The first quarter of the year has been very interesting in the smartphone market with all of the mid-range smartphones being released. With that in mind, we decided to put two prominent ones head-to-head.
So today, we’re comparing the HONOR X8b with the POCO M6 Pro 4G. However, we’re not just focusing on what has more value on paper.
We’ve reviewed both devices before and found some points of contention around storage and battery. With a difference of a thousand pesos between two fresh devices, which one can do more with what they have?
| HONOR X8b | POCO M6 Pro 4G |
|---|---|
| 6.7-inch (2412 x 1080) AMOLED display, 394ppi | 6.67-inch (2400 x 1080) FHD+ Flow AMOLED DotDisplay |
| 90Hz refresh rate | 120Hz refresh rate, 2160Hz sampling rate |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 | MediaTek Helio G99-Ultra |
| Adreno 610 GPU | ARM Mali-G57 MC2 GPU |
| 8GB RAM (expandable to 16GB) | 8GB, 12GB LPDDR4X RAM |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB internal storage | 256GB, 512GB UFS 2.2 internal storage |
| microSD card hybrid slot (up to 1TB) | |
| Triple-rear cameras: • 108MP F1.75 main • 5MP F2.2 wide and depth • 2MP F2.4 macro | Triple-rear cameras: • 64MP F1.7 main • 8MP F2.4 ultrawide • 2MP F2.4 macro |
| 50MP F2.1 front camera | 16MP F2.5 front camera |
| Dual nano-SIM | Dual nano-SIM |
| 4G LTE | 4G, 3G, 2G |
| Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz | Dual-band Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| NFC supported | |
| GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo | GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo |
| USB-C | USB-C |
| Type-C headphone port | 3.5mm headphone port |
| Fingerprint scanner (side) | Fingerprint scanner (optical in-display) |
| MagicOS 7.2 (Android 13) | MIUI 14 (Android 13) |
| 4,500mAh Li-Po battery w/ 35W HONOR SuperCharge | 5,000mAh Li-Po battery w/ 67W wired turbo charging |
| 161.05 x 74.55 x 6.78mm | 161.1mm x 74.95mm x 7.98mm |
| 166 grams | 179 grams |
Time to have a good ol’ mid-range smartphone head-to-head comparison. If you’re interested, pull up and let’s hop right into the article below!
Table of Contents
Display
A display sets the tone for end users to have a pleasant experience with media consumption, gaming, and other tasks.
The two phones have a seemingly identical setup, both having 6.7-inch AMOLED displays with resolutions @ 2400 x 1080. However, the POCO M6 Pro 4G has a higher refresh rate at 120Hz, as opposed to the X8b’s 90Hz refresh rate.
But what if we were to apply what the graphics cards offer for the phones in terms of image rendering?
On paper, graphic-wise, it’s neck-to-neck between the Adreno 610 and the Mali-G57 MC2. Although, we should let readers know that the chipset itself greatly contributes to rendering speeds.
We give this round to the POCO M6 Pro 4G, and we’re about to explain why next.
Chipset
The HONOR X8b runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset with a 6nm octa-core processor. This runs on four (4) Kryo 265 Gold cores @ 2.4GHz and four (4) Kryo 265 Silver cores @ 1.9GHz.
Meanwhile, the POCO M6 Pro 4G runs on a Mediatek Helio G99 Ultra with a 6nm octa-core processor. This consists of two (2) Cortex-A76 cores @ 2.2GHz and six (6) Cortex-A55 cores @ 2GHz.
Upon further review of our past benchmarks, the Helio G99 Ultra overpowers the Snapdragon 680 in almost every category.
This is due to the Snapdragon 680 being considered a low end chipset opposed to the mid range Helio G99 Ultra. This is likely because of the former being released in October 2021, while the Helio G99 Ultra’s release was in Q3 of 2022.
The Snapdragon 680 achieves an average score of over 320,000 points in the Antutu benchmark. Meanwhile, the Helio G99 Ultra scored much higher with almost 428,000 points.
| HONOR X8b | POCO M6 Pro 4G | |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 680 | Helio G99 Ultra |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Antutu v10.1.8 | 320,656 | 427,772 |
| Geekbench Single-Core | 418 | 728 |
| Geekbench Multi-Core | 1,451 | 1,923 |
| Geekbench OpenCL | 348 | 1,273 |
| Geekbench Vulkan | 573 | 1,274 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 7,957 | 10,557 |
| Antutu Storage Test v10.1.8 | 35,592 | 50,252 |
According to our past benchmarks, the numbers are in favor of the POCO M6 Pro 4G’s chipset in terms of general performance.
Memory / Storage
As aspiring mid range options for smartphones, these two need to have the bare minimum—8GB of RAM.
Fortunately, they do! The M6 Pro 4G and X8b’s minimum is 8GB, with variants up to 12GB and 16GB for each phone respectively.
Moving on to storage specs, the HONOR X8b has internal storage up to 512GB, with variants of 128GB and 256GB. As for the POCO M6 Pro 4G, we have variants with 256GB and 512GB.
