The Oppo A78 5G is the latest Oppo Smartphone launched on 14 Jan 2023, whereas the Honor X9a was released on 4 Jan 2023. Both smartphones are aimed at the RM1000 mid-range smartphone market.
Shopee and Lazada list the Oppo A78 starting at RM1099, which is much cheaper than Honor X9a. As both smartphones were released around the same time, let’s compare them.
Oppo A78 5G is cheaper, but can it perform better than Honor X9a?
We compare the specifications, design, camera, performance, battery life, and design of the new Oppo A78 and Honor X9a.
Key Takeaway:
The biggest differences between the Oppo A78 and Honor X9a are the Honor X9a has a beautiful curved 1080P AMOLED screen and a very power-efficient Snapdragon 695 SoC. But it has no microSD card slot and no stereo speakers like the Oppo A78. And there’s no IP rating.
Comparing the Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Specifications
| Oppo A78 5G | Honor X9a 5G | |
| Design |  |  |
| Size | 163.8 x 75.1 x 8 mm | 161.6 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 188 g | 175 g |
| IP rating | IP54 | Not IP rating |
| Display | Waterdrop notch 6.56 inches LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ),269 PPI (720p) | Punch hole 6.67 inches, Curved AMOLED, 120Hz, 395 PPI (1080p) |
| SIM slot | Dual SIM (nano) | Dual SIM (nano) |
| OS | Android 12, ColorOS 13 | Android 12, Magic UI 6.1 |
| Chipsets | Mediatek MT6833 Dimensity 700 (7nm) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm) |
| Memory | 128GB 8GB RAM | 256GB 8GB RAM |
| Card slot | microSD | No |
| Main Camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), PDAF 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | 64 MP, f/1.8, (wide), PDAF; 5 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide); 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) |
| Selfie Camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (wide) | 16 MP, f/2.5, (wide) |
| Sound | Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack | Loudspeakers, No 3.5mm jack |
| Fingerprint | Side-mounted | Under display |
| Battery | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Po 5100 mAh |
| Charging | 33W wired | 40W wired |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Shopee RM1059 Lazada RM1059 | Shopee RM1399 Lazada RM1379 |
Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Price in Malaysia
As of January 2023, Oppo A78 will have only one variant, which is:
- 128GB 8GB RAM – RM1059
Also, Honor X9a has only a single variant, which is:
- 256GB 8GB RAM – RM1399
In terms of pricing, the Oppo A78 is cheaper than Honor X9a with a difference of about RM300.
Honor X9a’s storage capacity is double that of the Oppo A78.
Make sure you check the latest pricing at Shopee and Lazada, which offer promotions and discounts on new smartphones.
Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Design
The Oppo A78 5G is available in two colours: glowing black and glowing purple; whereas the Honor X9a is available in three colours: Midnight Black, Emerald Green, and Titanium Silver.
There are more choices with Honor X9a and it looks more professional and suited for working adults.
The Honor X9a is a very huge smartphone with a 6.67-inch Curved AMOLED screen with under-display fingerprint sensor, whereas Oppo A78 has a 6.59-inch LCD screen with side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Furthermore, the Honor X9a features a 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED screen with a tiny punch-hole design, making it incredibly attractive. The screen is also touted as the toughest curved OLED screen that can withstand accidental drops from shoulder height.
Although the X9a is bigger, it is actually thinner and lighter with only 175g compared to Oppo A78 188g.
Oppo A78 has a more square-ish design, similar to iPhone 14. It looks more modern and stylish. But, Honor X9a has a more ergonomic design with curved edges and a screen.
The Oppo A78 has a pretty, round camera bump on its back. However, the Honor X9a uses a large circular bump to house its three cameras. It has a similar design to the Huawei Mate series.
I consider the Honor X9a to have a better design overall, thanks to its vibrant AMOLED display with punch-hole camera design and under-display fingerprint sensor.
Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Performance
According to nanoreview.net, the Oppo A78’s Mediatek Dimensity 700 has an AnTuTu score of 338k, lower than the Honor X9a Snapdragon 695 AnTuTu score of 396k.
The Snapdragon 695 5G is better than Mediatek Dimensity 700 in all aspects including a better gaming experience, performing 2.2 times more floating-point computations and having a smaller 6nm transistor.
It also supports Bluetooth 5.2, which works best for wireless earbuds and headphones.
Also, the Honor X9a’s Snapdragon 695 is fabricated in a 6nm process, superior to Mediatek Dimensity 700’s 7nm process. It has a slight advantage in battery consumption.
The battery life of the Honor X9a is expected to be better than Oppo A78 if you’re using it for gaming.
Both Oppo A78 and Honor X9a support 5G networks.
Overall, Honor X9a is more powerful compared to the Oppo A78 because it has a better SoC, particularly the Snapdragon which is favoured by most mobile game developers.
Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Camera
The Oppo A78 features a dual camera system, while the Honor X9a is equipped with a triple camera system.
Honor X9a has a 64MP main camera, 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro camera. By using this combination, users can capture beautiful wefie and scenery photos with the ultrawide camera, as well as close-ups with the macro lens.
If you frequently take photos with your smartphone, the Honor X9a would be a better choice.
The front camera of Honor X9a is 16MP with f/2.5 compared to Oppo A78’s 8MP with f/2.0. The 15MP camera allows for clearer zoomed-in images, while the f/2.0 aperture allows for a faster shutter speed in low-light conditions.
So, both front cameras have their respective pros and cons.
The biggest difference in camera between Oppo A78 and Honor X9a is that Honor has a Triple camera system that completes with Ultrawide and Macro cameras while the Oppo A78 only has a main camera with depth sensor.
Oppo A78 5G vs Honor X9a Battery Life
Based on official data, Oppo A78 has a 5000mAh battery and Honor X9a has a 5100 battery.
Oppo A78 supports 33W supervooc charging that can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes. Honor X9a can support up to 40W charging so the charging speed will be slightly faster than Oppo A78, about 55% in 30 minutes. And 0 to 80% in 53 minutes, tested by dxomark.com
For casual users, Honor X9a should last about three days since it is well-optimized with Snapdragon 695 and has an impressive efficiency. You’ll never need to carry that heavy power bank again.
As for the Oppo A78, it is expected to have shorter battery life because the Mediatek Dimensity 700 is less power efficient. But it is still a 5000mAh battery that can easily outlast one day of heavy usage.
Please note that the smartphone’s battery life may be reduced by 1-2 hours when you activate the 5G connection.
Oppo A78 and Honor X9a Video Review
Conclusion: Which is Better, Oppo A78 or Honor X9a
In conclusion, both Honor X9a and Oppo A78 are very different smartphones that cater to different types of users.
As a whole, Honor X9a has better specifications than Oppo A78, including a better display processor, a better camera and faster charging, but it lacks stereo speakers and a microSD card slot.
For young users who prioritize entertainment and watching movies on smartphones, the lack of stereo speakers is a deal breaker.
Other than Oppo and Honor phones, there are many great budget smartphones under RM1000. Click here to check them out.