat this wide aperture effect is.

You can even edit the focus of the photo and its color schematic long after you’ve snapped the photo from right within the gallery. Photos snapped with the Honor 6X may not be as vibrantly hued compared to a flagship device, or even the Honor 8, but they’re entirely passable if this is the only device you can afford to take with you overseas, for instance.

The Honor 6X’s 8-megapixel front-facing camera is certainly fit for selfies, too. You have access to a beauty mode, which blurs out your face and reminds you that society is incredibly unkind to aging individuals, as well as a makeup mode, which is not as convincing as I’d hoped it would be.

I appreciate the breadth of camera options offered with the Honor 6X. Even if you don’t particularly care for a Pro mode or a neat light painting effect, those features are all built into the native camera app. The interface is exceptionally intuitive, too, which is saying something considering the current state of EMUI. One swipe left takes you to the various camera modes, while a swipe right takes you to the video mode. You can record up to 1080p full HD video.

Honor 6X Final thoughts

I was quite enchanted by the Honor 8, particularly because of its striking blue chassis, but also because of the incredible value offered at its price point. But that device is considered a flagship, while the Honor 6X is a measly midrange offering for cash-strapped millennials — and it acts like it, too!

I’m looking forward to using the Honor 6X with its finalized Nougat software to experience what’s next on the horizon from this massive Chinese manufacturer. However, nothing I say will convince America to buy these phones, especially considering the competition. Honor needs carrier marketing behind it if it plans to ever make strides stateside. Hopefully, it’ll make a point to hone in on the fact that this is a pretty decent package for a mere $249, which is what the company plans to offer it for when it’s on sale later this month.

Honor 6X vs. Honor 5X vs. Honor 8: What’s the difference?

A new budget offering takes a step up from the Honor 5X, but slots comfortably underneath the Honor 8.

Honor carved out a nice little niche for itself when it came to the U.S. officially with the Honor 5X, and then followed it up with a much higher-end device in the Honor 8. Now a full year on from the Honor 5X launch we have a proper successor, the Honor 6X. So how does the new Honor 6X compare to both its predecessor the 5X and the mid-range anchor the 8? Here’s a quick breakdown.

This was never meant to take over from the Honor 8, but it’s a nice upgrade from the Honor 5X.

While the 6X doesn’t come close to the Honor 8 in terms of an overall package, it also starts at just $249 — and in doing so has to strike a more delicate balance in what it offers. You get a step down in processor to a Huawei-made Kirin 655 and 3GB of RAM, and miss out on a few of the premium design flourishes like the glass back that make the Honor 8 unique. While you technically get a dual camera setup on the Honor 6X, it’s a completely different system from the dual 12MP sensors of the Honor 8 — a secondary 2MP camera offers depth-sensing information to provide neat camera effects, but no extra resolution or color information.

More: Honor 6X hands-on preview

The Honor 6X, as the naming would imply, basically takes the same approach to an inexpensive phone as the Honor 5X and 4X before it. This metal phone takes on a much sleeker design, though, and has obviously taken on spec bumps to progress with the times. You get a faster processor, more RAM and more storage, but in keeping the cost down you still get a couple of head-scratchers like a Micro-USB port for charging, no 5 Ghz Wi-FI and the older generation Bluetooth 4.1.

The Honor 6X is clearly a solid upgrade from the 5X, and offers a better overall value at $249 than last year’s 5X did at $199. It isn’t going to challenge the high-end value of the Honor 8, but it isn’t meant to — this offers solid value instead to the more budget-conscious market set.

Snapdragon 835 vs. Snapdragon 821: How much of an upgrade is it?

The shift to 10nm with the Snapdragon 835 represents a huge leap in performance.

Qualcomm formally detailed the Snapdragon 835 during its CES keynote, serving up a look at what’s new in this year’s flagship SoC. The Snapdragon 835 offers improvements across the board, and Qualcomm has incorporated a slew of new features, including Bluetooth 5, gigabit LTE, 802.11ad Wi-Fi, and much more.

