Honor X7d Review: A Practical, Reliable Entry-Level Smartphone

What’s in the box?

Having recently been gifted with the Honor X7d, I was most delighted by the thoughtful extras. Yes, the star of the show is the smartphone, but finding an adapter, phone cover, and pre-applied screen protector was a surprise I didn’t know I needed. Great welcoming gifts from Honor, especially for those buying their first smartphone. You’ll also find a USB-C cable for faster charging and data exchange.  

Design

Sleek, sturdy, and light in the hand, the Honor X7d is designed with everyday life in mind. Being somewhat of a clutz myself, it’s great not to have my heart sink every time I drop my phone.

Coming in the colours Desert Gold and Velvet Black, I received the latter. The matte finish gives the phone a lush touch and a slippery one. Without the cover, it feels like it could quite literally slip through my fingers. Luckily, this wouldn’t be a train smash in the very least. It’s also dust- and water-resistant, making it the ideal phone to use should you get caught in a storm – dust or otherwise.  

Along with the standard volume and power buttons on the side of the phone, the Honor X7d also boasts an AI button that will simplify your life. From taking a screenshot to optimising your phone, you can access the AI menu with just one click and customise with a long press.  

Screen

Coming in at just over 17cm, the screen is made from tempered glass. It has a resolution of 1610×720 and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The Honor X7d is great for social media scrolling, browsing the net, catching up with texts, and general everyday use.

The display does, unfortunately, have a grainy texture to it. It’s not immediately noticeable, but you’ll pick up on it, especially when you are used to higher resolution displays.  

Camera

The Honor X7d has a 50MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. You can take images in:

• Night mode
• Portrait
• Normal photo
• Pro

These all have the option of being taken in HDR, to be a moving photo, and have the HONOR X7d watermark.

The picture quality is not the best. With good lighting, it’s reasonably decent and offers a fair amount of detail. The video quality is okay. For the price point, it’s fair quality. It won’t be replacing any professional equipment, but it will capture cherished memories just as well.

My favourite feature is the dual recorder and scan document. The former allows the camera to record with the rear and front cameras at the same time. This makes content creation so much fun and takes creativity to another level. The latter makes it quick and easy to simply take clear and super sharp snaps of important documents that you might need for your records or to send off.

Battery

The battery quality of the Honor X7d is impressive. Being known for having my devices die on me, the Honor X7d can easily go a whole day with just a single charge from the previous night. Honestly, I wouldn’t expect less from the 6,500 mAh battery. I also appreciate the fact that it charges fast thanks to the 35W HONOR SuperCharge.

The battery makes it a reliable phone. It’s definitely the one to have when you go anywhere where power might be limited.  

Available with 128 GB and 256 GB storage, this phone provides ample space for multimedia, apps, and operations alike. Honor X7d is the type of phone that you’ll have for a long time. It’s a no-frills, gets-the-job-done smartphone. It’ll also last you well into the next day, when other smartphones need charging a quarter way into it.

Light on the pocket, the Honor X7d is a humble workhorse.. It runs everyday tasks without fuss, pushes through long days, and holds its own far better than you’d expect at this price. If you need a practical smartphone, something entry-level that doesn’t feel cheaply put together, then the Honor X7d is the device for you.