Today, we got an interesting matchup with the Honor X8a battling against the OPPO A78 5G—both powered by MediaTek chips, having the same amount of RAM and storage, and 90Hz screen refresh rate.
But their key differences will certainly define their own strengths despite standing at different price points. (Spoiler: they have a PHP 4,000 price difference.)
The question is, which phone will be the outstanding choice? Let’s find out in our specs comparison.
Table of Contents
Display
From the get-go, we already see a crucial distinction just by looking at their displays.
The Honor X8a has a 6.7-inch Full HD+ LCD panel, while the OPPO A78 has a smaller 6.56-inch LCD screen with only an HD+ resolution—which might be a deal breaker for most of you.
OPPO compromises that with an added layer of display protection thanks to its Panda glass cover.
Both displays have a 90Hz refresh rate; thus, you can expect to have a smoother experience in navigation and day-to-day scrolling.
Another difference is the notch. The Honor X8a applies a punch-hole notch housing its 16-megapixel front camera, while the OPPO A78 has a dew drop notch for its 8-megapixel selfie shooter.
Chipset
This is where the OPPO A78 will power through since it boasts the MediaTek Dimensity 700 chip which outperforms the Honor X8a’s MediaTek Helio G88 in all fronts.
Going over to nanoreview, the Dimensity 700 gained higher scores on CPU and gaming performance, as well as battery efficiency—as it should be because the Dimensity line is a step higher than the Helio line of MediaTek chips.
Not only that, the Dimensity 700 runs on a 7-nanometer process as compared to Helio G88 running on a 12-nanometer process node.
Memory and Storage
Both phones have 8GB RAM plus 128GB storage.
But only the OPPO A78 has an extended memory feature of up to 8GB RAM totaling to 16GB.
Another downside of the Honor X8a is the absence of expandable storage which is a bit weird in its price segment.
The OPPO A78, gladly, has support for up to 1-terabyte expansion via microSD.
Cameras
Flipping onto the back of these phones, we can see that the Honor X8a has more sensors.
It packs a triple camera setup headlined by a 100-megapixel lens, a 5-megapixel ultrawide, and a 2-megapixel macro.
Compare that to the OPPO A78’s dual camera setup with only a 50-megapixel main lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
Having an ultrawide lens on the Honor X8a definitely sets the bar high in terms of its camera capabilities against its foe.
The higher megapixel count just secures the win for Honor X8a in this category.
Battery and Charging
Like mentioned earlier, the chipset underneath the OPPO A78 is more efficient hence it gives us much better battery life. Adding to that is the 5000 mAh of battery capacity coupled with 33 watts of fast charging.
The Honor X8a falls short with only 4500 mAh of battery and a slower charging rate at 22.5 watts.
Other Features
The OPPO A78, if you haven’t noticed, has 5G next to its name. Meaning that it supports 5G connectivity.
But the Honor X8a does not—which is acceptable, since it sits on a budget-level after all.
Moving on, the OPPO A78 also offers more features including an NFC, and an IPX4 water resistance.
It has a more updated Android version with Android 13 and the ColorOS 13 skin.
The Honor X8a has a MagicUI 6.1 based on Android 12.
And both phones have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometrics.
Which one should you get?
Overall, the OPPO A78 5G is technically a better choice.
For just PHP 14,990, the OPPO A78 5G offers a much more powerful chipset, two added layers of protection with the Panda glass and IPX4 rating, a more efficient battery life, NFC-capable, and most importantly, it supports 5G connectivity.
But beware of some compromises—such as a lower resolution display and limited camera capabilities.
These are areas in which the Honor X8a excels with its Full HD+ screen, and 100-megapixel triple rear cameras.
The Honor X8a sets you back at only PHP 10,890 which is great for those with a tight budget looking for a solid mid-range phone.
So, if you’re choosing between the Honor X8a and the OPPO A78 5G, which one would you get and why?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Technical Specifications: Honor X8a vs OPPO A78 5G
| Honor X8a | OPPO A78 5G |
| 6.7-inch FHD+ (2388 x 1080) LTPS LCD | 6.56-inch HD+ (1612 x 720) LCD |
| 90Hz refresh rate | 90Hz refresh rate |
| Panda glass | |
| MediaTek Helio G88 | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| 6GB, 8GB RAM | 8GB RAM LPDDR4X (+8GB extended memory) |
| 128GB storage | 128GB storage UFS2.2 |
| Up to 1TB expansion via microSD | |
| Triple rear cameras: • 100MP f/1.9 main • 5MP f/2.2 ultrawide/depth • 2MP f/2.4 macro |
Dual rear cameras: • 50MP f/1.8 main • 2MP f/2.4 depth |
| 16MP f/2.45 front camera | 8MP f/2.0 front camera |
| Dual nano-SIM | Dual nano-SIM |
| 4G LTE | 5G, 4G LTE |
| WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz + 5GHz | WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz + 5GHz |
| Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| GPS, AGPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, AGPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| NFC | |
| Side-mounted fingerprint sensor | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| IPX4 water resistance | |
| MagicUI 6.1 (Android 12) | ColorOS 13 (Android 13) |
| 4500mAh battery | 5000mAh battery |
| 22.5W charging rate | 33W charging rate |
| 162.9mm x 74.5mm x 7.48mm (dimensions) | 163.8 x 75.1 x 7.99 mm (dimensions) |
| 179 grams (weight) | 188 grams (weight) |
| Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, Midnight Black (colorways) | Glowing Black, Glowing Purple (colorways) |
| PHP 10,890 | 8GB + 128GB | PHP 14,990 | 8GB + 128GB |
