Reviews

Taking the HONOR X8a to Vietnam: Is it DSLR-like?

Can it take the heat?

Published

March 24, 2023

Levi Verora Jr

HONOR recently made a lot of noise at MWC 2023, particularly with the announcement of the flagship Magic 5s. The brand didn’t stop there. Not wanting to be outdone in the ever-competitive midrange tier, the HONOR X8a was released.

Marketing for this specific model focused on its 100MP main camera, offering customers a DSLR-like experience. But does the phone really merit top-of-the-head consideration for people? We went to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for an exhaustive break-in.

Temper your expectations

The HONOR X8a’s camera package consists of the following:

100MP f/1.9 main camera
5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera
2MP f/2.4 macro camera

To say the least, it’s intriguing what the phone offers when it comes to mobile photography. I have mixed views about it as it was able to hit some benchmarks yet also missed a few.

The ultra-wide lens does its job.

It is imperative nowadays to get quality, especially captures of cityscapes and nightscapes, this is a handy device to bring and make memories with.

I was able to take good shots of Ho Chi Minh City’s “skyline” and city center, as well as many of their countless parks which make the trip reinvigorating.

The auto-focus works steadily.

As seen on this ice cream on the foreground against a park and some close-up shots of food. Should you want the camera to focus on a specific subject within the frame, it also does the trick.

I had modest expectations when it came to how the HONOR X8a’s cameras would perform at night, but I must say it delivered quite nicely, even when shooting only using default mode.

As Vietnam’s busy city streets transform in the night into an LED-filled spectacle, I was only fitting to sneak some snaps of billboards, storefronts, and more in.

When you use Night Mode, the phone will trigger a four-second countdown.

It allows it to absorb more light and produce slightly more vivid images, like these ones at Bui Vien Walking Street and Le Thi Rieng, one of the city’s busier rotondas.

Of course, don’t expect moving subjects to come out perfect; there will naturally be blurry objects when you leave the shutter open for four seconds, like these motorcycles.

At daytime, the shutter speed works decently to capture moving objects or snap photos while walking. But of course, it is still best to take your time first.

Elsewhere, the selfie camera also covers a lot of space if you want to include yourself in pictures of historical sites and landmarks throughout the area.

Needs improvement

On the downside, however, the HONOR X8a also underwhelmed on a number of aspects.

To top it off, pictures did not come out as impressive as I expected in terms of its color, vividness, and being close to the subject’s real appearance, which is quite a bummer for a mid-ranger.

I’ve tried earlier versions of Samsung A series phones and realme’s lower midrange models, which produced better results. One can argue that using Hi-Res mode (higher file sizes) would suffice, yet I didn’t need that on other phones to begin with.

When using default mode at 1x zoom, the camera doesn’t really fit much into the frame, which kind of forces the user to opt for the ultra-wide lens by default.

I tried using the ultra-macro mode a couple of times on souvenirs to test if it captures tiny details well enough.

It is a bit challenging to achieve the proper focus even if you’ve already bookishly followed the ideal distance of about an inch or two. Sharpness is also lacking.

In terms of usability, the shutter button’s position is quite lower than expected, and the button itself is relatively smaller. I would sometimes have to tap twice to make sure I am able to get a photo of something.

Imagine if you missed out on taking a picture with a famous celebrity or athlete because of these little things.

Performance: Just your usual

The HONOR X8a is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 processor. We did say we put this to the test in Vietnam, and once under scorching heat of Saigon, the camera app was forced to close because the phone’s temperature apparently got too hot.

It took a few minutes before I was able to open the app again, so perhaps bring an umbrella outdoors when you plan to take pictures during the noon or afternoon.

Nevertheless, here are some snaps outside which were taken usually after lunch time:

Speaking of which, it is also challenging to use this phone when it is bright outside, since you won’t be able to see the photos you have just taken in real-time that clearly.

The phone has a 6.7-inch FullView display which has a lower peak brightness than mid-range phones I’ve had or have been using. Admittedly, it was quite a hassle to have to cover the phone screen with my hand first just to review some pictures, nor do they appear as crystal-clear as you would want them to.

Usability needs work

Unlike other phones, the HONOR X8a does not have a floating home button at the bottom, along with the hamburger icon for apps currently open.

To switch in between apps, one has to swipe in a particular manner from bottom to the middle of the screen and hold for a while in order for the apps list to show. It’s quite confusing at first, to say the least, and I am definitely not a fan of having to take too much time just to exit some apps.

On the positive end, the screen wasn’t laggy when switching apps, browsing, typing, or doing simple everyday tasks on your phone.

The phone supports up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It can withstand playing games and heavy tasks, but it’s also best to be cautious and make sure usage is optimized.

