HONOR’s recent phones in the X Series now tend to offer some kind of durability spec. From having improved water resistance to a greater level of overall durability, you can be sure to count on their phones to last more often than not. This year, HONOR Philippines ups the ante even further with its latest X Series smartphone. From it’s “anti-drop display” to improved IP65M dust and water resistance, the brand basically asked us to do any and all variations of durability tests! But does this “All-Angle Triple Defense” phone have something else to offer? Find out in my HONOR X9c 5G review.
Disclaimer: I received the HONOR X9c 5G review unit in Jade Cyan from HONOR Philippines on December 12, 2024. The phone was unboxed on December 17, 2024. I’ve been using the X9c as my main Android phone for two weeks, and in an on-and-off capacity afterwards.
Unboxing Experience
We still get a typical unboxing experience of an HONOR phone with the X9c. I know some people might take it for granted these days, but it’s still nice to see a charger included in the box.
Design and Build
The HONOR X9c 5G maintains a similar form factor as the X9b with a curved display on the front and a curved back. It comes in three colors: Titanium Purple, Titanium Black, and Jade Cyan (the one I have). I honestly love this Jade Cyan color complete with this marble look which gives off an overall more premium vibe.
My only issue with this matte back is how easy the phone can slip from my hands. Good thing HONOR advertised the heck out of its durability so I can worry less when I accidentally drop this phone. (Not that I haven’t done that on purpose enough!) This phone does have a plastic frame to help with the grip.
For all the marketing done for this phone, HONOR has done a good job of pushing the durability narrative particularly with its X9 series of phones. Achieving IP65M is not something I expect from midrange phones 5 years ago, yet here we are. With HONOR’s Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Technology 2.0 that reinforces the phone’s frame and internals, this phone can withstand drops up to 2 meters
Display and Speakers
Like its predecessor, the HONOR X9c 5G rocks a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display. It has a slightly higher resolution of 2700 x 1224 (HONOR still calls it 1.5K), and still has a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s also HONOR’s Eye Comfort Display tech that brings better 3840Hz PWM dimming.
While I honestly didn’t notice much change (besides that pill cutout), the X9c has a good display. Colors are good for a midrange phone. I’m starting to have a hard time finding a bad phone display in 2025. It is a curved display, so the usual issues that come with that are present but don’t happen often. You’ll have a good time watching YouTube and Netflix on the X9c.
This phone has dual speakers for a more stereo sound when watching content. While they aren’t the loudest speakers for its price range, I can only hear some distortion when reaching the high 80s to 100%.
Performance and Software
The HONOR X9c 5G uses the same Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset as last year’s X9b. Along with this chip is 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Since these specs are basically the same, all I can say is the phone performs well in normal use. I’ve had some issues with rotation lock with some third-party apps, but they’re relatively minor. Playing Pokémon UNITE was a relatively smooth experience for me, as the highest available settings were enabled by default.
In case you need to look at benchmark results, here they are:
The X9c runs MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14. For me, this is still one of the weak points of HONOR phones. This is probably one of the only Android skins that doesn’t have the app drawer by default (EMUI is another). While some might prefer that iOS-like home screen experience, others might prefer the usual Android app drawer. Good thing that the Android skin doesn’t really get in the way in doing what I needed to do while using the X9c.
Battery Experience
A definite plus of the HONOR X9c 5G is its huge 6600 mAh Silicon-Carbon battery. It is HONOR’s first X Series phone to use Silicon-Carbon battery that we first saw in the HONOR Magic V2. The phone also has 66W HONOR SuperCharge to top up that battery fast. When using the included charger, the phone is charged from 0 to 100% in less than an hour. For a big battery, that’s good enough for me.
The biggest plus for me is how hard it is to kill this phone in a day for light to moderate use. I was using multiple social media apps, playing a game of Pokémon UNITE, watching at least an hour of YouTube, and taking multiple photos. While the benchmark results below seem like the battery life is just okay, I usually get by through a day with at least 30% battery remaining.
Cameras
Going into the HONOR X9c 5G review, I was curious if HONOR made any camera improvements compared to its predecessor. While we still get a 108MP main camera and a 5MP ultrawide camera on the surface, the main camera gets a meaningful hardware change: OIS. We also get the same 16MP front camera. Let’s check the photos to see if OIS really does make a difference in the photos from the main camera!
Click on the photos for full-resolution versions!
Having OIS on the 108MP main camera makes a difference in the shots whether in natural light or in low light. While it sometimes struggles with stuff like trees and shadows, I can say that HONOR did a good job with the image processing here.
Even when using 3x zoom, the X9c does a good job of keeping accurate colors without losing detail. The colors of the paintings around the focus of the zoomed photo are also accurate.
Faces and Portraits
The 108MP main camera also does a good job with faces and people, particularly when it comes to portraits. Skin tones are mostly accurate, and the cutouts are mostly clean (there are cases when it cuts out hair that should be there). I’m also happy that this phone can also keep most of the details on faces in group photos.
Low-Light Shots
Where OIS really shines is in low light. This is honestly a big improvement over the predecessor, even if it doesn’t work as well under extremely low light and in 3x zoom. For taking shots of the mall’s landscape at night? It works pretty well.
Even in challenging light indoors, the X9c does a good job in keeping as much detail from the main camera as it can. It tends to struggle at 3x zoom but can be usable for social media posts.
Front Camera
The HONOR X9c 5G rocks a 16MP front camera with an f/2.45 aperture. I like the shots from the front camera for the most part, but it can screw up when you’re against the light. These photos are totally good enough for sharing on social media.
Should You Buy the HONOR X9c 5G?
In this HONOR X9c 5G review, I wanted to know if the brand made enough improvements over its predecessor for me to recommend this phone.
HONOR somehow managed to improve this phone in key aspects like its 6600 mAh battery, faster 66W charging, and OIS on the 108MP main camera. Seeing the brand improve the durability further with the X9c is commendable, even if the marketing is exaggerated and encouraged other brands to do the same. The best part? HONOR kept the P16,999 price tag for the Philippines, especially after worries that this phone got more expensive in other countries.
If you’re looking for an all-around midrange smartphone that can probably survive the harsh environments of everyday life, the HONOR X9c is worth considering.
Pros
- Nice matte design and slim profile, especially in this Jade Cyan color
- Much improved drop resistance and IP65M dust and water resistance rating
- A good 1.5K AMOLED display
- Loud dual stereo speakers for its slim profile
- Good performance thanks to Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 + 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage
- Big 6600 mAh battery
- Faster charging with 66W HONOR SuperCharge
- Significant improvement on 108MP main camera thanks to OIS
- Good-quality photos from the 16MP front camera
Cons
- Matte back is slippery and can cause unintended drops
- Curved displays are still prone to breaking
- You can find better performance in phones with the same or lower price than the X9c
- MagicOS 8.0 is underwhelming despite the features
- Actual battery life is good, but disappointing for a 6000+ mAh battery
- Subpar 5MP ultrawide camera
- Low-light shots can be hit or miss
- No 4K video recording
The HONOR X9c 5G is still up for preorder until January 24, 2025. You can get a FREE HONOR Gift Box when you preorder PLUS a chance to win a ROLEX DATEJUST worth P600,000!
You can preorder the X9c at the following channels: