Huawei's sub brand Honor has been doing quite well considering its offerings especially in terms of camera, design and competitive pricing. The Honor 6X way mainly a camera centric phone and it indeed had the best camera performance in the sub Rs. 15000 range. The recently launched Honor 7X also follows the similar footsteps along with fulfilling the recent trend of 18:9 display and the same applies to the Honor 9i.
Both the 7X and 9i are identical in many respects and hence we are taking a look at their differences. (Do note that the Honor 9i is also known as the Mate 10 Lite and Nova 2i in some regions)
| SPECS | Honor 7X | Honor 9i |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.93 inch IPS LCD 2.5D curved glass | 5.9 inch IPS LCD 2.5D curved glass |
| Resolution | 2160×1080 (18:9) | 2160×1080 (18:9) |
| SOC | HiSilicon Kirin 659 (4+4 Cortex A53 cores) 2.36gHz + 1.7gHz |
HiSilicon Kirin 659 (4+4 Cortex A53 cores) 2.36gHz + 1.7gHz |
| GPU | Mali T830 MP2 | Mali T830 MP2 |
| RAM and storage | 4GB RAM 32/64 GB storage expandable upto 256 GB |
4GB RAM 64 GB storage expandable upto 128 GB |
| Rear camera | Dual 16+2 MP f/2.2 | Dual 16+2 MP f/2.2 |
| Front camera | 8MP | Dual 13+2 MP |
| Video recording | 1080p at 30FPS | 1080p at 30FPS |
| Battery | 3340 mAh | 3340 mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4gHz |
Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4gHz |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Proximity ambient light compass |
Accelerometer Proximity ambient light compass |
Design:
The Honor 7X and the 9i are flanked by a 5.9 inch (5.93 with the 7X) 2.5D curved display with 18:9 aspect ratio (FHD+ resolution) and possess minimum bezels along with a metal unibody design. Both are extremely identical with respect to the front design and also the placement of the power ON/OFF button along with the volume buttons remain the same with the exception of the Honor logo. The other noticeable difference lies at the rear with horizontal placement of dual cameras on the 7X and vertical placement on the 9i.
The physical dimensions of the 7X : (156.5 × 75.3 × 7.6)mm
The physical dimensions of the 9i : (156.2 × 75.2 × 7.5)mm
The physical dimensions are almost identical with the 9i being 0.1 mm thinner than the 7X (By chance if that matters :-P )
The placement of the fingerprint sensor remains the same on both and is located at the rear below the camera module. Both the devices come with a single speaker located at the bottom along with the 3.5mm headphone jack and they come with a regular micro USB port for charging and data transfer.
Performance and Software:
Both the devices are powered by Huawei's own HiSilicon Kirin 659 SOC based on 16nm process. The GPU remains the same on both i.e Mali T830 MP2.
In general, this SOC is just an updated version (precisely just an increase in clock speed) of the Kirin 655 that was powering the Honor 6X. The Kirin 65X SOC's are almost equivalent to the Snapdragon 62X/630 series SOC's however the GPU used is mediocre which will not yield a good gaming performance although the basic day to day tasks with casual gaming should be fine. Both these devices come with 4GB of RAM which should be more than enough for multitasking hence there will not be frequent reload of applications.
Both the Honor 7X and the 9i consist of Huawei's own EMUi 5.1 skin which is based on Android Nougat. The update to Oreo will be available soon and most probably they will be updated to EMUi 8. The EMUi is a highly customized skin although they are well optimised with the Honor devices. You can customize it further with Themes that are available from the store.
Camera:
The rear cameras on the 9i and the 7X are also the same with dual 16+2 MP sensors. The main 16MP lens is a regular RGB sensor and the 2MP lens is a monochrome sensor. The monochrome sensor enables for better detailing when used along with the RGB lens also it helps in adjusting the depth of field.
Multiple modes : img via gsmarena
The front facing camera is one area where both differ. The Honor 7X comes with a single 8MP sensor and the Honor 9i comes with a dual 13+2 MP sensor where the 2MP lens is a monochrome sensor. This additional lens should allow for better Portrait shots along with a good bokeh effect.
Battery:
The Honor 7X and the 9i come with a 3340 mAh battery capacity. The 3340 mAh capacity should be able to suffice for an entire day's usage although it ultimately depends on the user. The Kirin 659 is quite efficient considering the 16nm process that it has been built upon.
Final thoughts:
The Honor 7X is at present available via Amazon India and the Honor 9i is available via Flipkart. Their availability is another difference and probably more noticeable apart from the front facing camera.
The 7X is available in 2 variants - 4GB-32GB for Rs. 12999 and the 4GB-64GB retails for Rs. 15999.
The Honor 9i is available for Rs. 16999 and has just 1 variant i.e 4GB-64GB.
From the pricing it is evident that if you prefer the Honor 7X or have a budget of strictly under Rs. 15000 then getting the 4-32GB variant of the 7X makes sense rather than getting the 64GB variant. The SD card slot should suffice for more storage related needs hence, in our opinion getting the 4-32GB variant will be better.
If we compare the 4-64GB variant of the 7X and the 9i then the only difference lies with the front facing camera and the rear design. The 9i is for those who are more selfie centric considering the additional sensor should help in detailing although the selfies from the 7X are not far behind.
Overall, both these devices are a complete package with the 7X providing more value for money again considering the 4-32GB variant. The other devices that compete with both the 7X and the 9i are the Xiaomi MiA1 and the Motorola G5S Plus.
The 9i and 7X are available in Blue, Black and Gold colors.
What would you prefer : the Honor 7X or the Honor 9i. Do let us know about it in the comments below.
Images via Amazon India and Flipkart