Introduction
CES introduced a couple of new notable smartphone entries into the ultra-value segment (sub-$300) of the US market, both from Chinese phone makers: The Honor 6X and the ZTE Blade Pro. Honor had already announced the Honor 6X a few months before it brought the 6X to the States at the CES announcement.
Honor's 6X was announced with a Kirin 655, 3GB of RAM, 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 3,340 mAh battery, and a dual camera setup. Since the 6X was technically released earlier than the Blade V8 Pro, ZTE had a glimpse of what Honor was offering and immediately took a chance to one-up the Huawei-owned brand.
ZTE's product checks more boxes on paper: NFC, 5 GHz Wi-FI, USB-C, and Quick Charge 2.0. The 6X has none of these and costs $30 more than the Blade V8 Pro. In addition, the Blade V8 Pro has a dual-13MP camera VS the Honor 6X's 12MP+2MP setup. This will definitely be an interesting comparison.
Honor 6X at a glance
- 5.5" LTPS IPS LCD - 1080 x 1920px ~403 ppi
- Octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 655 - 4x2.1 GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x1.7GHz Cortex-A53 & Mali-T830MP2 GPU
- 32GB of storage (expandable) / 3GB of RAM (64GB / 4GB model available in markets outside US)
- Dual camera: 12MP + 2MP depth sensor, PDAF, 1.25 micron pixel size, 1080p @ 30fps
- 8MP front-facing camera
- Slim and lightweight construction with metal backing
- HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
- Hybrid DualSIM support via microSD slot
- MicroUSB 2.0
- Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
- 3,340 mAh battery
- No NFC, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
ZTE Blade V8 Pro at a glance
- 5.5" IPS LCD - 1080 x 1920 px ~401 ppi w/ Gorilla Glass 3
- Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 - 8x2.0GHz Cortex-A53 & Adreno 506 GPU
- 32GB of storage (expandable) / 3GB of RAM
- Dual 13MP camera setup, PDAF, 1080p or 2160p @ 30fps video
- 8MP front-facing camera
- Metal-reinforced construction with soft-touch textured backside
- HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
- Hybrid DualSIM support via microSD slot
- Quick Charge 2.0 support via USB-C charging port
- Fingerprint scanner embedded into physical home button & capacitive nav keys
- 3,140 mAh
- NFC and 5GHz Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac
Both devices are shipping with Android Marshmallow, but Honor's 6X is in line for Nougat before the Blade V8 Pro's (Honor is currently beta testing the Nougat update). Only time will tell how both of these devices will stand up to the user experience once they are updated. But for now, we'll focus on hardware design, displays, battery life and performance. We'll also be comparing the two dual-camera shooters head-to-head.
Does the ZTE Blade V8 Pro stand a chance against Honor's online retail presence? We'll start with hardware and design and go from there.
Hardware and Design
There are a couple of striking differences when it comes to the design of these two devices. Honor went with a simplistic metal-wraparound design with upper and lower plastic bumpers to let signals pass through.
On the other hand, ZTE's design is more robust, with a metal midsection that wraps all the way around the border of the phone. Meanwhile, the back is a soft-to-the-touch rubbery texture. Both designs feature slight curvatures for improved ergonomics, but one device's design is clearly superior.
If you haven't already seen it, the Honor 6X has been tested for durability and the results are not in Honor's favor. The Honor 6X's structural integrity was simply not enough to handle the pressure of a bend test. Not to mention, the 6X build contains more plastic than the V8 Pro.
Durability aside, these two phones are quite opposites when it comes to aesthetics. The Honor 6X is more "chic", if you will. It has a 'daintier' design and appears more feminine in comparison to the beefier appearance of the Blade V8 Pro. Some may argue that the Honor 6X looks basic and doesn't try to stand out in any way, others might call it 'minimalistic'.
On the flip side, ZTE did a great job visually with the Blade V8 Pro. Much like the ZTE Axon 7, the phone maker made an effort to build the Blade V8 Pro with a distinctive design, making it easy to tell apart from other smartphones sitting on a table.
Going back to durability, the Honor 6X does not have Gorilla Glass, nor does it have an oleophobic coating to keep the glass from smudging up. Although it does come with a factory screen protector pre-installed, this scratches up pretty badly. Meanwhile, ZTE's panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
Winner: ZTE Blade V8 Pro. It has a far superior design in terms of durability and it is built to really take a beating. So, if we were to carry one of these devices without a case, without a doubt we'd go with the ZTE Blade V8 Pro.
Display
When it comes to displays, both devices are equipped with similarly spec'd panels. Both are 1080p in resolution and 5.5 inches diagonally. At first glance, you can definitely tell that the Honor 6X's display is superior to the Blade V8 Pro's. Observations aside, let's let the numbers speak for themselves.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.321 | 579 | 1804 | |
| 0.514 | 421 | 819 | |
Both devices scored an average DeltaE of 5.6. The max Delta E is higher on the ZTE Blade V8 Pro at 9.7, which is due to a cooler appearance of white tones. The Honor 6X had the same issue with whites, but its deltaE was lower at 7.9 (the lower the DeltaE, the better). What this means is the Honor 6X is more color-accurate than the Blade.
Though we wanted to compare the displays further, ZTE does not include a way to tweak the color temperature of its display while the Honor 6X gives you a color temperature sphere (which is difficult to use for tweaking, but at least it's there).
Winner: Honor 6X. It has a vibrant display with more accurate colors and excellent viewing angles. As an added bonus, the 6X can reach a blinding 570 nits which powers through even the brightest of summer days.
Battery Life
Both smartphones feature ample battery sizes that will satisfy the need for a long-lasting battery. The ZTE Blade V8 Pro carries a 3,140 mAh battery while the Honor 6X has a 3,340 mAh power pack. Despite a difference of just 200 mAh, the ZTE scored just a little higher than the Honor 6X did with an overall endurance score of 89h while the 6X scored 84h.
Final words
Now that we've compared the major aspects of two ultra-value smartphones we are down to picking a winner. Both devices are winners in their own right, but if we chose a winner FOR you, we wouldn't be doing our jobs. We are here to provide you with all the relevant information needed for you to make a decision. Let's recap the results.
For starters, both devices are designed a bit differently when it comes to aesthetics. The Honor 6X is definitely representative of "thin beauty." Its design strikes a chord with elegance and simplicity while ZTE's is more rugged and durable. If you go with the 6X, we strongly recommend you also pick up a screen protector and a case. Otherwise, ZTE can handle an all-nude lifestyle and is much less prone to scratching. That said, you'll definitely get more curious looks with the Honor 6X than with the ZTE's more conventional appearance.
Final words
Now that we've compared the major aspects of two ultra-value smartphones we are down to picking a winner. Both devices are winners in their own right, but if we chose a winner FOR you, we wouldn't be doing our jobs. We are here to provide you with all the relevant information needed for you to make a decision. Let's recap the results.
For starters, both devices are designed a bit differently when it comes to aesthetics. The Honor 6X is definitely representative of "thin beauty." Its design strikes a chord with elegance and simplicity while ZTE's is more rugged and durable. If you go with the 6X, we strongly recommend you also pick up a screen protector and a case. Otherwise, ZTE can handle an all-nude lifestyle and is much less prone to scratching. That said, you'll definitely get more curious looks with the Honor 6X than with the ZTE's more conventional appearance.
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