Up close with the affordable, 5.5-inch Honor 4X (pictures)

BARCELONA -- The Honor line of phones from Huawei tend to be affordable options, and the new Honor 4X model is no different.

Get to know the smartphone by clicking through the slideshow and read our hands-on review for more details.

The 5.5-inch smartphone is brand new, but it ships with an older version of Android's operating system. Currently running KitKat, the Honor 4X should eventually receive an upgrade to Lollipop 5.0.

Similar to its older sibiling, the Honor 6, the 4X is still a bit of a downgrade. Instead of a 1080p screen, its 5.5-inch display features a 720p resolution.

Housing a 16-bit octa-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz, the 4X's performance should work well for casual users who need basic phone functionality and Web browsing capabilities.

Its design is rather unremarkable, with a black plastic back that features a rough texture. Despite its plastic-y feel, it has a sturdy heft.

Cameras are a hot feature on smartphones. This Honor model sports a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.

Samsung made some waves when its new smartphone, the Galaxy S6, switched things up a bit by omitting a removable battery. The Honor 4X doesn't make this mistake.

The Honor 4X isn't the sleekest smartphone, at 153mm long, 77mm wide and 8.6mm thick. Yet according to CNET's Andrew Hoyle on the scene in Barcelona, it's still a delight to hold.

Check out more coverage coming out of Mobile World Congress 2015.