Honor X6 5G review
The Honor X6 is honest budget-phone work: it prioritizes battery life and screen size over every other quality, which suits users who simply want calls and messaging to work all day. Anyone expecting gaming, a sharp display, or software support beyond a year or two should spend another 50 EUR on a rival that shipped later or with better specs.
This review is based on Honor’s published specifications and public benchmark data for the Honor X6 5G, and the rating is spec-based. GoSolo does not physically test devices; where we estimate real-world behaviour such as battery life or charge time, we say so. How we rate phones.
Overview
The Honor X6 5G is a budget phone from 2022 that prioritizes battery life and a large screen over performance or display quality. At around 100 EUR, it is honest about what it is: a calls-and-messaging device that will frustrate anyone expecting smooth gaming or a sharp picture.
Design and build
The Honor X6 is competently unremarkable. At 194 grams and 8.7 mm thick, it sits in the middle ground for budget phones: not light, not heavy, not particularly inspiring. The dual-SIM tray and side-mounted fingerprint sensor are practical additions. IP52 rating offers splash resistance during light rain or spills, but you will not survive a full dunk, so treat it like a regular phone around water. The frame feels plastic, which is fine at this price, but there is nothing here to make you want to set it down carefully.
Display
The 6.5-inch TFT LCD screen is where the budget cuts deepest. At 720 x 1600 pixels and 270 ppi, it is visibly pixelated up close. Scrolling through a webpage or reading text on your lock screen reveals a graininess that rivals from 2023 onward mostly erased. The color and brightness are acceptable for outdoor use in moderate sun, and at arm's length during video playback, the sharpness is adequate, but stare at it critically and the edges of letters and icons blur. A 60 Hz refresh rate means scrolling feels slower and slightly jerky compared to the 90 Hz or 120 Hz panels now standard even at this price tier. For calls, messaging, and streaming, it works; for anything else, it feels dated.
Performance
The Helio G25 is entry-level silicon from 2022, and it shows. Apps like WhatsApp, Gmail, Instagram, and light web browsing run without drama, and video playback is smooth. Anything demanding—games beyond Candy Crush, heavy social-media feeds with lots of video, or multitasking—reveals stutters and slowdowns. The GPU is weak enough that even older games like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact will force you to minimum settings and still struggle. For a phone you will use for calls and messaging, this is acceptable. If you have any gaming ambitions, look elsewhere. The 4 GB of RAM is a tight fit for 2022, and it shows when switching between multiple apps.
Software
Android 12 with Magic UI 6.1 is two years behind at launch, and Honor has not been swift with updates. The interface is functional but includes Honor bloat apps that clutter the home screen and app drawer. You can disable most of them, but the effort is a friction point for users who expect a cleaner experience. The good news is that Magic UI does not add the extreme overhead some customizations do, so the phone feels reasonably responsive for its chipset. Security patches will likely tail off after a year or two, a common pattern for budget brands.
Camera
The 50 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture and PDAF is respectable on paper, and in daylight it does produce usable shots with decent detail and color balance. A 2 MP macro lens is gimmickry—it is too low-res to matter in practice. The 5 MP selfie camera is adequate for video calls and social-media snaps, nothing more. Low-light performance is soft and noisy, and the 1080p 30 fps video capture is fine for casual clips but lacks the stabilization or bitrate to feel polished. For a budget phone, the camera is a strength relative to its price, but do not expect smartphone-level low-light or zoom quality.
Battery and charging
The 5000 mAh battery is the phone's anchor. With moderate use—social media, calls, light browsing—you will push it to 24–36 hours before needing the charger. This is a real advantage over phones that hunger for juice by evening. The catch is the 10 W charging speed, which is glacially slow by any standard. Expect 3–4 hours to fully charge from zero, and that is if you do not use the phone during the process. By 2022, even budget rivals had crossed 30 W, so this is a legitimate frustration. If you can live without fast charging, the battery life is a genuine convenience.
Value and verdict
At around 100 EUR, the Honor X6 5G is priced below flagships and even most mainstream phones, which sets expectations correctly. You are not getting a sharp display, snappy performance, or fast charging. What you are getting is a large screen, a battery that lasts, expandable storage, and a camera good enough for daytime photos. This is a phone for someone who makes calls, sends messages, streams video, and browses social media—and does not game or care about screen clarity. The lack of 5G (despite the name, the spec sheet shows only LTE) is misleading marketing, so check your regional variant carefully. For a second phone or a gift for someone who values simplicity and battery life over everything else, it makes sense. For anyone who wants a modern feeling experience or plans to keep the phone for more than two years, the aging software support and weak performance will disappoint.
Verdict
The Honor X6 is honest budget-phone work: it prioritizes battery life and screen size over every other quality, which suits users who simply want calls and messaging to work all day. Anyone expecting gaming, a sharp display, or software support beyond a year or two should spend another 50 EUR on a rival that shipped later or with better specs.
- 5000 mAh battery stretches to 1.5–2 days of moderate use without a fast charger tax
- Large 6.5-inch screen for web browsing and video at arm's length, despite low pixel density
- Dual SIM and expandable storage via microSDXC, letting you customize storage without paying for cloud subscriptions
- 50 MP main camera with f/1.8 aperture handles daylight shots adequately for a budget phone
- 720p display at 270 ppi is noticeably soft and pixelated; text and icons lack sharpness in everyday use
- Helio G25 chipset struggles visibly with any gaming beyond casual puzzles; demanding apps may stutter
- Only 10W charging speed means the 5000 mAh battery takes hours to fill, a significant friction point in modern budgets
Honor X6 5G Key Specifications
The essentials at a glance. See the full spec sheet.
| Released | 2022, September 21 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.5 inches, 102.0 cm2 (~83.0% screen-to-body ratio), TFT LCD |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~270 ppi density) |
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6762G Helio G25 (12 nm) |
| RAM & storage | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) Auxiliary lens |
| Selfie camera | 5 MP, f/2.2, (wide) |
| Battery | 5000 mAh |
| Software | Android 12, Magic UI 6.1 |
| Dimensions | 163.7 x 75.1 x 8.7 mm (6.44 x 2.96 x 0.34 in) |
| Weight | 194 g (6.84 oz) |
| Durability | IP52 |
| Network | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| NFC | Yes (VNE-LX1 only) |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
Honor X6 5G FAQ
Common questions, answered from the spec sheet.
Does the X6 5G support 5G?
No. The X6 5G tops out at GSM / HSPA / LTE, without 5G.
What chipset does the X6 5G use?
The X6 5G runs on the Mediatek MT6762G Helio G25 (12 nm).
What display does the X6 5G have?
A 6.5 inches, 102.0 cm2 (~83.0% screen-to-body ratio) TFT LCD, 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~270 ppi density).
How big is the X6 5G battery?
The X6 5G has a 5000 mAh battery.
Does the X6 5G have NFC?
Yes, the X6 5G has NFC.
Is the X6 5G water resistant?
The X6 5G carries a IP52 rating.
Does the X6 5G support a microSD card?
Yes, the X6 5G supports expandable storage (microSDXC).
Alternatives to consider
If the X6 5G isn’t quite right, these are the closest calls.
X7a
X5 Plus
Play 40
X6b 4G
Galaxy XCover 7
