The Huawei Honor 5X was finally unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Show 2016. This recently announced handset from the Chinese tech company is slated to hit the market shelves for only $199.99.
According to The Verge, Honor, Huawei's subsidiary that aims to get some of Xiaomi's thunder through low prices and online marketing, is officially launching in the US. During the CES the company revealed its 5X smartphone that will be accessible later this month for $199.99.
The Huawei 5X has unusual features for its price level as it has metal frame and a fingerprint sensor. The screen is 1080p at 5.5 inches and there's a Snapdragon 615 processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM. The camera is 13 megapixels with an f/2.0 lens and the device is powered by a battery having 3,000mAh capacity. Overall, the Honor 5X feels a lot more solid and expensive than it really is.
The main qualification is the software, which is almost similar with the version of Huawei's dubious iOS-style EMUI seen on the Mate 8, but runs atop Android Lollipop instead of the newer Marshmallow. It's visually a little brighter and more attractive, but the users will deal with a heavy Android skin that removes the app drawer. It also rips off iOS at every opportunity starting from the camera app to the folders and the notification shade.
Honor's potential customers may not necessarily have strong thoughts on preserving the purity of stock Android, but it's difficult to see who wins with EMUI.
Tech News Today added that aside from Honor 5X, Huawei has unveiled five other products during the CES event. These include the Honor Band Z1, Huawei GX8, two new models of Huawei Watch, MediaPad M2 10.0 tablet, and Nexus 6P in a gold cover.
It was also reported that last year is a strong run for the Chinese company, as it shipped over 100 million smartphones on increased demand from Middle East and African region. The improved demand was reportedly also due to the hype surrounding Nexus 6P. This is the first time Google partnered with Huawei for a Nexus device.
Additionally, PC Magazine reported that the Huawei Honor 5X is a potential Editors' Choice for inexpensive unlocked smartphones. But then this device will undergo benchmark testing to give it a full review. This handset will be going on pre-sale on Jan.6 at hihonor.com/us, with retail sale starting on Jan. 31. If consumers will place a reservation, they will be receiving a free pair of headphones.
Huawei is the third smartphone maker in the world which has long struggled to sell its smartphones in the US. But as American buyers and carriers move away from the traditional two-year contract cycle, the low priced handset like the Honor 5X could become an appealing option to purchase.
