Huawei’s smartphone brand Honor has launched the new Honor 7X at an event in London today. The phone will be available in India exclusively via Amazon India. The Honor 7X is the successor to the Honor 6X that was launched earlier this year and packs some similar features like dual rear camera and comes with mid-range specifications.
Honor had already launched the Honor 7X last month in China at a starting price of 1,299 Yuan (Rs 12,800 approx.). In India, it is priced at the same affordable price point. With this price tag, the phone competes with another very popular mid-ranger, the Xiaomi Mi A1 in India. The Mi A1 was launched back in September with solid internals, stock Android and dual cameras.
Let’s find out, how these two mid devices take on each other in the most aggressive mid-range level market of smartphones in India.
Honor 7X Vs Xiaomi Mi A1 Specifications
| Key Specifications | Honor 7X | Xiaomi Mi A1 |
| Display | 5.9 inches IPS LCD 18:9 display | 5.5 inches IPS LCD |
| Screen Resolution | FHD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Operating System | EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat | Android 7.1.1 Nougat |
| Processor | Octa-Core clocked at up to 2.36GHz | Octa-core 2.0 GHz |
| Chipset | Kirin 659 | Snapdragon 625 |
| GPU | Mali-T830 MP2 | Adreno 506 |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB |
| Internal Storage | 32GB/64GB | 64GB |
| Expandable Storage | Yes, up to 256GB | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Primary Camera | Dual 16MP+2MP, PDAF, LED flash | Dual 12 MP, PDAF, 2x optical zoom, dual-LED (dual tone) flash |
| Secondary Camera | 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture, 1080p, time lapse | 5MP |
| Video Recording | 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps/30fps, 720p@30fps and 120fps Time Lapse | 2160p@30fps, 720p@120fps |
| Battery | 3,340 mAh | 3080 mAh |
| 4G VoLTE | Yes | Yes |
| Sim Card Type | Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual standby) | Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual standby) |
| Dimensions | 156.5 x 75.3 x 7.6 mm | 155.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm |
| Weight | 165g | 165g |
| Price | 32GB – Rs. 12,999 64GB – Rs. 15,999 |
Rs. 14,999 |
Design and Display
Starting with the design and build quality, the Honor 7X feels premium and solid with its unibody metal design and matte back finish. If we talk about the display, the Honor 7X features an 18:9 aspect ratio display with minimum bezels on each side. The 5.9-inch LCD panel with 2.5D curved glass comes with an FHD+ screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels.
On the other hand, Xiaomi Mi A1 also sports a metal body and feels premium . But when it comes to the display, it looks a little obsolete. The phone features the traditional 16:9 display with considerable bezels. It is a 5.5-inch panel with FHD resolution only.
So, overall as we can see Honor 7X, with its 18:9 bezel-less FHD+ display takes the lead. Honor 7X is the winner in design and display.
Cameras
The Honor 7X carries forward the dual cameras of the Honor 6X. There is a 16MP primary sensor coupled with a secondary 2MP sensor to capture the depth of field for bokeh effect shots. On the front, there is an 8MP camera for selfies.
Honor 7X camera
Xiaomi Mi A1 also sports a dual rear camera setup with both the sensors of 12MP in which one is a telephoto lens whereas the other is a wide-angle lens. It also offers Portrait mode with SLR style background blur. On the front, it sports a 5MP camera for selfies and video calling.
If we talk about camera comparison, the Mi A1’s dual camera seems strong on papers. Plus, in our testing, we have seen it clicking some good pictures with blurred background effect. The front cameras seem good enough on both the phones.
Hardware and Memory
The Honor 7X is powered by Huawei’s own octa-core Kirin 659 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is powered by a Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor with similar 4GB RAM. If we talk about the Kirin 659 chipset, the octa-core processor performs well, however, in comparison to Snapdragon, it is not as powerful. There is not much to compare and the Mi A1 with Qualcomm’s chipset is the winner here.
Software
The software here is a decisive point. The Honor 7X runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with the company’s custom EMUI 5.1 skin on top. The Mi A1 was launched with Google’s Android One Program which means it runs stock Android Nougat out of the box. Moreover, it will get Android Oreo very soon as promised by Google.
Overall, in the software section, MI A1 is surely a winner because of its Android One advantage. Google has announced that the device will also receive the Android P update.
Battery and Connectivity
The Honor 7X packs a 3,340mAh battery and the Mi A1 has a slightly less capacity with 3080mAh battery. On the connectivity front, both the smartphones include similar features. There is not much to compare in this section as the battery on both the phones is decent enough to offer a day’s use.
Pricing
If we talk about pricing, both the Chinese companies are focusing on the mid-range segment in India. Where Honor 7X was launched at Rs. 12,999 for the 32GB version and Rs. 15,999 for the 64GB variant. Xiaomi, which is known for its aggressive pricing has priced Mi A1 at Rs. 14,999.
Conclusion
Overall, if we talk about design and display, the Honor 7X rocks with the latest trend of the bezel-less display. It also has good internals and dual camera at such price. However, the Xiaomi Mi A1 has premium look with solid internals, dual camera setup and comes with Stock Android. However, the Mi A1 does not come with a full-screen display and has bigger bezels. So, if the looks of your phone matter to you the most, Honor 7X is definitely a good option for you at this price.
