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'Sup, Honor: Huawei's affordable 5X phone makes a compelling case for millenials

Huawei's Honor brand has been around for awhile, but now it's storming the US (and elsewhere) with its latest Android phone.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations

Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).

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Jessica Dolcourt

Jan. 5, 2016 9:15 p.m. PT

2 min read

Two interesting things are happening with the Honor 5X phone that Huawei announced here at the CES conference in Las Vegas. First, Huawei is targeting millennials with a $200 phone that has specs you might actually want. (The price converts to about £135 and AU$275.)

Second, as far as I can tell, the 5X is almost exactly the same as the Huawei GX8, but it costs $150 less.

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$100 at Amazon

Perhaps Huawei is hoping that nobody will notice that the Honor 5X, which is available January 31 has the same screen size and internal specs at the GX8:

5.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution display
Android 5.1 Lollipop with Emotion UI (EMUI) 3.1
Cameras: 13-megapixel, 5-megapixel front-facing
1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor
3,000mAh battery

The arbitrary pricing difference may come down to Huawei's hopes that teens and young adults who were born and raised on the Internet will flock to the 5X's meeting of low price with all-metal good looks. Too bad those who aren't able to get their hands on the Honor 5X -- like if it isn't sold in their market -- will have to shell out significantly more for the same product.

5X is the fifth "X" phone in Huawei's "Honor" line, but the first of the subbrand to come to the US. In addition to gold, the Honor 5X also comes in silver and dark gray. The sleek metal frame looks and feels classy, and managed to avoid fingerprints when I played with it.

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Speaking of fingerprints, the 5X has a fingerprint sensor on the back that unlocks the phone when it recognizes your digit, as well as more sophisticated tricks like launching specific apps.

You'll be able to buy it from Huawei's Honor website as well as other third-party retailers in your area. For example, in the US, it'll sell at HiHonor.com, NewEgg and Amazon.

Huawei is throwing some real energy behind its handset in a CES that's otherwise low-key on phones. Also check out the other phones Huawei has announced here at the show, like the Mate 8 and gold Google Nexus 6P. Let's hope that this is the only customer hoodwinking Huawei plays at this show, or any other.