Huawei has today unveiled its latest pair of Android-powered smartphones, both of which bring impressive specifications at even more impressive prices. Its new Honor 3X smartphone boasts an octa-core processor with a 5.5-inch 720p display, which the slightly cheaper Honor 3C has a quad-core processor and an 8-megapixel Sony camera.

Honor 3X

The Honor 3X is most definitely Huawei’s high-end option, and it packs almost everything you’d expect from a flagship smartphone. The highlight is its 1.7GHz octa-core processor from MediaTek, which allows it to compete with the first wave of octa-core devices like Samsung’s Exynos-powered Galaxy S4.

That’s combined with 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.2 aperture, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, and a massive 3,000mAh battery. The device also offers dual-3G SIM card slots — one of which holds a mini-SIM compatible with WCDMA networks, and the other carries a micro-SIM compatible with TD-SCDMA networks (China Mobile).

The Honor 3X’s 5.5-inch IPS display has only a 720p resolution, but it can be used with gloves. Huawei says adding a 1080p display would have increased power consumption by as much as 20%, and it insists most people won’t notice the difference.

The Honor 3X will make its debut in China (date to be confirmed), priced at ¥1,698 off-contract. That’s just $280. Unfortunately, Huawei hasn’t said whether the device will be available in other markets, though it’s probably unlikely.

Honor 3C

If you think an octa-core processor is a little overkill, and you’re looking to spend even less, then you can check out the Honor 3C instead. It has a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, a slightly smaller 5-inch 720p LTPS display, and 8GB of storage expandable via the microSD card slot.

The Honor 3C carries an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture from Sony, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has dual SIM card slots, but there are two variants you’ll need to pick from; one is compatible with WCDMA + GSM networks, and the other is compatible with TD-SCDMA + GSM networks.

The Honor 3C is available to pre-order starting tomorrow from Huawei’s own online store. It will cost ¥798 if you want 1GB of RAM, or ¥998 if you want 2GB of RAM. That’s around $130 and $160 respectively.

• ViaEngadget