Here at Android Central we use dozens of budget phones over the course of a year. With hardware becoming commoditized, you don't have to spend big bucks on a phone that excels at the basics. Let's break down two of the best options currently available in the market.
The Honor 8X combines a gorgeous two-tone design at the back with powerful internal hardware. The phone also has a great rear camera and a 3750mAh battery, and there really isn't a whole lot wrong with it. The main issue, however, is the fact that you won't be able to (officially) buy one in the U.S.
Pros
Powerful hardware
Astounding design
Great cameras
Long-lasting battery
Cons
Charges over Micro-USB
Still on Oreo
Not officially supported in the U.S.
Like years past, Motorola's offering in this space will be the default choice for those looking to get their hands on a reliable budget phone. The Moto G7 offers a considerable upgrade on the hardware front, with the phone powered by a Snapdragon 632 chipset, and offering a 12MP + 5MP camera configuration at the back, as well as a 3000mAh battery with fast charging.
Pros
Tiny waterdrop notch
Premium design
Decent hardware
USB-C with fast charging
Cons
No NFC
Both the Honor 8X and the Moto G7 are surprisingly powerful for low-budget phones. However, only one is officially sold/supported in the U.S., which makes the decision between the two easy for a lot of customers.
Should you buy the Honor 8X or the Moto G7?
Honor has shown over the last three years that it knows how to make a solid budget phone. But then again, budget phones are Motorola's bread and butter, with the Moto G series being the yardstick for this segment. With the Moto G7, Motorola is rolling out a vastly upgraded phone that goes toe-to-toe with Honor in a lot of areas.
The Honor 8X is running the Kirin 710 chipset, which has four Cortex A73 cores clocked up to 2.2GHz and four energy-efficient A53 cores. The A73 cores do a great job when it comes to intensive tasks like gaming, and the energy-efficient A53 cores kick in during browsing and messaging. Motorola is also using the Snapdragon 632 chipset in the Moto G7, a much-needed upgrade from last year's SD450.
Both phones come with 64GB of base storage, and you also get a dedicated microSD card slot — up to 400GB in the case of the Honor 8X and up to 512GB on the Moto G7.
Onto the software side of things, there really is only one winner. Motorola offers one of the best third-party skins on Android, and the Moto G7 easily edges out the Honor 8X in this regard. Motorola has done a great job layering useful features on top of an uncluttered skin, with the likes of Moto Actions and Moto Display offering valuable additions that enhance the user experience.
The Moto G7 also comes with Android Pie out of the box, whereas Honor is just now starting to roll out the beta version to the 8X. Furthermore, Motorola has mentioned that it will deliver bi-monthly security updates to the G7, and while it has failed to make good on its promises in years past, at least you'll get one platform update.
The Honor 8X wins out on the battery side of things thanks to a 3750mAh battery and aggressive memory management, but the Moto G7 isn't far behind. If anything, the fact that it charges over USB-C and offers fast charging make the G7 puts the device on an equal footing with the honor 8X.
At the end, there's no outright winner. Both phones offer great value and should easily last two years, and choosing between the two may come down to where you're located. The Honor 8X edges out the Moto G7 when it comes to the design, overall performance, and battery life, but if you do buy one in the United States, it won't work with all of the country's LTE bands and doesn't come with a warranty. The Moto G7 has much better software and USB-C charging, and is a much better choice if you're in the U.S.
Honor 8X
Leading the way for value.
The hardware on offer makes the Honor 8X one of the best options for under $300. You also get an evocative design with a two-tone glass finish, and EMUI has gotten significantly better over the years. Then there's the 20MP camera at the back and a huge 3750mAh battery, and it's easy to see why the Honor 8X is an easy recommendation.
Moto G7
The safe bet.
The Moto G series has been the go-to option for a majority of customers looking to get their hands on a budget phone, and that hasn't changed with the Moto G7. The phone features vastly improved hardware over the Moto G6, and the fact that it works on all four major carriers in the U.S. is the icing on the cake.
The Honor 8X combines a gorgeous two-tone design at the back with powerful internal hardware. The phone also has a great rear camera and a 3750mAh battery, and there really isn't a whole lot wrong with it. The main issue, however, is the fact that you won't be able to (officially) buy one in the U.S.
Pros
Powerful hardware
Astounding design
Great cameras
Long-lasting battery
Cons
Charges over Micro-USB
Still on Oreo
Not officially supported in the U.S.