Looooong battery life

If there is anything that stands out with this phone is that its 4,500mAh battery’s life can endure the lengths. Throughout my stay in Vietnam, I had this routine of using the phone for hours to shoot while walking along the streets of Ho Chi Minh City.

But after that, I would barely use it. When in Power Saving Mode, the phone loses just about 2 or 3% overnight.

As it supports the usual fast charging expected of a phone for its price point (22.5W), the phone also replenishes its battery percentage quickly.

Is the HONOR X8a your GadgetMatch?

The HONOR X8a is now available for pre-orders, retailing for PhP 10,990 in the Cyan Lake, Titanium Silver, and Midnight Black colorways. It is incredibly lightweight, which could be a good thing for specific users.

But as it is being promoted as a reliable mid-ranger for mobile photography, there are just so many items on the criteria the phone does not surpass.

If I had anywhere between PhP 12,000 to PhP 18,000 and were thinking about upgrading my current budget or midrange device, the X8a wouldn’t be the first model I’d be thinking of, and that’s just the truth.

Laptops

Apple M2 Max MacBook Pro 16-inch Review: Four months later

Insanely Powerful!

Published

June 5, 2023

GadgetMatch

Apple silently revealed the revamped M2 Pro and M2 Max-powered MacBook Pros just last January 2023.

While the design isn’t any different from its predecessors, it promises significant boosts in performance.

However, this isn’t meant for those who already owned the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pros launched in 2021.

Spoiler alert: This is a huge upgrade from the 16-inch Intel Core i9 MacBook Pro from 2019.

But would you compromise the portability of the 14-inch version over a bigger screen and battery?

Watch our review of the new M2 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro, four months later.

Features

How well do PlayStation games run on the ROG Ally?

Spoiler: Pretty good

Published

May 29, 2023

Rodneil Quiteles

The ROG Ally has caused quite a buzz in the gaming community at large. Personally, I’m thrilled at the prospect of owning a handheld gaming PC/console to play games I otherwise would not have access to. I mainly play on my PlayStation 5 (PS5). Naturally, I was curious how some of my favorite games will run on the ROG Ally.

Things are promising on paper. The ROG Ally is built to be able to run AAA titles. Here’s a quick look at the specs of the unit we had for recap:

Model	RC71L
CPU	AMD Ryzen™ Z1 Extreme Processor 4nm Zen 4/ 8 core & 16 threads 24M cache CPU Clock: up to 5.10 Ghz TDP: 9 – 30 watts
GPU	With AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Config: AMD Radeon™ Graphics RDNA3 & 4G RAM capacity / 8.6 TFlops 12 CU GPU Clock: 2.7GHz
Panel	Full HD (1920 x 1080), 120 Hz / 7 ms eDP1.4b, 500 nits, IPS-panel, 100% sRGB, FreeSync™ Premium, Gorilla® Glass Victus™ and Gorilla® Glass DXC, 10-point Touchscreen Gyro support
Memory	16GB (LPDDR5 6400Mhz) dual channel LPDDR5 8GBx2 on board memory
Audio	2 x 1W speakers with smart amp technology, Dolby Atmos®, Hi-Res Audio, AI Noise Cancellation
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth	WiFi 6E (802.11ax) / Bluetooth® v5.2
Storage	512GB (for Z1 Extreme config) +SD card slot UHS-2
I/O PORT	ROG XG Mobile interface (8PCI express lanes) and USB Type-C combo port (with USB 3.2 Gen2, DP 1.4 support) — (1x) 3.5mm Audio jack — (1x) Micro SD slot (UHS-II, Micro SD 4.0) — (1x)
Battery	40Wh
Adapter	65W PD adapter, supports pass through charging
Dimensions	280.44 * 111.18 * 21.22 mm 608g

PlayStation Studios on PC

PlayStation, in the past couple of years, has decided to spread the love and let PC players experience some of the best they have to offer. Currently, there are 12 PlayStation exclusive titles playable on PC. And they’re available on either Steam or the Epic Games Store.

In case you’re curious the available games are as follows:

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
God of War (2018)
Uncharted: The Legacy of Thieves Collection
Destiny 2: Lightfall
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Returnal
Days Gone
HELLDIVERS
Predator Hunting Grounds
Sackboy: A big Adventure
The Last of Us Part 1

PlayStation Asia was kind enough to give us codes for three of the 12 titles now available on PC. Here’s how they ran on the ROG Ally.

Quick note: I played on Performance mode with brightness hovering at around 50-55% indoors in an air conditioned room.

Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

Marvel’s Spider-Man, along with NBA 2K, is my comfort game. Whenever I feel frustrated or just having a bad day, I fire up either game. On Spider-Man, I just swing aimlessly around the digital Manhattan that Insomniac built.

