Earlier this past September, Huawei’s sub-brand released two new phones: the Honor 8X and the Honor 8X Max. A common would likely ask, “what’s the difference?” Here at Pinoy Tech Blog, we’re going to take a closer look at these latest releases to find out what sets the Honor 8X and Honor 8X Max apart.
Also read: Honor 8X Review
Design & Construction
Even at first glance, there are already noticeable differences between the Honor 8X and the Honor 8X Max. The latter sports a small waterdrop-like notch containing the front camera. This makes the 8X Max superior in terms of display size and it still has room for the Honor branding at the front, whereas the 8X does not. Both units maintain the sleekness and elegance present in all current Huawei and Honor smartphones and are available in three colors: Black, Red, Blue, with the addition of Pink for Honor 8X.
Display & Multimedia
As mentioned, the 8X Max holds the advantage of having a larger display size, clocking in at a whopping 7.12 inches due to its tiny notch. The 8X still possesses an impressive 6.5-inch display. Though bigger, the 8X Max has a slightly lower pixel density of 350 ppi compared to the 8X’s 396 ppi.
Hardware & Software
The main difference between the two lies in its processors and GPU. While the Honor 8X is powered by a Kirin 710, the Honor 8X Max deviates by having a Snapdragon 636 processor. As for GPU, the 8X uses a Mali-G51 MP4 while the 8X Max features an Adreno 509 GPU. Both phones run on the same OS which is the Android Oreo. With this in mind, it’s hard to choose which is better between the two: though the 8X has a better chipset, the 8X Max chases it with a competitive GPU.
Camera
Interestingly, when it comes to the camera quality, the Honor 8X Max is a downgrade from the 8X—having only a 16MP+2MP dual rear camera and an 8MP front camera compared to 8X’s 20MP+2MP dual rear camera and 16MP front camera. This might be because some of the features of the 8X Max already make up for the lower camera quality in order to keep the price down.
Performance
Both the Honor 8X and 8X Max can deliver great performance for a midrange phone. What is more notable though is the battery capacity: while the 8X is at a near-standard 3,750mAH, the 8X Max exceeds expectations at a surprising 5,000mAH. Based on the chipset, GPU, and battery capacity, it seems that the Honor 8X and 8X Max are capable of handling heavy use for mobile gaming but with the Max being preferable due to its longer battery life.
| Honor 8X | Honor 8X Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Hisilicon Kirin 710 | Qualcomm SDM636 Snapdragon 636 |
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4x1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 | Octa-core 1.8 GHz Kryo 260 |
| GPU | Mali-G51 MP4 | Adreno 509 |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo) | Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
| Display | 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 396 ppin | 7.12 inches, 1080 x 2244 pixels, 350 ppin |
| Rear Camera | 20MP + 2MP | 16MP + 2MP |
| Front Camera | 16MP | 8MP |
| Memory and Storage | 4GB / 6GB RAM, 64GB / 128GB Internal, Expandable up to 256GB via microSD slot | 4GB / 6GB RAM, 64GB / 128GB Internal, Expandable up to 256GB via microSD slot |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 3750 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Dimensions | 160.4 x 76.6 x 7.8 mm | 177.6 x 86.3 x 8.1 mm |
| Weight | 175 g | 210 g |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Red, Pink | Black, Blue, Red |
Conclusions
It’s hard to say which is the better buy between the two as both the Honor 8X and Honor 8X Max come with their own plus points. If you find it hard to choose which one to get, it’s best to consider what you will be mainly using the phone for. Are you after better selfies and photos, or are you in need of a dedicated gaming phone? One thing’s for sure, the Honor 8X Series is truly something to watch out for.
The Honor 8X retails for a starting price of Php 11,000 for the 4GB/64GB variant, Php 12,600 for the 6GB/64GB variant, and Php 14,900 for the 6GB/128GB premium version. The Honor 8X Max retails for Php 11,800 for the 4GB/64GB variant, Php 14,100 for the 6/64GB variant, and still no available pricing yet for the Snapdragon 660 version.
