I want to talk to you about the Honor 5X. Specifically, why it’s the best phone ever made. I know some of you might disagree – it has a few problems, after all – but, I think it's basically the best phone ever made. Here's why I'm the biggest fanboy of the Honor 5X.
Some body to love
I love how wide its edges are. Really. I know it's a bizarre thing to fall in love with, but manufacturers are currently locked in an arms race for thinness; the Honor 5X prompts the question: Why?
At 8.3 mm thick, it's not a necessarily fat smartphone, it's just thick for the era it exists in. The flat metal rim is already reasonably wide, then the display adds an extra millimeter or two, plus there's the sloped chamfered edge on top: but all you really feel is a flat metal bar which begs to be touched by every finger each time you pick it up. And it looks the part.
But look at the button placement. It’s so wrong. It’s not in the middle or anything. The headphone jack slices into the chamfered edge like someone just pointed to the phone and said: "try drilling a hole, there."
But goodness; that brushed rear. Run your fingers over it – it’s like running your hands through Aslan’s mane. Yet the Honor 5X doesn't exist in a fantasy kingdom (and it's not a dangerous, if loyal, companion but we could talk forever about the differences) it’s right here, available for just $200.
It’s right here, available for just $200
The Honor 5X underscores the rise of the low-cost midrange perhaps better than any other Android phone. It does so much for so little. It has a fingerprint scanner, microSD card support, a Full-HD display: it cuts the most sensible of corners.
The worst software ever?
Most of the complaints leveled at Huawei and Honor devices is that its software interface, known as EMUI or Emotion UI, is terrible. It's not particularly fast and has its quirks, but this idea has been completely blown out of proportion.
It's similar to iOS, but so what? That alone does not make something bad. It has some inconsistencies but there are many innovative features of this software that aren't just gimmicks, but useful additions that would be at home in other interfaces.
Final thoughts
The 5X delivers on style and performance and comes at a low price: it's so rare to find this in other products. So rare, in fact, that when people do find such items – be it clothing, a household appliance, a musical instrument etc – they tend to cherish them.
