Today, we look at two phones with a near mirror match in terms of hardware — chipset, RAM and storage.
These devices are the HONOR X8b and the vivo Y27s. Both have the same chipsets, similar memory and battery setups, with the point of contention under storage and cameras.
Our device reviews are held up with the belief that “no phone is too bad for the right price”. But, with a three-thousand peso price difference at the time this was written, which phone can bring more value on paper?
If I’ve got your attention, let’s get to the breakdown of how these two devices match up against each other.
| HONOR X8b | vivo Y27s |
|---|---|
| 6.7-inch (2412 x 1080) AMOLED display, 394ppi | 6.64-inch FHD+ (2388×1080) LCD display, 394ppi |
| 90Hz refresh rate | 90Hz refresh rate |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 |
| Adreno 610 GPU | Adreno 610 GPU |
| 8GB RAM (expandable to 16GB) | 8GB LPDDR4X RAM (expandable to 16GB) |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB internal storage | 128GB, 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| microSD card slot (up to 1TB) | |
| Triple-rear cameras: • 108MP F1.75 main • 5MP F2.2 wide and depth • 2MP F2.4 macro | Dual rear cameras: • 50MP F1.8 main • 2MP F2.4 secondary |
| 50MP F2.1 front camera | 8MP F2.0 front camera |
| Dual nano-SIM | Dual nano-SIM |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC (market/region dependent) | |
| GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo | GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| USB-C | USB-C |
| Type-C headphone port | 3.5mm headphone port |
| Fingerprint scanner (side) | Fingerprint scanner (side) |
| MagicOS 7.2 (Android 13) | Funtouch OS 13 (Android 13) |
| 4,500mAh Li-Po battery w/ 35W HONOR SuperCharge | 5000mAh Li-ion battery w/ 44W wired charging |
| 161.05 x 74.55 x 6.78mm | 164.06 x 76.17 x 8.17mm (non-Latin America) |
| 166 grams | 192 grams |
Table of Contents
Display
A suitable display supported by high resolution is crucial for media consumption and gaming.
In this category, the HONOR X8b and vivo Y27s are almost identical to one another. Both phones have a nearly 6.8-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and resolutions of up to 2400 x 1080 pixels.
However, the HONOR X8b offers better display quality with vibrant colors and true blacks, thanks to its AMOLED display. The vivo Y27s is only held back a tiny bit due to its FHD+ LCD display.
On paper, we wouldn’t fault smartphone users for thinking they have too much of the same for a display setup. Even so, the X8b is at an advantage as AMOLED displays also offer less battery consumption.
Chipset
For chipsets, we can expect the same performance for both the X8b and the Y27s. Both devices are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processors, and also paired with the same Adreno 610 GPUs.
The Snapdragon 680 is an old chipset, dating back to October of 2021. It is manufactured using the 6-nanometer process technology and has 4x Kryo 265 Gold (Cortex-A73) cores at 2.4GHz and 4x Kryo 265 Silver (Cortex-A53) cores at 1.9GHz.
RAM and Storage
Contemporary smartphones are expected to have 8GB of RAM to run without any hassle. Luckily, this is supported by both the HONOR X8b and vivo Y27s. Both devices even have the ability to extend to 16GB of RAM.
However, the storage specs get interesting when you stack these smartphones against each other.
The HONOR X8b has internal storage up to 512GB, with other variants of 128GB and 256GB. But for the vivo Y27s, the device only has two variants — 128GB and 256GB.
The catch? The vivo Y27s has UFS 2.2 support, offering more storage space for the OS, applications, and data. For storage expansion, the Y27s has a microSD card slot that can store up to 1TB of data.
This is a LOT of space for apps, games, photos, and videos. We’ll have to give this point to the Y27s for having flexible options for storage.
Cameras
In today’s digital age, how good the cameras are hold a lot of power as a purchasing decision pre-requisite. So, this could either be a phone maker or deal-breaker depending on how each phone can make their case.
First up, the HONOR X8b comes in hot with a triple-rear camera setup consisting of a whopping 108MP f/1.75 main camera, a 5MP f/2.2 wide and depth camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera.
On top of that, the HONOR X8b also sports a 50MP f/2.1 selfie camera too.
Meanwhile, the vivo Y27s shies away just a bit with a dual-camera setup consisting of a 50MP f/1.8 main camera and a 2MP f/2.4 secondary lens. Its selfie camera also pales in comparison, with only an 8MP F2.0 front camera.
Overall, megapixels don’t necessarily equate to better camera quality, but it surely helps paint your images with more detail. This round goes to the HONOR X8b.
Connectivity / Features
For connectivity and features, both smartphones are almost carbon copies of each other. However, the HONOR X8b does not have NFC support and nor a 3.5mm headphone port.
Both phones only have 4G connectivity.
Battery Capacity / Charging
Battery life spans are important when consuming media, gaming, and in general phone usage. So, how long your phone lasts coupled with how fast it charges should be considered.
For battery capacity, the HONOR X8b has a 4,500mAh lithium-polymer battery. The vivo Y27s has the edge, with a slightly larger 5,000mAh lithium-ion battery.
With similar chipsets, the smartphones should have about the same life span with the Y27s lasting a bit longer. However, the HONOR X8b does have an AMOLED display which helps it avoid fizzling as much power.
As for the charging speed, the X8b has 35W of HONOR SuperCharge while the Y27s has 44W of wired charging. Li-ion batteries are generally better because Li-Po batteries tend to produce unwanted heat output, thus the SuperCharge feature kind of sets the X8b back a bit.
This is a bit too close to call, so I’ll deem this a tie with everything considered.
Pricing
The vivo Y27s 16GB (8+8 Extended) + 256GB is on sale, priced at PHP 9,599 to PHP 9,799 depending on where you buy it from. Meanwhile, you need to shell out more for the HONOR X8b with 16GB + 512GB as its priced at PHP 12,999.
I’ll leave a link for where you can look at the phones in the conclusion below.
Conclusion
My consensus for these two smartphones is pretty dead center, but for the sake of readers finding their way up to here —- the HONOR X8b narrowly wins. Solid display and camera setups aren’t cheap, so the additional PHP 3K is worth it.
But if you’re leaning somewhere along the thrifty side, the vivo Y27s is a solid pick. Unless you want to shell out some more cash, you would only be missing a better display and camera setup.
So, if you do have extra to spend, the HONOR X8b awaits. A mid-range phone sporting an AMOLED display with a quality camera setup should not disappoint.
Check out the HONOR X8b on Lazada and Shopee, or go ahead and take a look at the vivo Y27s right here.