Additionally, both phones have UFS 2.2 support. However, the POCO M6 Pro 4G has a hybrid microSD card slot that could handle up to 1TB of storage.
So, this is TONS of fast storage for the OS, apps, and general data for end users. It’s looking pretty one-sided so far, as another point goes to the POCO M6 Pro 4G.
Cameras
Cameras can be either game changers, deal breakers, and ultimately, a purchasing journey needle mover. That said, we can not stress how much a camera specs can attract or spook off buyers anywhere and everywhere.
First up, we have the HONOR X8b’s triple-rear camera setup. This consists of a 108MP f/1.75 main camera, a 5MP f/2.2 wide and depth sensor, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens.
For its front camera, users are treated to the HONOR X8b’s 50MP f/2.1 selfie machine.
As for the POCO M6 Pro 4G, we also have a triple rear-camera setup. This consists of a 64MP main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor.
For selfie use, the POCO M6 Pro 4G houses a 16MP front camera in the punch hole.
All things considered, both phones surely produce sharp photos under the best conditions possible. However, numbers don’t lie, and the HONOR X8b is literally made for this.
Again, megapixel numbers don’t equal what a great photo is. But, it surely helps end users produce detailed images with depth, clarity, and accuracy.
One point down for the HONOR X8b in this head-to-head comparo!
Connectivity / Features
For connectivity and features, both phones have dual nano-SIM card slots and charge via USB-Type C ports.
However, POCO M6 Pro 4G users can sacrifice a slot in favor of a memory card up to 1TB.
Next, both models support 4G, have dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. But to add, the POCO M6 Pro 4G has a later version in Bluetooth 5.2, while the HONOR X8b is still under Bluetooth 5.
The HONOR X8b also isn’t NFC supported, while the POCO M6 Pro 4G is. It should also be mentioned that the latter still supports 3.5mm headphone jacks, while the former does not.
Both phones have fingerprint sensors, the difference being the X8b’s being side-mounted while the M6 Pro 4G’s is optical in-display.
Moving on to software, both phones run on Android 13 skinned by their own UIs. The HONOR X8b runs on MagicOS 7.2, while the POCO M6 Pro 4G runs on MIUI 14.
For notable features, the POCO M6 Pro 4G also has an IR blaster. To elaborate, the IR blaster lets your M6 Pro 4G become somewhat of a universal smart remote.
Overall, round goes to the POCO M6 Pro 4G due to its up-to-date specs, cool features, and inclusivity efforts. This one’s for the people still using wired earphones like I do!
Battery Capacity / Charging
We can’t skimp on battery life. This lets us know how much time we’re going to get as we consume media, play games, or lounge around.
So, how long your phone charges and how long can it stay on the up-and-up matters.
To start, the HONOR X8b is powered by a 4,500mAh lithium-polymer (Li-Po) battery. It also features 35W of HONOR SuperCharge to boot.
Meanwhile, the POCO M6 Pro 4G takes an advantage, powered by a slightly bigger 5,000mAh Li-Po battery. The POCO M6 Pro 4G also features 67W of wired turbo charging.
Chipsets considered, the M6 Pro 4G should last a bit longer opposed to the X8b. After all, 5,000mAh should be a standard number.
But according to our reviews on the POCO M6 Pro 4G and HONOR X8b, these phones lasted about the same. It’s crazy, because the X8b lasted longer with a smaller battery.
In PC Mark’s Work 3.0 Battery test, the POCO M6 Pro 4G lasted 12 hours and 30 minutes. As for the HONOR X8b, it lasted 12 hours and 47 minutes.
A really close call, but the HONOR X8b gets this point considering it has a smaller battery.
Pricing
As mid range smartphones, these two are competitively priced under the PHP 15,000 range. The HONOR X8b is priced at PHP 12,999 for its 16GB + 512GB variant at Lazada and Shopee.
As for the POCO M6 Pro 4G, it’s available on sale for PHP 10,549 for its 8GB + 256GB variant. The 12GB + 512GB variant is also in the market, on sale for PHP 12,499 in Lazada.
Conclusion
Pretty safe to say, the POCO M6 Pro 4G wins as a solid well-rounded pick for mid range smartphones. It also doesn’t help the X8b that its rival smartphone is coincidentally on sale at the time of writing this.
Putting things into perspective, it’s got a better display, and has a superior chipset too. Additionally, it’s surely got quicker RAM processing and more room for storage to handle your files.
And more importantly, it understands inclusivity in the form of 3.5mm earphone ports. Jokes aside, it’s also got small downsides like battery life and things unmentioned like bloatware.
To be fair to the HONOR X8b, it’s a great phone in its own right. It sports a solid AMOLED display, has a thinner profile, and is tailor-made for photography.
BUT, for the price it currently has compared to what the POCO M6 Pro 4G can offer—it’s just not it.
We believe with a little bit of time post-release, the HONOR X8b will shine as a photography focused pickup.
But for now, we’re going to conclude by suggesting people take a look into the POCO M6 Pro 4G. After all, no smartphone is bad when held up for the right price.
