onor has rolled out the Honor X5e s smartphone in Russia, priced from 12,000 rubles. The main oddity of this device is a secondary two-inch screen on the back panel—a gimmick previously reserved for pricey flagships.
A back display and a modest front panel
The main screen boasts a 6.9-inch diagonal with a 1600 × 720 pixel resolution, a 90 Hz refresh rate, and a typical brightness of 600 nits. On the back, right next to the 13-megapixel main camera with a four-fold digital zoom, sits that exact two-inch mini-screen.
You can use it to snap selfies on the main camera while previewing your angle, check incoming call notifications, and control music playback.
The front-facing module is a modest 5 megapixels, so repurposing the rear screen for self-portraits actually makes sense.
Giant battery and sluggish charging
Inside sits a hefty 6000 mAh battery, but charging speed crawls at a modest 15 W—refueling that capacity will take a while. In the budget segment, a 6000 mAh battery means the phone will easily survive two days away from the wall, since the MediaTek Helio G81 processor doesn't waste extra energy on heavy tasks or complex graphics. On the flip side, this chip's performance will barely suffice for smooth everyday apps, messengers, and casual gaming on minimum settings. The phone runs on Android 16.
The device features a triple card slot—allowing you to use two SIM cards and a microSD simultaneously—alongside a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth 5.1, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Color options include black, blue, and purple. If you need a bare-bones calling device with an unusual party trick for absolute minimal cash, it deserves a second look.
Why it matters
While secondary rear displays used to belong strictly to expensive flagships, the budget Honor X5e s makes this quirky hardware trick accessible for just 12,000 rubles. The brand clearly bets on an eye-catching shell feature to distract buyers from the humble MediaTek Helio G81 silicon and leisurely 15W charging. An ostensibly premium novelty now shares space with entry-level specs, serving as a reminder that an extra display at a bargain price comes with compromises in everyday speed.