The 14nm Snapdragon 820/821 was no slouch, but the move to the 10nm node has allowed Qualcomm to register huge gains in energy efficiency and performance. The Snapdragon 835 is 27% faster while consuming 40% less energy, with the overall size being 30% smaller than the previous generation. Here’s a look at some of the key areas where the SoC differs from last year’s offering:

We’ll have to wait until the Snapdragon 835 makes its way to consumer devices — which is slated to be sometime later this quarter — before we can take a detailed look at how it fares next to last year’s Snapdragon 820/821. However, based on the hardware and the node shrink, it looks like it will be another good year for Qualcomm in the high-end mobile SoC space.

The Honor 6X is official: Metal body, fingerprint sensor and dual cameras for $249

This is the sort of phone that won’t grab many headlines, but fills a large market segment.

A year on from the Honor 5X, Huawei has taken to CES once again to unveil its successor the Honor 6X. Keeping in the tradition of this line, the 6X comes in at a budget-friendly price of $249 — and though it has the sort of mid-range specs you’d expect, there are a few neat bonuses here you don’t always find on a phone of this price.

The Honor 6X once again offers a 5.5-inch 1080p display, but this time covers it with nicer-feeling 2.5D sculpted glass. That glass curves more smoothly into the fresh metal body, which is more in line with Huawei’s higher-end phones than the cheaper-feeling Honor 5X of 2016. The fingerprint sensor has moved to the back of the phone alongside the upgraded 12MP camera — which has a sidekick 2MP camera that offers additional depth information for neat camera improvements.

Internally you once again get a bit of a mishmash of ideas. Seeing a newer Kirin 655 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage is nice, though it’s still paired up with oddly low supporting specs like only 802.11n 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. The battery is now larger at 3340 mAh, but still lacks any sort of fast charging solution and plugs in over Micro-USB.

More: Honor 6X complete specs

EMUI 4.1 is disappointing, but we shouldn’t have to wait long for an update.

On the software front things are basically unchanged from what you’ll find on an updated Honor 5X or an Honor 8: Android 6.0 Marshmallow along with EMUI 4.1, which is a generation behind the newer EMUI 5.0 offered on phones like the Mate 9. Honor says an update to EMUI 5.0 is forthcoming, though, and that’ll make a big improvement in the overall performance and interface on the Honor 6X.

Yes there are a few shortcomings here, but remember we’re also talking about a phone that retails for just $249 — and Honor will also be running flash sales in January with discounts. At that price it may be able to find a few takers, considering that it offers a few nice-to-have features and a solid metal body for such an affordable price. You won’t have to wait long to place an order, either: pre-orders start January 4, with full sales starting on January 10 from Honor’s own website, as well as Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. Those flash sales will run on January 10, 17, 24 and 31 while stock lasts.

More: Honor 6X hands-on preview

Acer Rugged Chromebook 11 N7 preview: The tough laptop the kids won’t break

Acer continues its focus on the mass market, with a new rugged-build Chromebook designed for the classroom that the kids won’t break.

The tongue-twister-named Rugged Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) isn’t trying to win design and dazzle your eyes with its looks, it’s trying to provide a cost-effective Chromebook solution for under the €300 mark (assume that’ll be £300 then).

There’s no fan inside, so the silent operation and low-power consumption is said to continue for up to 12-hours of use per charge.

Pocket-lint

While a lot of Chromebook functionality is based on having an internet connection (ironically Acer didn’t have internet access at the time, so the Chromebook couldn’t perform a needed software update), offline use is also possible for when on the move.

Having handled the Rugged Chromebook 11 N7 at the company’s CES press setup, there are a few notable features: its hinge bends all the way back so the 11.6-inch screen can be flat on a tabletop (it actually goes slightly beyond 180-degrees, so won’t snap off); and there’s no messing around with USB Type-C and the like, it’s all USB 3.0 (one per side), full-size SD card and a 3.5mm headphones jack.

