Honor joins Xiaomi and Samsung in the rear-display race with the X5d s, a dual-screen smartphone.
Rear screen displays on conventional slab smartphones represent a niche and evolving design experiment. Picture: Supplied
The smartphone market has no shortage of choice, but much of the excitement tends to cluster at the mid-tier to premium end of the scale. Honor is now looking to change that with the X5d s, a budget-friendly device that brings a rear display, a feature usually associated with pricier handsets, to the entry level.
Following Xiaomi and Samsung
The move sees Honor join a growing list of brands experimenting with a second, smaller screen on the back of the phone.
Samsung has long placed secondary displays on the outside of its flip-style foldables, while Xiaomi took the idea to a conventional flagship with the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, which launched in China in September 2025.
The Pro carries a 2.7-inch rear AMOLED display and the Pro Max a 2.9-inch one. South African buyers hoping to get their hands on either model may be left waiting, as Xiaomi’s headline flagships don’t typically arrive through official local channels. At the time of writing, Xiaomi had not announced an official South African launch of the 17 Pro or Pro Max. Xiaomi has launched the 17T locally, but that model doesn’t have a rear display. That leaves the X5d s as a rare opportunity to try the feature at a far more accessible price.
Display and design
The Honor X5d s features a 6.78-inch main screen with a resolution of 720×1576 pixels and peak brightness of 600 nits, protected by aluminosilicate glass. The secondary rear screen measures 2.01 inches and has a resolution of 240×296 pixels. The device is available in Forest Green and Midnight Black.
According to Honor, the back screen is built for more than just show. A one-tap selfie feature turns it into a live preview window, so you can frame yourself and your friends using the main camera. For a more playful experience, personalised interactive themes include a “Select a Pet” option, which places a digital pet on the rear display. The pet reacts to touch and sleeps when the phone is idle.
On the camera front, the X5d s has a 50MP rear camera with video recording and 4X digital zoom. The front camera is 5MP and supports 1080p (1920×1080) video recording. Powering it all is a 6000 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery with 15W charging, which should comfortably see users through a full day of content creation and streaming.
Regarding its durability, the phone has an IP52 rating for water and dust resistance, offering protection against light splashes and dust during everyday use.
The device s has a recommended retail price of R2 499. It will be available at all stores nationwide from 7 October 2026.