Like years past, Motorola's offering in this space will be the default choice for those looking to get their hands on a reliable budget phone. The Moto G7 offers a considerable upgrade on the hardware front, with the phone powered by a Snapdragon 632 chipset, and offering a 12MP + 5MP camera configuration at the back, as well as a 3000mAh battery with fast charging.
Pros
Tiny waterdrop notch
Premium design
Decent hardware
USB-C with fast charging
Cons
No NFC
Both the Honor 8X and the Moto G7 are surprisingly powerful for low-budget phones. However, only one is officially sold/supported in the U.S., which makes the decision between the two easy for a lot of customers.
Should you buy the Honor 8X or the Moto G7?
Honor has shown over the last three years that it knows how to make a solid budget phone. But then again, budget phones are Motorola's bread and butter, with the Moto G series being the yardstick for this segment. With the Moto G7, Motorola is rolling out a vastly upgraded phone that goes toe-to-toe with Honor in a lot of areas.
The Honor 8X is running the Kirin 710 chipset, which has four Cortex A73 cores clocked up to 2.2GHz and four energy-efficient A53 cores. The A73 cores do a great job when it comes to intensive tasks like gaming, and the energy-efficient A53 cores kick in during browsing and messaging. Motorola is also using the Snapdragon 632 chipset in the Moto G7, a much-needed upgrade from last year's SD450.
Both phones come with 64GB of base storage, and you also get a dedicated microSD card slot — up to 400GB in the case of the Honor 8X and up to 512GB on the Moto G7.
| Category | Honor 8X | Moto G7 |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.2 |
Android 9.0 Pie |
| Display | 6.5-inch IPS LCD, 2340x1080 (19.5:9) Gorilla Glass 3 |
6.2-inch IPS LCD, 2270x1080 (19:9) Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Chipset | Kirin 710 4 x 2.2GHz Cortex A73 + 4 x 1.7GHz Cortex A53 Mali-G51 MP4 |
Snapdragon 632 4 x 1.8GHZ Kryo 250 Gold + 4 x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 Silver Adreno 506 |
| RAM | 4GB/6GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB/128GB | 64GB |
| MicroSD slot | Yes (up to 400GB) Dedicated slot |
Yes (up to 512GB) Dedicated slot |
| Rear camera 1 | 20MP f/1.8 PDAF | 12MP f/1.8 PDAF |
| Rear camera 2 | 2MP | 5MP |
| Front camera | 16MP f/2.0 | 8MP f/2.0 |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 LE |
| Audio | 3.5mm jack Single speaker |
3.5mm jack Single speaker |
| Battery | 3750mAh Non-removable |
3000mAh Non-removable |
| Charging | Micro-USB 10W |
USB-C 15W |
| Water resistance | No rating | No rating |
| Security | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor |
| Dimensions | 160.4 x 76.6 x 7.8mm 175 g |
157 x 75.3 x 8mm 172g |
| Colors | Blue, Black, Red, Pink | Ceramic Black, Clear White |
The Moto G7 also comes with Android Pie out of the box, whereas Honor is just now starting to roll out the beta version to the 8X. Furthermore, Motorola has mentioned that it will deliver bi-monthly security updates to the G7, and while it has failed to make good on its promises in years past, at least you'll get one platform update.
The Honor 8X wins out on the battery side of things thanks to a 3750mAh battery and aggressive memory management, but the Moto G7 isn't far behind. If anything, the fact that it charges over USB-C and offers fast charging make the G7 puts the device on an equal footing with the honor 8X.
At the end, there's no outright winner. Both phones offer great value and should easily last two years, and choosing between the two may come down to where you're located. The Honor 8X edges out the Moto G7 when it comes to the design, overall performance, and battery life, but if you do buy one in the United States, it won't work with all of the country's LTE bands and doesn't come with a warranty. The Moto G7 has much better software and USB-C charging, and is a much better choice if you're in the U.S.
Honor 8X
Leading the way for value.
The hardware on offer makes the Honor 8X one of the best options for under $300. You also get an evocative design with a two-tone glass finish, and EMUI has gotten significantly better over the years. Then there's the 20MP camera at the back and a huge 3750mAh battery, and it's easy to see why the Honor 8X is an easy recommendation.
Moto G7
The safe bet.
The Moto G series has been the go-to option for a majority of customers looking to get their hands on a budget phone, and that hasn't changed with the Moto G7. The phone features vastly improved hardware over the Moto G6, and the fact that it works on all four major carriers in the U.S. is the icing on the cake.
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