Huawei’s Honor 7i was unveiled two weeks before the IFA 2015 Conference in Berlin, and, with the exception of the processor (an octa-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 616) and rotating camera, appears to have the same specs and features as the Huawei Honor 7.
Huawei first brought the Honor 7i to China, but it seems as though the third-largest global manufacturer is now ready for a European release. Germany, it seems, is first on the list of countries outside of China to get some access to the device — with a new name.
German residents can now pre-order the Huawei Honor 7i, renamed the Huawei ShotX for European customers according to German retailers, for $397 USD. The Huawei ShotX features the same 5.2-inch, Full HD display with a 1920 x 1080p screen resolution, an octa-core, 1.5Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC with an Adreno 405 GPU, not to mention the same 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage as the Huawei Honor 7i (the difference being the name). The Snapdragon 616 SoC is the only difference between the Huawei ShotX (or Honor 7i for Chinese customers) and the Honor 7.
As for the battery, you’re looking at a 3,100mAh battery that should hold up for a good day and a half (36 hours), if not more. Android 5.1.1 Lollipop comes pre-loaded, with your choice of Polar White, Isle Blue, and Coastal Gold colors.
Obviously the big draw to a phone like the Honor 7i (or ShotX) is the rotating camera feature. Rather than having a camera on the front and rear, the 7i has a single rear camera that can be extended and rotated to the front. The moveable camera pod also means that you can get the camera closer to certain shots and allows for a little extra creativity.
As for the name change, we wonder how Vivo are going to feel about it? The Vivo Xshot was one of the first generation camer-centric phones and already Lenovo have released the Vibe Shot and now the Huawei ShotX is being launched. Will Vivo be upset with the similar naming? Will we ever see an Xshot 2 released?