It’s quite a chunky beast (22mm thick) given its small screen size, but then we’re spoiled with the flurry of much thinner notebooks on the market these days.

Pocket-lint

That’s the pay off for buying a rugged device: it’s extra thickness is the price to pay for a device that can be dropped 1.2-metres and have a drink spilled on the keyboard without sending it to the Chromebook graveyard. Even the finish looks as though it would wipe clean nice and easily.

As ever with affordable Chromebooks, don’t expect the 11 N7 to be a powerhouse: its dual-core Intel Celeron processors, 4GB RAM and relatively small 16GB (or 32GB) eMMC storageare best suited for homework, browsing and word processing rather than anything highly demanding.

In terms of screen, the IPS panel means better-than-typical viewing angles, but the lowly 1366 x 768 resolution and limited brightness are drawbacks. A touch-panel option (the C731T) is also available.

Pocket-lint

Available from February, the C731 will start from €299, increasing to as-yet-unnamed prices when adding touchscreen and additional storage.

Gorgeous 4K HP Spectre x360 range updated with micro-edge screens

HP has announced an update to its gorgeous Spectre x360 lineup with enhanced performance, a redesigned display and improved connectivity in an equally eye-catching design. 

Like the last generation, this new range of Spectre x360 laptops’ biggest attraction is undoubtedly its design. It’s sleek, and has a chassis carved from a solid piece of aluminium, with a geared hinge encased in solid steel. This hinge not only looks good, it holds firmly and rotates smoothly.

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The aluminium on the case is brushed to give it is finish, and has a polished trim around the edges. What’s more, the extra wide trackpad is built from glass, to give it that extra touch of class. 

All of this is manufactured in to a laptop that’s only 13.9mm thin when closed on the 13.3-inch model, or 17.9mm on the 15.6-inch model. Those weigh 2.89lbs (1.31kg) and 4.42lbs (2kg) respectively. 

HP

While the hinge is impressive in its own right, it enables the user to fold the screen all the way back around, hence the 360 part of the notebook’s brand name.

It holds at any angle, so you could use it in “stand mode” for videos, or “tent mode”, for whatever reason you might need that, like hiding your chocolate digestives from co-workers while binge-watching Sherlock episodes.

Perhaps the next biggest attraction here is the display. On the more high end models, on both the 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch models, you’ll be able to snag a 4K display with very slim bezels. While last year saw the introduction of 4K panels in this range, the latest versions are almost edge-to-edge.

Of course, these screens are touch sensitive and can be used with a compatible stylus or HP Active Pen. 

These 4K notebooks with the “micro-edge” displays also have extra loudspeakers built in to the case on either side of the keyboard, similar to the latest MacBook Pros.

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As with previous notebooks from HP, the audio has been tuned in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen and features Audio Boost technology to ensure the sound coming from its new quad speakers is load and clear. 

There are still going to be full HD 1080p models with fat bezels, for those who want a longer lasting battery, and a less empty wallet.

HP

Speaking of battery, the new Spectre range ships with a 65W power adapter that can get the battery from empty to half full in 30 minutes.

What’s more, you can expect battery life up to 12 hours from these new beefier cells in the 4K versions. That’s close to matching the performance of last year’s 1080p models. 

As other specs go, it’s just as impressive reading. The Spectre x360 is equipped with a 7th generation Core i7 processor and 16GB RAM as well as speedier PCIe storage.

It also has the option of a NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card in the 15.6-inch model, or Intel Plus Graphics 640 GPU in the 13.3-inch version.  

There are two USB Type-C ports, a USB 3.0 Type-A port and the ability to charge your smartphone while the laptop is switched off. The full HD webcam has infrared capabilities and can be used with Windows Hello for secure logins and 802.11ac 2×2 Wi-Fi built into the top edge means you should get consistent, fast connections. 

