Review of Honor X9c (5G) smartphone in the UAE

On 28 November 2024, Honor launched the Honor X9c smart mobile in the Middle East. The latest addition to the HONOR X Series delivers remarkable upgrades across the display, battery, and performance, with a 120Hz AMOLED Curved Display, massive 6600mAh battery, 256GB storage, and 12GB RAM + 12 GB (Honor RAM) all packed in a compact design.

We got the opportunity to get the Honor X9c handset that was sent to me a week ago before the launch in the UAE. Below are the details and the review.

Body & Specification

The Honor X9c (5G) smartphone (Model – BRP-NX1) smartphone has a dimension of 162.8 mm (H) x 75.5 mm (W) x 7.98 mm (D), and it weighs 189 grams which includes a non-removal battery. It has an AMOLED 120Hz, 4000nits (peak) capacitive touchscreen and a size of 6.78 inches with a resolution of 1224 x 2700 pixels with a screen ~437 density. It has a ~90.7% screen-to-body ratio. The body build has a plastic back, and shiny aluminum frame with the front AMOLED display, which is drop-to-concrete resistance from up to 2m as advertised by HONOR and the back panel comes with a colour that the company calls – Titanium Purple, which is matt glossy finish giving a premium looks.

OS

The Honor X9c smartphone runs Android 14 and has a Magic UI 8.0 user interface. It uses Qualcomm SM6450 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4 nm) + (GPU) Adreno 710 with 12GB RAM + 12GB (HONOR RAM Turbo) and 256 GB ROM internal storage for the UAE market.

Cameras

It has cameras on the rear, 108 MP and 5 MP. The front round in-screen camera has a 16 MP lens embedded into the display. The cameras and the LED light are arranged on a circular disc that juts out of the body frame of the back panel. In the centre of the ring, you have “MATRIX 108MP SENSOR  1/1.67 F 1.75” printed in silver.

The primary camera can shoot video at 4K@30fps to 1080p@30fps and gyro-OIS, and the front camera can shoot video at 1080p@30fps and gyro-OIS. Honor X9c (5G) smartphone features Dual-LED flash, HDR, and panorama

The Honor X9c (5G) frame is thin, as the display and back panel edges are curved to make the body very sleek and thin. The right side of the frame has the power button and volume rockers, and the left-hand side is clean with no buttons or controls. The Honor word is silver print on the back panel on the lower side.

The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the AMOLED display. The phone has a Dual SIM (2 Nano SIMs, 5G + 5G) Card slot. It supports GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BDS. The phone’s bottom side has the dual SIM Tray, USB Type-C super-charge (66W) input, speaker grills, and mic, and the top side is clean with a single mic and thin ear speaker.

The Review

The device I received for review is Titanium Purple. The back panel is made of plastic with a glossy finish.

The phone’s sleek and very thin design is due to its curved back panel and display. You will only notice the top area, which houses the single-lens camera with an elongated focus sensor embedded in the screen.

 Honor X9c (5G) is a mid-range smartphone created for the audience looking for a good camera and workhorse phone with a budget of around AED1299.

Honor X9c (5G) – Ultra-bounce Anti-Drop Technology 2.0 Display

The Honor X9a (5G) has a 60% stronger drop-to-concrete resistance display engineered to withstand drops from heights up to 2 meters. According to rigorous laboratory tests, Honor claims the phone can endure most bumps in life without a problem, whether being dropped, squeezed, or impacted. It has passed various tests, such as the Marble Drop, Random Roll, Squeeze, and Steel Ball Impact Test.

Honor X9c (5G) Cameras

Selfie Camera

The front camera is a single 16MP (F2.45), and the photo resolution is 4608 x 3456px at 72dpi with a focal length of 3.25mm. The camera supports a resolution of 2304 x 1728px, and the sensor size is 4.61 x 3.46 with 270 degrees. The camera has a sensor for instant Face detection and auto-tracking, supporting the Bokeh effect. In selfie photo mode, the camera supports at least two face recognition with AI. In video mode, too, the camera supports multiple face recognition, and via face lock, the camera lens remains focused on the subject, which is excellent for vloggers.

The front selfie camera offers additional features under photo mode in the AI setting. Auto Smile Capture activates when you smile, and the palm gesture allows you to hold your open palm in front of the camera, triggering a 3-second countdown before taking a selfie. The Multi-Video option lets you simultaneously record using the main and selfie cameras. You can record videos at 1080p and 30 fps with gyro-EIS. Under the photo and video modes, you can shoot with AI, FHD, and HDR. The Selfie with Flash feature uses the screen’s full-brightness white light as a flash. Selfie mode enables you to take high-quality selfies. In the “More” options, Dual Capture allows you to take photos and videos simultaneously. In portrait mode, you can apply the Bokeh effect for a blurred background.

Primary Cameras

The back panel of the Honor X9c (5G) houses the triple cameras and the LED flash on a circular frame that juts out a little. The triple cameras consist of 108 MP, f/1.8 (wide), 1/1.67″, PDAF, OIS + 5 MP, f/2.2 (ultra-wide).

The primary camera’s general setting can click images at 4000px X 3000px at 72 dpi. In Hi-res mode, you get 12000 × 9000px at 72 dpi. In video mode, the camera clicks 4K and 1080p@30, gyro-EIS. The camera lens is 7.68 x 5.76 inches with 90-degree coverage.

The autofocus is good, with half-second delays measured under easy lighting conditions. It also has the pro mode, where you can manually adjust exposure value (EV), white balance (WB), Auto Focus (AF), Exposure (ISO), and 54 MP mode.

