This year Honor comes with a new rugged smartphone successor through the Honor X9c 5G model. The thin and light body is still maintained but some changes have also been made to the internal hardware of the device. In this article I take a comprehensive look at the X9C 5G smartphone offering, and whether it is worth buying or not.
SPECIFICATIONS AND DESIGN
Honor X9C 5G
6.78-inch AMOLED screen, 1.5K
1B colors, 120Hz
4,000 nits (peak)
Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4 nm) processor
4 x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A78 chips
4 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55
Adreno 710 graphics chip
8/12GB LPDDR4X RAM
256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage
Main camera 108MP main
5MP ultra-wide
16 Megapixel f/2.5 selfie camera
6600 mAh battery
silicon carbon
66W wired charging
Dual SIM/Telephony nano SIM / 5G
NFC Yes
Audio jack No
Waterproof IP65M
Scanning system In-screen fingerprint scanning
Face scanning
Selling price RM 1,499 (12/128GB)
RM 1,699 (12/256GB)
The design of the Honor X9c 5G is eye-catching. It is really thin and light with a focus on better screen durability. The Honor X9c 5G has a 6.78” 1.5K AMOLED front panel that curves at the sides. The display also supports the DCI-P3 color gamut with 100% SRGB and up to 1.07 billion colors that can display photos, videos and other media in vivid colors.
In addition, it has a 120Hz refresh rate for a more enjoyable scrolling experience. I personally have no problems with the display of this device which indeed works well in most daily uses such as browsing the web, reading articles, replying to messages and others.
In fact, the screen can also be used in various types of lighting conditions including under direct sunlight through its maximum brightness of up to 4000 nits. Color reproduction is also good which looks lifelike with sharp text. Even brighter than the Honor 200 Pro screen that I have tested before.
Honor says that the glass used in the phone's screen has undergone many durability tests to ensure that it won't break easily if dropped multiple times. Did I try it? Yes, I've dropped the phone on several types of surfaces, especially mosaics, and nothing happened to the display.
I admit to being worried at first, but when I saw that it could withstand it well. So I continued to test it with a scratch test and not a single scratch appeared. The screen also houses a fingerprint scanning system that is able to work consistently without any problems when opening the screen. In addition, there is a small pill-shaped camera hole placed right in the center of the screen.
The glossy finish used on the back panel is a good protector and is also resistant to fingerprint smudges. There is also a large camera bump that stands out with the three main cameras in it. It is also round in shape overall and not like a ring like the one used on the Honor X9b 5G before.
The power button and audio knob are located on the right side of the device. Both are easily accessible when using the phone with one hand. However, I feel that the power button is placed too low towards the center which often causes the screen to lock accidentally.
The Honor X9c 5G also has a USB-C port, speaker and SIM slot space at the bottom. It becomes more interesting when the speaker is a stereo type with an audio volume that can reach 300%, thus overcoming the biggest weakness of several previous generations. It is also found to work well enough for most uses including listening to Spotify or watching movies casually.
At the highest settings, the audio produced is loud and clear. Imagine watching a movie on Netflix with a beautiful AMOLED display coupled with such stereo speakers is certainly interesting. However, it is not balanced with the audio of the bottom speaker being louder than the earpiece.
In fact, it is not surprising since it is indeed a problem that I often find on devices that do not place both speakers on the front. It should also be noted that this phone does not come with a 3.5mm audio jack but there is no need to worry because there are many earphone options on the market that are sold at affordable prices.
The phone is also IP65M, which means it is dustproof and resistant to hot water when the device is in motion. The device provides comprehensive protection with a three-layer water-resistant structure, and can withstand temperatures ranging from -30 to 55 degrees Celsius. During the Malaysian media launch, I also tried using the phone as a hammer to hammer nails into a block of wood, dropped it from a height of 2-meters and put it into a pot of hot water.
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS
The Honor X9c 5G is still powered by the same Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip used in the Honor X9b 5G. It also has 12GB of RAM and can be virtually expanded up to 12GB of RAM via the Honor RAM Turbo feature. This can help improve performance, especially when multitasking and using multiple apps.