Release dates for different models are staggered. Customers in the US will be able to pre-order the 15.6-inch model from today with a release slated for 15 January. Prices for the bigger model start at $1,279 in the States, with UK availability yet to be announced. 

Honor 6X brings dual camera in a super-affordable metal phone

Having first been launched in China, the Honor 6X is about to make a splash on UK shores this month. The company announced the device will be available from tomorrow, and it promises a lot for the outlay. 

The big attraction here is the dual camera system on the back. Unlike the more expensive Huawei/Honor phones, this isn’t made of two equally-sharp sensors. Instead, there’s a main 12-megapixel sensor paired with a 2-megapixel sensor. 

This secondary 2-megapixel camera has a couple of functions. Firstly, combined with the main sensor, it can help isolate pixels to get rid of blur in photos.

Secondly, it can add a sense of depth, giving background blur similar to how the HTC One M8 system used to work, and how the iPhone 7 Plus’ Portrait Mode works. 

Honor

According to Honor, the camera can focus in 0.3 seconds which, incidentally, is the same amount of time it takes for the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor to scan your fingerprint and unlock the phone. 

• Dual lens smartphone cameras: The history running up to iPhone 7 Plus

Unlike the Huawei Mate 9, the Honor 6X doesn’t run Android Nougat, instead, the latest affordable phone from Huawei’s sub-brand will come loaded with Android 6.0. As with every other Honor phone, it will be running the EMUI skin on top, specifically version 4.1. 

For those interested in specs, you’ll be happy to hear the phone offers a lot of bang for its buck. Inside the phone is a mid-range octa-core Kirin 655 processor paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage which can be expanded up to an extra 128GB via microSD card. 

Honor

The processor has been designed to offer fast performance for gaming, but is also optimised to be very power efficient when the phone’s in standby. This – claims Honor – should be enough to get some users more than two days of use from the 3,340mAh battery inside. 

There’s a full HD 5.5-inch screen up front capable of pushing brightness levels up to a level that’s easy to see outdoors, even in bright daylight. 

All of this is built in to a slim device built from an aluminium alloy, which Honor has anodised twice to make it more scratch-resistant and capable of dealing with every day scrapes. Because the chassis is curved and rounded around the edges and corners it should feel very comfortable in hand, despite being a big phone. 

The Honor 6X will be available to buy from Vmall and Amazon.co.uk from 4 January for £224.99, and will be available from Three later in the month. 

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: What’s the difference?

Sub-brand of Huawei, Honor, has announced at CES 2017 that its 6X smartphone will be heading further than just China, with plans for both US and Europe.

The Honor 5X’s successor arrives on 4 January starting at £225, but how does it compare to the slightly more expensive Honor 8 and which should you pick? Read on to find out.

• Honor 8 review

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Design

• Premium designs on both
• Honor 6X larger, thicker and heavier
• Honor 8 has USB Type-C

The Honor 6X features a metal-frosted finish with 2.5D curved glass, while the Honor 8 has a glossy finish, like the Jet Black iPhone 7, though it too has 2.5D curved glass, meaning both offer premium finishes.

The Honor 6X is larger and heavier than the Honor 8 however, measuring 150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2mm and weighing 162g, compared to the Honor 8’s 145.5 x 71 x 7.5mm body and 153g weight.

Both have rear-mounted fingerprint sensors, positioned beneath the dual rear cameras. The Honor 8 features USB Type-C, while the Honor 6X opts for Micro-USB.

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Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Display

• Honor 6X has a larger display by 0.3-inches
• Honor 8 has slightly sharper and crisper screen

The Honor 6X has a 5.5-inch LTPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 403ppi.

The Honor 8 has a slightly smaller display at 5.2-inches, though it offers the same technology and resolution. The decrease in size means the Honor 8 has a sharper display on paper however, with a pixel density of 424ppi.