Under the aperture mode, you can change the aperture from F 0.95 to F 16.

In the video, you can do a time-lapse and story. You shoot video in Wide, 1x, 2x, and 8x, which is digitally zoomed. The camera records 4K & FullHD 1920 x 1080 at 30FPS, and the sound capture is good. The camera automatically focuses on the subject and creates a Bokeh effect. It also lets you fix focus (AE/AF lock) when clicking on the subject by holding the finger for a few seconds on the screen. 

(Please note: AE/AF Lock to be used sensibly as it may cause out of focus of the video if moved from the subject with the locked to another far away subject)

Operating System and Software

The operating system of Honor X9c (5G) has the latest Android 14 operating system with the Magic UI – 8.0 as the user interface. So, with Android 14.0, the Honor X9c (5G) has all the latest features like AI beautification, creamy Bokeh for portraits, and AI recognition of up to 500 scenes. It uses Qualcomm SM6450 Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4 nm) + (GPU) Adreno 710 with 12GB RAM + 12GB (HONOR RAM Turbo) and 256 GB ROM internal storage for the UAE market.

Android 14 also helps with better, more accurate facial brightness, contrast for selfies on the front cameras, scene-by-scene optimizations for shots taken on the rear, and enhancement of the photography effects.  There was no significant lag between screens or when scrolling the apps; it was smooth and fast.

The phone comes with Honor Share, Nearby Share, a 5G button, a Screenshot and screen Recorder, a link to Windows, and other buttons from the top of the menu.

Benchmark Testing

The Honor X9c (5G) was tested with various benchmarking Apps. On the PC Mark benchmark, it scored 12356. On the 3DMark, under the Wildlife test, it got 2385 Vulkan; Wildlife Extreme, it scored 613; and Steel Nomad Light, it scored 198. On GFX, I scored Aztec Ruins Open GL—726.9 frames (11FPS) and 4K Aztec Ruins Vulkan—295.3 frames (4.6FPS). On the AI Benchmark, it got 800. On the Geek, it scored 666 on single-core and 1960 on multi-core.

While benchmark testing the smartphone, the body temperature rose to 34°C, and the CPU temperature rose to 38°C.

(Please note: While reviewing and testing, most smartphones had an average body temperature of 32°C to 37°C.)

Sound & Audio

The Honor X9c (5G) has a dual-side speaker grill. The sound comes from the bottom side. When you hold the smartphone vertically and horizontally, you can hear stereo from the right (top) side and left (bottom) side.

The trebles and mid-level were clear, and the bass was decent for the smartphone’s value. The volume is quite clear. The device comes with two mics—on top and bottom and on the bottom beside the USB Type C charging port. It supports Hi-Res audio format.

The Honor X9c performed above average compared to competitors in a similar price range.

(Please note: Audio Quality was tested at a distance of 1-2 feet while testing the audio quality)

Honor X9c (5G) for Gaming

The Asphalt 9 game performed excellently. With 12GB RAM + 12GB (HONOR RAM Turbo), a 120Hz refresh rate screen, and good audio, my experience was satisfying. The smartphone speakers are good and loud.

Connectivity & Battery

The smartphone has a fingerprint sensor, face detection, pattern and pin for accessing the smartphone.  The Smartphone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth, which supports 5.1, A2DP, LE, and aptX HD. The smartphone has a non-removable 6600mAh Silicon-carbon battery and an infrared port, lasting more than 2+ days with average usage. The smartphone comes with USB Type-C 2.0 charging input, which can charge the phone at 66W fast, and I could get 60% charge in 20 minutes.

Conclusion

Honor X9c (5G) is a good smartphone for the price; the phone is a mid-range with all the great features for gaming and watching online entertainment. The built quality and colour make the phone very rich and stylish. The display screen and body are robust and reliable. Nothing happens to the body or the display, even if the phone drops from 5 to 6ft. The screen is scratchproof, except if you purposely try to do heavy scratches.

Cameras Conclusion

108MP triple cameras with AI support make this smartphone one of the best in the competition. As for the selfies, the 16MP lens can make a difference with the Ai function, giving a very lovely creamy Bokeh effect and focusing on your face with auto-tracking when clicked on the screen for focus. It has a quick and sharp focus system.

Features

With a 256GB ROM, which is quite good for storage, and the Dual Card SIM Tray, it is a good smartphone for the price and can compete with its competitors for the money. With all the AR and AI effects and functions, it is a very young, stylish, and perfect companion for teens and gamers.

The daylight shot was sharp and good, and the 16MP selfies were natural, with great colour output. The zoom was 8x, which could have been better. 

Under low light or night photography, the output was sound with the colour saturated with the AI.  

Overall, it is a good buy for the consumer for the price and a mid-range phone.

Packaging of Honor X9c (5G) & Price

The Honor X9c (5G) smartphone comes in a white box with the silver-coloured “Honor X9c (5G)” printed on all sides. On opening the box, you will find the smartphone in a translucent cover in a plastic tray. Digging further, you will find the white paper sleeve with a transparent protective back cover with a SIM removal tool, a quick guide, and a guarantee card. Below the sleeve, you will find the 66W supercharger plug and the USB Type C charging cable.

The Honor X9c (5G) launched at AED 1299 and is available in various online and retail stores. The device is available in four colours: Titanium Purple, Black, Jade Cyan, and sunrise Orange. Consumers will receive gifts like HONOR CHOICE Earbuds X5 and HONOR Care 12-month 360° Damage Protection.

Review of the Honor Magic V3 Foldable Smartphone in the UAE

About The Author