The included 256GB of internal storage is good and should be enough for most users. In the benchmark tests conducted, it scored 937 points in the Geekbench single-core test and 2,774 points in the multi-core test. Meanwhile, in the AnTuTu 3D and Wildlife tests, it scored 532,621 and 2,385 points respectively.
In reality, this phone works well in most daily tasks such as browsing the web and social media. Although not as fast as other recent phones, I can still multitask well. I also had no problem launching many applications without refreshing and can even leave them open in the background without closing them. The screen seems quite responsive to all touches during games.
I also did not face extreme lag issues when switching applications frequently. Although the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor chip is also over a year old, the gaming experience is still at an enjoyable level, but don't put high hopes on the type of interface that requires high graphics support.
Next, the Honor X9c 5G runs the MagicUI 8.0 software based on Android 14 which is still similar to the EMUI user interface. The problem of bloatware also occurs here but the interface can work well and is responsive when used. There are also some advantages of AI-based features from their premium device series that can be taken advantage of.
For example, AI Motion Sensing allows the camera to capture fast-moving objects and produce clear and sharp images. Next, with a few simple steps, the AI system can identify text and images for use in various things, whether searching, sharing or buying items easily without having to switch between applications through the Magic Portal function.
AI Eraser can also help remove unwanted objects, whether people or objects that interfere with the picture, easily. Other features that can be found include Magic Capsule which is a clone of Dynamic Island and AI Blur Private Info for personal data protection.
CAMERA AND IMAGE QUALITY
A dual-main camera of 108MP f/1.75 + 5MP ultra-wide is used on the device. This support is like a downgrade from the tri-main camera that equipped the Honor X9b before. However, as is known, Honor provides OIS which allows for the process of taking sharper and more stable pictures, especially in low light. In fact, it was not offered on the Honor X9b 5G before.
The camera system also uses artificial intelligence to improve image quality while providing the best settings depending on the situation. In addition, it supports 3X optical zoom and 10X digital. The front has a 16MP sensor used for high-resolution selfie recording.
The device can also capture photos with a ratio of 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and is full of several watermark options. The video format reaches 4K/30FPS or 1080P/60FPS without any stabilization supported. At the same time, it supports the same shooting features as other Honor series including Pro Mode, Aperture Mode, Live Photos and others.
The image quality provides mediocre results with dull color reproduction. The details are quite good but the contrast ratio between the darkest and brightest colors captured by the camera is limited. However, it can still be used without problems, and a little editing will definitely produce a better image effect for general viewing.
The same goes for the ultra-wide image results and night mode which are not very sharp with significant noise issues. Selfie photos are also more than adequate but sufficient lighting is required for satisfactory results.
BATTERY AND CHARGING SYSTEM
The battery is a type of silicon carbon which is also larger reaching 6600mAh. The device is found to last for more than three days for light use. Continuous heavy use which includes taking pictures, playing games and browsing the web shows that the device can last less than a day while it can last a whole day for moderate use. With 66W wired charging, this issue of the battery not lasting very long is not a big issue. In fact, it can be recharged in about 50 minutes only.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
Here are the components included with each purchase.
1x Honor X9c 5G.
1x Plastic protective frame
1x USB-A to USB-C cable.
1x USB-A 66W charger
1x User manual and safety.
1x SIM pin
CONCLUSION
Among the good things about the Honor X9c 5G is its ability to survive in most challenging scenarios. In addition, it is able to satisfy users in a number of aspects such as a thin, light and sleek build. In addition, it has the latest software with AI-based features that are comparable to flagship devices.
A large screen for comfortable video watching in addition to a smooth web browsing experience through the 120Hz refresh rate function. Honor also provides a large battery capacity that can be recharged through a fast charging system. At the same time, it upgrades the device with a stereo audio system and a camera equipped with OIS.
However, the camera performance is only at an average level with dull color reproduction. You can consider your priorities and needs before buying it because the camera system is not the strength of this device. Official selling price starts at RM1499 (12/128GB) and RM1699 (12/256GB) each.
Pros
Large screen with 120Hz support.
Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 supports 5G.
Thin, light and sturdy body design.
Stereo audio system.
Larger battery capacity.
Cons
Medium camera performance.
No micro SD card slot.
Bulky app problems.
The charging system is still the same.