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Cameras

• Both have dual rear cameras
• Both have 8-megapixel front camera
• Honor 8 has higher resolution secondary rear sensor

Both the Honor 6X and the Honor 8 feature dual-lenses for their rear cameras, though they differ in resolutions.

The Honor 6X has a 12-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear camera, coupled with an 8-megapixel front camera. It offers an aperture range between f/0.95 and f/16 and phase detection autofocus for focusing within 0.3-seconds.

The Honor 8 on the other hand, has two 12-megapixel sensors on the rear, like the Huawei P9, along with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It uses similar technology to the P9, but without the Leica collaboration, with one RGB sensor and one monochrome and the results are good.

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Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Hardware

• Both have octa-core processors
• Both have microSD support
• Honor 6X has higher battery capacity 

Both the Honor 6X and the Honor 8 feature octa-core Kirin processors, though they aren’t the same chip. The Honor 6X has the 655 with 3GB of RAM support (in the UK), while the Honor 8 has the 950 and 4GB of RAM support.

The Honor 6X and Honor 8 have 32GB of internal storage, but they also a 64GB option in some regions. All offer microSD support for storage expansion though.

A 3340mAh battery capacity powers the Honor 6X compared to the Honor 8’s 3000mAh so where the 6X loses a couple of marks in other areas, it gains a few back in this department.

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Software

• Both run on Android Marshmallow with Emotion 4.1 UI
• Both will likely get Android Nougat 

The Honor 6X and Honor 8 both run on Android Marshmallow with the company’s Emotion 4.1 user interface over the top.

The Honor 8 is in line to be upgraded to Android Nougat and the Honor 6X will also no doubt receive the update so in terms of software experience, these two devices should be identical.

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Price

• Honor 6X will cost £225
• Honor 8 costs £370

The Honor 6X will go on sale for £225, making it quite a bit cheaper than the Honor 8. The Honor 8 is available now for £370.

Honor 6X vs Honor 8: Conclusion

The Honor 6X is the cheaper of the two devices being compared here. It also has a larger display, larger battery capacity, similar RAM and storage options and what appears to be a nice, premium design.

The Honor 8 is the slimmer and lighter these two devices however, as well as offering a slightly sharper display and probably a better, more advanced camera.

It looks like you’ll get quite a bit for your money with the Honor 6X, but its probably worth considering spending the extra on the Honor 8 if the camera functionality is important to you. We’ll update this feature when we have reviewed both devices. For now, you can read our Honor 8 review. 

Intel invests in Nokia’s old mapping division

Intel has announced that it’s buying a 15 percent stake in Here, the mapping company that was spun out of Nokia, for an undisclosed fee. The chipmaker has also revealed that the pair will work together to build a new high-definition mapping platform for self-driving cars. Since the rest of Here is owned by the German car industry, it’s not hard to see who might be interested in using that sort of technology.

Here was one of Nokia’s last remaining jewels as the Finnish phone maker gradually atrophied on the way to Microsoft’s disastrous buyout. It was put up for sale in 2015, with Uber rumored to be the most likely destination for the business. But in the end, a consortium representing Germany’s car industry spent around $3.07 billion to secure the company for their navigation systems.

Here CEO Ed Overbeek explains that the pair will develop a “real-time, self-healing and high-definition representation of the physical world.” That means being able to update maps with the latest data and use computer vision to identify potential obstacles and warn other cars nearby.

Speaking of which, MobilEye, the computer vision company that, until recently, supplied sensors for Tesla’s Autopilot, is a big friend of both Intel and Here. MobilEye is a partner with Intel in its own self-driving technology consortium, and also has a deal with Here to build a plug-and-play self-driving car platform for the auto industry.

As the PC market dwindles and mobile computing takes over, Intel needs to move in a new direction to remain relevant, and profitable. The company is dipping a toe into wearables, the internet of things and other arenas where its expertise and cash reserves could prove valuable. Intel is clearly hoping that Here can become a key component of our self-driving future, as well as smart homes.

Source: Intel