It was such a delight to learn that I can do this on the go now too with Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered playing pretty darn well on the ROG Ally.

I had the framerate limiter turned on, maxing out at 60. Despite that, I only reached a max of 31 fps with dips to as low as 15. It looks bad on paper, but is much more tolerable during actual gameplay. The dips usually happened during cutscenes. Majority of the gameplay hovered around 25-30 fps.

I knew it was never gonna reach the level of detail and smoothness that I get on the PS5 and LG C2 combo that I usually play on. There was plenty of noticeable stuttering especially during the busier sections of the game. But I didn’t think any of it was game breaking.

Audio wasn’t as loud as I hoped it would be despite me playing in a pretty quiet room. I opted to pair it with Bluetooth earbuds (OnePlus Buds Pro 2) to get the most of the audio. There were no audio delays whatsoever which was a very welcome development.

My average play time was about one hour and 20 minutes. That’s with the battery going from 100% to 20% each time.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Coming from the same Studio and pretty much being essentially the same game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales didn’t run too differently from Spider-Man Remastered.

I played in the exact same conditions: Indoor room, AC on, started at 100%, performance mode, and medium brightness settings. Curiously, the frame dips happened more during open-world swinging and not as much during cutscenes. This could be because of the busier version of New York due to the events of the game being set during the Christmas season.

But the numbers weren’t too different. I still maxed at 31 fps, with most of the gameplay hovering around 25-30 fps, and the lowest dip coming in at 16fps.

Again, nothing game breaking and it is much more tolerable during gameplay. Naturally, you have to have your expectations set properly. The ROG Ally is, after all, a handheld gaming PC.

Average play time is around one hour and 25 minutes with about 75% to 80% of the battery life being consumed.

Returnal

Returnal is one of the titles I was most excited to try. I was curious about how the audio and controller rumble would translate to the ROG Ally. On the PS5, Audio and DualSense implementation are two of the game’s many strengths.

Due to audio cues on enemies’ locations, this game is best played with earbuds/headphones on. The experience on the ROG Ally isn’t quite 3D Audio on PS5 levels, but it’s as close as it gets.

The same can be said for the controller rumble. It’s not as precise nor finely implemented as the DualSense – that’s a unique feature after all. However, I was still thoroughly impressed with how the ROG Ally implemented rumble in certain sections of the game. The rumble effect is also a testament to how well-built the Ally is. Despite the internals shaking, the Ally never felt brittle nor that it would suddenly come apart.

Knowing this is a shooter game, I turned the framerate limiter off and reached highs of 115 fps. The framerate did dip to as low as 15 fps which is about the widest variance I got from any game I played using the Ally. This did affect gameplay especially during sections where I had to deal with multiple enemies.

I did experience plenty of crashes which isn’t ideal for a game like Returnal whose progress relies on you surviving as long as you can on a single run through. But this only happened during the first few minutes. After a while, it seemed like the ROG Ally had adjusted to the performance-demands of the game.

It took about an hour and 10 minutes before I had to plug-in the Ally to not lose a playthrough.

Remote Play?

Since the ROG Ally is essentially a handheld gaming PC, you can certainly install the Remote Play app on it. However, you can’t just immediately use the gamepad. To play Horizon: Forbidden West, and generally just run the app, I had to pair the Ally with my DualSense controller.

You can map the gamepad so that it works but mapping isn’t an activity I enjoy nor did I have the time (I had to return the review unit) to do it. Other reviewers pointed to using a third-party app called Chiaki. But again, I didn’t have time to test it. I did see gameplay of it though so it seems to be working just fine.

Knowing that you can do all these on the Ally actually makes you question the upcoming PlayStation Q handheld. Sure, the integration will likely be seamless. But its core function can already be replicated on other handhelds and handheld-like devices. I digress.

It’s worth noting that the relatively smooth experience I had with the ROG Ally was also aided by an internet connection that constantly hovers in the 250+ mbps range along with a Wi-Fi 6 router.

The ROG Ally is PlayStation friendly

If you want to know what it’s like playing PlayStation 5 games on a handheld device, the ROG Ally is easily one of the best devices to play with. The gameplay isn’t quite as smooth but you shouldn’t expect it to be. And yes, you’ll find yourself reaching for the power adapter after a little over an hour of playthrough. But being able to play AAA titles on a handheld device still feels crazy to me.

Having started gaming on a family computer and covering tech for a living, it’s still mind-blowing to me how far technology has come. The stuff I only dreamed of as a little fat gamer is coming true thanks to the ROG Ally and its contemporaries.

The ROG Ally Z1 Extreme retails for US$ 699. The ROG Ally Z1 variant retails for US$ 599. Pre-orders begin on May 11. It will be available for sale worldwide on June 13, 2023.