In 2025, “budget” phones aren’t supposed to make you think. They’re supposed to make do. But the HONOR X7d 5G, newly launched in South Africa, doesn’t just want to be the cheaper option — it wants to convince you that affordability doesn’t have to mean compromise.
It’s a bold promise from a brand slowly climbing South Africa’s midrange ladder. On paper, the X7d 5G looks like a steal: 5G connectivity, a 6500mAh battery, AI-powered tools, IP65 water resistance, and drop protection — all for R3 999. But if you want 256GB instead of 128GB, you’ll need to fork out R5 999 at Vodacom. That’s a R2 000 jump for double the storage — the kind of markup we usually question when Apple or Samsung does it.
In South Africa, “affordable” tech often comes with hidden costs. Your phone may be cheap upfront, but the compromises lurk in battery degradation, clunky software, bad cameras, or the absence of after-sales support. HONOR’s message is that it’s different — a brand trying to democratise good technology rather than dilute it.
That idea feels particularly relevant here, where reliability trumps novelty. The X7d 5G’s five-star drop protection and IP65 water resistance are less about looking flashy and more about surviving reality — cracked tiles, light rain, and load-shedding blackouts that turn your phone into your only torch. It’s not glamorous innovation, but it’s the kind that actually matters. In that sense, HONOR is speaking directly to South Africans who care less about megapixels and more about whether their phone will still work after six months of hard use.
The new Instant AI Button is a physical shortcut that unlocks AI tools like AI Eraser, AI Translation, and AI Creation. You can also map it to launch apps or optimise performance. It’s a small feature, but a revealing one: even budget phones now expect to have intelligence baked in. Whether that’s meaningful depends on how you use your phone. For some, AI will be a quiet assistant; for others, another marketing buzzword. HONOR seems aware of this, backing its AI ambitions with practical specs — a Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 processor, MagicOS 9.0 (built on Android 15), and that giant 6500mAh battery that claims five years of durability. It’s the kind of engineering that feels less like a gimmick and more like insurance.
At R3 999, the HONOR X7d 5G undercuts nearly every 5G-capable rival. The Samsung Galaxy A26 5G usually retails for R5 999 (currently R4 899 on special at Vodacom) for the 128GB variant, while Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 14 5G — with 256GB storage — typically sells for R7 999 (currently R7 499 on Vodacom). Even factoring in the X7d’s R2 000 price leap between storage tiers, HONOR’s pricing remains competitive. But it’s hard not to notice that it’s learning from the very brands it claims to challenge. Doubling your storage shouldn’t mean doubling your spend — even on a “budget” phone.
The MagicOS 9.0 software integrates neatly with Google Gemini Assistant and Circle to Search, echoing the conversational-AI experiences of more expensive devices. The RAM Turbo feature virtually extends memory to an effective 24GB — plenty for multitasking. And with 35W SuperCharge, the phone juices up quickly enough to make Eskom outages slightly less painful. These features aren’t groundbreaking, but they’re cohesive. HONOR has figured out how to make a phone feel more expensive than it is, without actually pretending to be premium. That alone puts it ahead of many in this bracket.
The HONOR X7d 5G is a quietly confident device that blurs the line between budget and midrange. It’s durable, capable, and — for the most part — fairly priced. Yet, it also exposes how even “value” brands are adopting the pricing tricks of the giants they’re trying to disrupt. Still, if you’re shopping under R5 000 and want something that can survive a few drops, charge fast, and handle your daily AI-assisted chaos, the X7d 5G is a strong contender.
Just don’t expect it to be revolutionary. HONOR’s real innovation might be reminding South Africans that affordable tech doesn’t have to feel disposable — but it can still be complicated.
And while the X7d 5G finds its footing locally, it’s worth noting that there’s also a global HONOR X9d — a slightly more advanced sibling with upgraded hardware and design tweaks (details here). Will South Africa get it? Who knows. But if HONOR’s latest moves are any indication, the brand’s ambitions here are growing — and the local midrange market might never look the same again.