Honor X5d Plus Full Review: A Budget Phone That Gets the Basics Right
SmartphonesQuick Verdict
The Honor X5d Plus is a well-considered budget device that delivers genuine value for the right buyer. Its large battery, 90Hz display, and 128GB of storage put it ahead of many rivals at the same price, while the absence of NFC and 4G-only connectivity define its ceiling clearly.
Overall Score
out of 5
Recommended for Budget BuyersStandout strength: Battery endurance
Key Specifications at a Glance
Design and Build: Thin, Light, and Practical
At 186 grams and just 7.9mm thick, the Honor X5d Plus is genuinely comfortable to hold and pocket for extended periods. That slimness is notable at this price tier, where phones often carry heft as an accidental byproduct of large batteries. Here, the engineers managed to fit a substantial power cell into a svelte frame — an achievement most buyers will appreciate daily without ever consciously noticing it.
The footprint is wide at 77mm, which puts it at the larger end of one-handed usability. People with smaller hands will find themselves shuffling their grip to reach the opposite corner of the screen. This is an acceptable compromise for a 6.74-inch display, but worth knowing before you commit.
The display glass is unbranded, meaning it lacks the extra hardness of Gorilla Glass or equivalent scratch-resistant treatments. A screen protector is advisable from day one.
Physical Specs
- Weight
- 186 g
- Thickness
- 7.9 mm
- Width
- 77 mm
- Height
- 167 mm
This phone carries no IP rating. Avoid exposing it to rain, liquids, or humid environments.
The Display: Big, Smooth, and Good Enough
The 6.74-inch IPS LCD panel is the visual centrepiece of this phone. For reading, streaming, and browsing, that screen real estate is genuinely pleasant — content breathes, text is easy to scan, and video fills your view in a way smaller phones simply cannot match.
The 90Hz refresh rate is where this display punches above its price class. Most entry-level phones ship at 60Hz. At 90Hz, the Honor X5d Plus delivers noticeably smoother motion when swiping through menus, scrolling feeds, or navigating apps. It is not 120Hz, but the jump from 60Hz to 90Hz is the one most people actually perceive.
The resolution at 720 x 1600 pixels translates to around 260 pixels per inch. At arm's length, text and images look clean and satisfactory. Hold it very close and individual pixels become visible on fine text.
This is an LCD panel, not OLED, which means blacks appear as very dark grey rather than true black. Watching content in a dark room reveals this. Outdoors in sunlight, however, LCDs often compete well with OLEDs at the same brightness level, so daytime visibility is respectable. There is no HDR10 or Always-On Display.
Performance: Reliable for Everyday Tasks, Honest About Its Ceiling
The Processor and What It Means
The MediaTek Helio G81 Ultra is a well-understood chip in the entry-to-lower-mid-range category. Built on a 12-nanometer manufacturing process, it uses two faster cores for demanding tasks and six efficiency cores handling lighter workloads — a configuration that balances responsiveness with power economy intelligently.
In practice, this chipset handles everything a typical user does without complaint: browsing, social media, music streaming, navigation, messaging, and light photography. Apps open promptly, multitasking between a few applications is smooth, and day-to-day interactions feel fluid rather than sluggish.
Gaming Reality Check
Graphically demanding games will run but at reduced visual settings and with occasional frame drops during intense scenes. Long sessions may cause the phone to warm noticeably. The Honor X5d Plus suits casual gaming — not competitive or immersive 3D titles.
Memory and Storage
4GB RAM
Functional but lean by current standards. The phone manages simultaneous tasks well in typical use but may reload apps more frequently when switching rapidly between many applications at once. Heavy multitaskers will notice the ceiling.
128GB Storage + microSD
Enough for thousands of photos, hours of video, a large music library, and dozens of apps. The microSD card slot — increasingly absent even on mid-range phones — means you can expand capacity as needed, extending the useful life of the device considerably.
Camera System: Capable for the Price, Honest in Its Limits
Main Camera
The 50-megapixel main camera is the marquee specification here, and the resolution is genuine — not pixel-binned from a lower-resolution sensor. The f/1.8 aperture gathers decent light in indoor and low-light environments, though without optical image stabilization, handheld shots in dim conditions require a steadier hand.
Phase-detection autofocus locks quickly onto subjects, and continuous autofocus during video keeps moving subjects sharp without the hunting behaviour that plagues lesser cameras. Manual controls — ISO, exposure compensation, white balance, and focus — are all available for those who want to shoot beyond automatic mode.
What This Camera Can Do
- Phase-detection autofocus for fast, accurate subject locking
- Continuous autofocus during video recording
- HDR mode for high-contrast scenes
- Full manual controls: ISO, exposure, white balance, focus
- Burst mode for capturing fast-moving subjects
- In-camera panorama stitching
What This Camera Cannot Do
- No optical image stabilization — low-light shots require a steady hand
- No optical zoom — digital zoom degrades image quality noticeably
- No slow-motion video recording
- No 4K video — capped at 1080p at 30fps
- No RAW file format for post-processing
- No BSI sensor — low-light depth is limited
Front Camera
The 5-megapixel front camera covers selfies and video calls adequately. It produces a clear image in good light and handles video calls without complaint. The f/1.8 aperture helps in typical indoor lighting. There is no front-facing flash, and the unit is a single-lens design with no depth camera assistance.
Battery Life and Charging: The Quiet Strength
Endurance
The battery capacity is genuinely impressive for a phone of this size and price. It is large enough that the vast majority of users — those who browse, message, stream music, take occasional photos, and use navigation — will comfortably reach the end of a full day without reaching for a charger. Many users will find the phone lasting into a second day under moderate use.
