honor 5X Frequently Asked Questions

[svetius]

What carriers does it work on?
It'll work on AT&T and T-Mobile in the USA, plus most other GSM carriers. It has the following LTE bands: 2, 4, 5, 12, 17. It comes factory unlocked.

Who makes this phone?
It's made by Chinese manufacturer Huawei, though this phone is sold under the honor brand (that's with a lowercase "h"). Huawei also made the much-adored Nexus 6P, but you probably already knew that.

Who is this phone for?
It's a phone for "everyone" because it has a budget-friendly price with midrange specs. Power users might not like the specifications, but ultimately this is a very well-rounded phone at a terrific price.

What's the battery life like?
The honor 5X has a 3,000mAh power pack which the company claims allows for a day and a half of "heavy" use. Specifically, the company claims 27 hours of talk time and 740 hours of standby time. The phone does support fast-charging with a 2amp charger, but does not have wireless charging.

Why doesn't it have Android Marshmallow?
The phone comes with Android 5.1.1 and honor claims a Marshmallow update is due in 2016. If you want it sooner, keep your eyes on the forums at XDA.

How can I get it, how much is it, and when does it launch?
It's $199 on Amazon and begins shipping January 16, 2016.

Zomg, I am not ready to buy it but I want to know more!
Check out the official honor 5X website

 

[Cyntil8ing]

I'm currently considering this phone.

Couple of questions for those knowledgeable on Huawei's products:

1. How good is Huawei's software update program? What's it comparable to if you're experienced with other manufacturers?
2. How well supported are their products here on XDA?

Thanks for your time.

 

[jschramm]

I dont love what Huawei does with its android customization. any word on an unlocked bootloader? This thing could be great with cyanogenmod.

 

[rdbud]

I'm currently considering this phone.

Couple of questions for those knowledgeable on Huawei's products:

1. How good is Huawei's software update program? What's it comparable to if you're experienced with other manufacturers?
2. How well supported are their products here on XDA?

Thanks for your time.

1. They've said this phone should get monthly updates and said that it will be updated to M.
2. They have four phones available to buy direct from gethuawei.com. One is the Nexus 6p. Two of the remaining three have official CM builds. Take that for what it's worth.

 

[beenkenobee]

i've looked everywhere but haven't found an answer...does this thing come with gorilla glass?

 

[mykenyc]

I'm confused Amazon says 2 GB of Ram while other sites say 3 GB of ram, also Amazon says shipping Jan 31st, i'm confused man.

 

[JrdA]

I'm confused Amazon says 2 GB of Ram while other sites say 3 GB of ram, also Amazon says shipping Jan 31st, i'm confused man.

probably the Chinese version.

Anyways. Reading the recent XDA article on it, I became curious. What do I miss out on by not having a gyroscope?

 

[DarkEstra]

there is many things that i've been confusing about in HONOR 5X
1-the SD615 ( cuz lately i've been on G2 SD800 AND S4 SD600 ) not sure if it's gonna give me the same experience or no
2-supporting the device from the main company and the other developers (Such as CM,RR)
3-RAM : some say it's 3GB and others say it's 2GB i think i'll wait until the release to see if they'll launch the 3gb with a bit higher price
4-Still not enough accessories out there for this device
=====
but overall i think it's good device with sporting a med-range specs for daily use
also the screen is kinda nice with good contrast in sun

 

[rtuser]

There are Chinese version and US version of the phone.
US version comes with 2 GB RAM and will be available for Jan 31st.
The deal breaker for many in USA is missing T-mobile support for Band 12. Phone is supporting it, but is not licensed by T-mobile so most likely it will be disabled.

 

[cvc]

Hi,

i'm still using Samsung Note 3 if I'll get this Honor 5X, is it a downgrade ? nothing wrong with Note 3, just had a new battery, running good now but just want a new phone and this one is cheap.
All sharings are welcome.

Thanks,
CVC

 

[patstar5]

If this gets root and cyanogenmod, I might consider it but seems like a downgrade from Oneplus One besides fingerprint scanner. Project Ara where are you....?

 

[cyrusalmighty]

Although someone just mentioned it, I just want to know about Rom development. Official CM and AOSP will be a necessity. NO EMUI or whatever that thing is!

I believe this phone would be a good upgrade (Great at $200) to my aging GS4 which constantly has "Sim card errors". I would also like to get Insurance and dont know if it exists since it sells on Amazon. Neither Newegg or honor website shows insurance options.

I am also considering OP2 and something soon so I hope this phone gets support here.

 

[jschramm]

seems Official CM support is a given based on a couple posts in the Pre-order thread. One post by Huawei USA employee and one tweet also posted in that thread.

 

[foltz61]

Once you have a phone with fingerprint, using phones without it sucks.

 

[andTab]

I dont love what Huawei does with its android customization. any word on an unlocked bootloader? This thing could be great with cyanogenmod.

Yes. Would get this as a gift for my mom but only with AOSP android/cyanogenmod.

 

[Atari-San]

How can i get it in Canada, seem both Amazon.com and Newegg.com don't want to ship this to Canada. Do anyone know any Amazon Proxy service like SamuraiBuyer for japanese amazon but instead for USA Amazon ? Thank.

 

[k9cop]

I would also like to get Insurance and dont know if it exists since it sells on Amazon. Neither Newegg or honor website shows insurance options.

I just recently discovered that Directv will insure cell phones. May be an option for you.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

 

[squashpile]

I hope band 12 works on Tmobile $30 prepaid. I'm pretty sure I read a review and the guy said he had been on TMobile LTE with this phone and no issues. Need to try and find that again.

 

[wimbet]

Yes. Would get this as a gift for my mom but only with AOSP android/cyanogenmod.

Yes, honor 5X supports unlocking the bootloader. You must register an account on the EMUI site and then you can generate a bootloader unlock code.

 

[Asadullah]

Although someone just mentioned it, I just want to know about Rom development. Official CM and AOSP will be a necessity. NO EMUI or whatever that thing is!

I believe this phone would be a good upgrade (Great at $200) to my aging GS4 which constantly has "Sim card errors". I would also like to get Insurance and dont know if it exists since it sells on Amazon. Neither Newegg or honor website shows insurance options.

LOL! I had the same issues with my gs4. The huawei rep on here says they released the kernel source code and you can unlock the bootloader. I would bet money there will be some form of aosp rom within a month. The fact that huawei has a rep on here and they've done a lot with their website makes me think they are taking this phone and customers seriously. I don't expect them to bend over backwards for us but so far it's looking good.