Honor 9X vs Realme 5 Pro Specs Comparison – Premium Design vs Quad-Cameras

Honor 9X launched in the Philippines as another mid-range phone. In case you didn’t know, it’s one of the most competitive segments in the country. And one of the best under that category is Realme 5 Pro. Is Huawei’s new device enough to make you switch?

Honor 9X and Realme 5 Pro Differences

Advantages of Honor 9X

1. metal and glass build
2. slightly larger screen at 6.59″
3. motorized 16MP f2.2 selfie camera

Advantages of Realme 5 Pro

1. splash-resistant build
2. 184g
3. quad-cameras
4. Snapdragon 712
5. up to 8GB RAM
6. up to 4K video recording with EIS
7. Bluetooth 5.0
8. 20W VOOC fast charging

Honor 9X and Realme 5 Pro Similarities

1. FHD+ resolution
2. IPS LCD
3. main + ultrawide + depth sensors
4. single selfie camera
5. expandable microSD slot
6. USB-C
7. Wi-Fi ac
8. at least 4000mAh battery
9. two color options
10. rear capacitive fingerprint scanner
11. audio jack
12. corning gorilla glass

Which is a better buy between the Honor 9X and Realme 5 Pro?

Design and Display

For starters, both mid-range phones are loud when it comes to design. But when it comes to the “feel in the hands”, Honor 9X is a lot more substantial and premium thanks to the hefty back-to-back glass build. You might also find better content consumption here, as the screen is rid of the notch.

Speaking of, the 9X comes with a slightly larger screen at 6.59″ vs the 6.3″ of Realme 5 Pro with a teardrop notch. However, the screen quality should be equally the same as both feature FHD+ IPS LCD. While Realme’s mid-range phone is using Corning Gorilla Glass 3+, we weren’t able to confirm the version of Honor’s device.

READ: Realme 5 Pro Review – One of the Best Mid-Range Smartphone Cameras

Performance

Snapdragon 712 vs Kirin 710F — the difference is minimal but Qualcomm’s chipset has the benefit of better battery efficiency as it’s based on a smaller 10nm node (vs 12nm). When it comes to raw performance, synthetic benchmarks give the 712 better single and multi-core results while 710F gets a slight lead in GPU processing. Real-world performance, however, will still depend on UI optimization. That said, Realme 5 Pro is already scheduled to receive Android 10.

Variant-wise, Honor 9x is available in 6GB/128GB only while Realme 5 Pro goes from 4GB to 6GB RAM and 64GB to 128GB internal storage.

Cameras

Don’t be fooled by the difference in the number of cameras as getting the Honor device means losing a dedicated macro sensor only. But for the rest, you’re still getting 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP depth. If you happen to be focused on videography rather than photography, Realme 5 Pro enables up to 4K @ 30fps video recording with electronic image stabilization. As for the Honor 9X Pro, you’re stuck at 1080p.

While both are using a 16MP selfie camera, Realme has a wider aperture at f2.0 that allows for better low-light photos. On the flip end, Honor has that pop-up mechanism that automatically retracts when freefall is detected.

Battery and Charging

For the sake of comparison, Realme 5 Pro has a slight advantage in the capacity department — 4035mAh vs 4000mAh of Honor 9X Pro. Both charges via USB-C but Realme is the only one with 20W VOOC fast charging that goes up to 50% in 30 minutes.

Conclusion

Honor 9X Pro is priced at P12,490 while Realme 5 Pro is available in two variants (P11,990 – 4GB/128GB and P13,990 8GB/128GB). The only advantages of getting Honor’s device are the larger RAM and better build quality. That’s already compared to the base model of Realme’s best mid-range offering. The 9X Pro could’ve been a good deal if only it was released earlier this year.

READ: Honor 9X Pro Launched: Kirin 810, Three Cameras, 8GB RAM starting at P16k