Battery anxiety is a real daily stress for smartphone users, and a phone that simply does not run out before bedtime solves that problem in the most fundamental way possible. This is one of the Honor X5d Plus's clearest competitive strengths.
Charging
Charging speed is limited to 15 watts via the included cable and adapter — a charger is included in the box, which is no longer guaranteed across the industry. At 15 watts, a full charge from empty takes approximately two hours. That is not fast by modern standards, but given the generous battery capacity and the likelihood of ending each day with meaningful charge remaining, it is a practical rather than painful limitation for most users. There is no wireless charging.
- Battery Capacity
- 5,260mAh
- Charging Speed
- 15W
- Charger Included
- Wireless Charging
- Reverse Wireless
- Expected Duration
- 1 – 2 days
Software: Android 15 With Practical Features
The Honor X5d Plus ships with Android 15, the current major Android release, arriving with up-to-date privacy controls — granular app permission management, clipboard access notifications, and options to limit location sharing. These are meaningful protections, not marketing checkboxes.
Notable Software Capabilities
The phone does not receive direct OS updates from Google — updates flow through Honor's software team. Update frequency and long-term support duration are worth researching separately if longevity is a priority for you.
Audio and Connectivity
Sound
The 3.5mm headphone jack is present. In an era where many manufacturers have removed it even from mid-range devices, its inclusion here is a practical advantage — wired headphones remain the most reliable, affordable, and lowest-latency audio option.
The phone also supports aptX HD, a Bluetooth audio codec that delivers higher-quality wireless audio when paired with compatible headphones. This is an above-average audio specification for this price tier.
There is a single mono speaker — no stereo setup. Audio output is adequate for notifications and casual listening but will not fill a room. An FM radio is included for markets where broadcast radio remains a primary entertainment source.
Wireless and Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 4 + Wi-Fi 5
- Bluetooth
- 5.1 + aptX HD
- 5G
- NFC
- SIM Support
- Dual SIM
- USB
- USB-C (USB 2.0)
- GPS
- GPS + Galileo
- Fingerprint Scanner
Who This Phone Is For — and Who Should Look Elsewhere
This Phone Fits You Well If...
- You want a reliable daily driver for communication, browsing, streaming, and photography without spending mid-range money
- Battery longevity matters more to you than raw performance or camera sophistication
- You still use wired headphones and want to keep that option open
- You need dual SIM capability for two phone numbers on one device
- Storage space is a concern and you value the safety net of expandable memory
- Your gaming habits are casual — puzzle, card, and light titles rather than demanding 3D games
This Phone Is Not the Right Fit If...
- You rely on contactless payments — the absence of NFC makes tap-to-pay impossible
- You are a serious mobile photographer who needs optical zoom, low-light depth, or RAW file support
- You want 5G connectivity for future network compatibility
- You play demanding 3D games and care about sustained frame rates and visual fidelity
- You need IP-rated water resistance for outdoor or physical work environments
- Fast charging matters — two-hour charge times may feel slow if you are used to 30W or faster
How the Honor X5d Plus Compares to Its Nearest Rivals
| Feature | Honor X5d Plus | Budget Rival A | Budget Rival B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.74" LCD, 90Hz | 6.6" LCD, 60Hz | 6.5" LCD, 90Hz |
| Resolution | 720p | 720p | 720p |
| Main Camera | 50MP | 50MP | 13MP |
| Battery | 5,260mAh | ~5,000mAh | ~4,000mAh |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB | 3GB |
| Base Storage | 128GB + microSD | 64–128GB + microSD | 64GB + microSD |
| Headphone Jack | |||
| NFC | Sometimes | ||
| 5G | |||
| Charger Included | Sometimes | ||
| Android Version | Android 15 | Android 13–14 | Android 13 |
Competitor data represents typical budget rivals at a similar price point. Specific models vary by market.
Honest Assessment
Where It Excels
- Battery endurance — the headline act. Genuine large-capacity power that eliminates battery anxiety for most users.
- 90Hz display — the jump from 60Hz to 90Hz is the one most users actually perceive, and it is here at a budget price.
- 128GB + expandable storage — storage anxiety is eliminated, and the microSD slot extends device longevity meaningfully.
- 3.5mm jack + aptX HD — wired and wireless audio options that most rivals at this price simply cannot match.
- Android 15 out of the box — arriving with the current release and modern privacy controls is a meaningful advantage over older rivals.
- Charger included — no extra purchase required, unlike many phones across all price tiers today.
Where It Falls Short
- No NFC — a growing category of daily use locked out. Contactless payments are simply not available.
- 720p display — fine at arm's length, but text sharpness visibly lags behind 1080p screens in any comparison.
- Camera sensor limitations — no BSI sensor, no OIS, and no optical zoom keep this camera firmly in the functional-but-modest category.
- 4GB RAM ceiling — heavy multitaskers and demanding app users will encounter app reloads under sustained pressure.
- No 5G — limits future-proofing as 5G coverage continues to expand globally.
- Mono speaker only — media consumption through the phone's speaker is uninspiring; no stereo separation whatsoever.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Verdict
The Honor X5d Plus is a well-considered budget device that does not pretend to be something it is not. Its battery, display smoothness, storage generosity, and modern software make it one of the more well-rounded options at its price tier. It is built for the user who wants a dependable, large-screen everyday phone that does not run out of power and does not require constant management.
It is not built for power users, mobile gamers, photography enthusiasts, or anyone who depends on NFC-powered payments. Those users will find its compromises too limiting. For first-time smartphone buyers, older users upgrading from ageing devices, or cost-conscious buyers who simply need a reliable phone that handles the essentials without drama — the Honor X5d Plus delivers genuine value.
Our Rating
out of 5
For budget-conscious buyers
