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Camera
The cameras on the XTouch X use Sony image sensors found in several budget handsets and are generally adequate. There’s an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP
Snapper on the front, both are accompanied by an LED flash. This is another area where the phone falls short as most rivaling phones offer 13MP/8MP setups for a similar price.
The camera app can be slow to load up and laggy upon use. Delving into the settings menu there isn’t much on offer, no pro mode or a full manual mode for those who’d like to tweak shutter speeds and more.
You can eke out some decent shots if you’re patient enough but don’t expect to be blown away. Under well-lit conditions with no movement, your photos can end up with good vibrancy, exposure levels and balanced contrast. But even the slightest movement and change in light can end up in blurry shots.
As with most budget snappers, the quality of photos gets worse in low-light scenarios. Photos lose their punch as fuzz and noise quickly creep in. Focusing isn’t always accurate either requiring a finger prompt to avoid out of focus shots. HDR mode is available but is frustratingly slow and we weren’t always happy with the processed results.
You can shoot video at 1080p/30fps on the XTouch X which is a higher resolution than its display and great for sharing videos on social. There’s electronic image stabilisation on board as well to reduce motion judder.
Battery
- Will almost last a day with average use
- No fast-charge support
- Built-in wireless charging works like a charm
The XTouch X packs in a 2,800mAh non-removable battery that can squeeze out a day on a single charge with general usage, but that’s about it. We would’ve like to see a larger battery, considering the screen size and the power hungry IPS display, as you’ll find yourself running out of juice before the day is over if you play games and stream a few videos.
With moderate use which included messaging, calls, emails, a few camera clicks, light web browsing and social media activity the phone lasted around 11 hours before dying out completely.
The underwhelming performance was reflected in TechRadar’s standard battery test which involves playing a 90 minute 720p video with brightness cranked to full and accounts syncing over Wi-Fi in the background. The Xtouch X lost a whopping 31% of its battery life at the end of the test which is subpar when compared to rival phones that shed 20-24% on average.
It would be easier to accept the uninspiring battery life if the XTouch X had fast charging but it is quite the contrary. Charging is painfully slow with the phone taking up to 3-4 hours to charge fully. We found that it took 30 minutes to restore 15% of battery when left on standby. If you use your phone frequently you’ll need to plan at least an hour of charge before you head out.
Overall, the XTouch X’s battery is less than impressive but it will get you through a day of general use if you don’t strain it much
The gift bundle of the XTouch X comes with an 8,000mAh portable wireless power bank capable of charging the phone 2-3 times on full charge. It is handy to have for those who are constantly on the go and don’t want to bother with charging cables. However we found that it is even slower to charge than the wall charger with 30 minutes restoring only 10% of battery.
Verdict
Xtouch has made a decent budget phone that touts a premium design and feel. It can take decent snaps under the right conditions and has built-in wireless charging but XTouch cuts plenty of corners to make this happen while keeping a modest price point.
It is let down by weak internal tech and a 720p screen but the Xtouch X is one of the cheapest 18:9 smartphones out there and it does most of the basics well enough considering what you pay for it.
However, even with built-in wireless charging support it doesn’t compete with rivals like Nokia 6, Moto G5S Plus, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 7x and several others when it comes to sheer value.
