When it comes to smartphones, we're spoiled for choice nowadays. Whether you want one with the best features or a design that impresses you, there's a smartphone out there that would fit your needs. With that said, how about the Honor X9c?
Launched in Malaysia earlier this month, the Honor X9c is a mid-range device that offers decent specs and aesthetics that should appeal to the younger crowd or the fashionable user. But mid-range devices are too common these days, so does this one deliver enough to stand out? Read the review below and judge for yourself.
Design - New look, slimmer body
At a glance, the Honor X9c has a few design changes compared to last year's models. Unlike some Honor X8 series phones, the Honor X9c ditched the flat edges and flat screen for curved ones. This makes the phone more comfortable to hold. Still, sometimes the display would look a bit distorted along the edges due to reflection or glare. It doesn't bother me but it's something to note for those who have a habit of watching videos under direct sunlight or outdoors.
Front: The Honor X9c's screen has curved sides
For the back, the Honor X9c sports a relatively smooth metallic cover. However, it doesn't feel slippery and feels comfortable in the hand. The unit I tested had this light purple colour that looks quite good. Nothing too fancy, but it's a nice clean look that I happen to like. Its slightly matte finish is also great, as it prevents fingerprint smudges. The best part about the Honor X9c is how slim it feels, thanks to its Silicon Carbon battery.
The rear camera module is the second change from the Honor X8 series. It now occupies a large circular section on the top centre, with a watch-like bezel circling it. The camera module definitely helps the phone stand out, which may or may not be to the user's preference. As for the front camera, there's a small pill-shaped cut-out for the front camera. This cut-out can expand (visually, not physically) to show more information like call duration, but more on that later.
Back: A slight matte finish makes it less prone to fingerprint smudges
A closer look at the rear camera module, which has a bezel that's common on watches
Going back to the rear camera, the module's design can be useful in keeping the phone from wobbling when placed on a flat surface. It's not something too many care about. However, it might be relevant if you (like me) have a habit of browsing the net with your phone flat on the table while eating.
In terms of component placement, the Honor X9c is as standard as it gets. At the bottom, it has a USB Type-C connector for charging and data, one speaker, the microphone, and a dual-SIM tray. There's another on the top, plus the power and volume buttons on the right side. Overall, it's a well-built device that's elegant and slim.
Right + Left sides: Nothing unusual, but feels pretty slim
Top: One speaker here; Bottom: The dual-SIM tray, USB-C port, and the other speaker
Tech specs and features - Lots of notable upgrades, except with the chipset
Here are the specifications of the HONOR X9c:
- Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset
- 24GB RAM (12GB+12GB Turbo RAM)
- 256GB or 512GB of storage
- Measures 162.8 x 75.5 x 8mm, weighs 189g
- 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED display (1224 x 2700 pixels, 4000nits peak brightness, 120Hz refresh rate)
- 108MP (main - F/1.75, OIS) + 5MP (ultrawide - F/2.2) dual rear camera
- 16MP (F/2.45) front camera
- Supports WiFi 2.4GHz and 5GHz, Bluetooth v5, OTG
- 6600mAh Silicon-Carbon battery, 66W HONOR SuperCharge
- MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14
- Features 3840Hz PWM dimming, Magic Capsule, dual stereo speakers, IP65M Water Resistance
As you can tell, the Honor X9c isn't quite built for performance. Its lower mid-range Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset is decent at best but should perform well enough for daily tasks. More importantly, its 12GB RAM makes it great for cycling through multiple apps. And if that's not enough, you can add up to 12GB of Turbo RAM. For storage, Honor is offering the phone in two variants - 256GB and 512GB.
Of course, Honor didn't skimp out on features for the UI. The Honor X9c actually packs plenty of useful features like the Magic Capsule and Parallel Space. It's also among the first few Honor devices to get AI features like AI Camera, AI super power-saving mode, and AI Privacy. But in general, these AI features either don't function that well or won't significantly impact the way you use the phone.
The camera had plenty of features too, but most of them are features common to any mid-range device in 2024. There's the typical Slow-Mo, Panorama, Time-Lapse, and Pro modes we've all come to expect. It even has a Multi-Video mode that uses both the front and rear camera to record simultaneously, a Portrait mode, and a Night mode. If nothing else, the Honor X9c should be a fun phone for casual photographers, Instagrammers, or TikTokers.
Magic Capsule 'expands' from the pill-shaped cutout
Close up of the Magic Capsule, which is showing how long it has been voice recording
The camera app has features you've come to expect
Performance - Decent performance, incredible battery
Since the Honor X9c sports the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, it's obvious this phone wouldn't be some performance workhorse. But that's not to say the chip is terrible. In fact, the Snapdragon 6 series is good enough for anything a regular, modern smartphone user would need. So, whether it's browsing social media apps, watching videos or even playing mobile games - the Honor X9c can do all of that.
However, don't expect to enjoy high-end mobile games on it. First, games like Zenless Zone Zero or Genshin Impact tend to be slow when booting up because of the phone's chipset and the older UFS 3.1 storage tech. If you're just booting up COD: Mobile for a quick post-lunch match before getting back to work, slow loading can feel like a big time waster.
Geekbench - Definitely performs better than the Snapdragon 680 chipset
3DMark - The GPU performance is enough for you to play casual games
Secondly, you can only play such games on low or maybe medium settings at 30FPS. In other words, they won't look good or feel as smooth. Although you can turn up the settings for the game to look better or smoother, it results in the phone draining more battery and becoming quite warm. Fortunately, you could go up to medium graphics settings for less demanding games like PUBG, Free Fire or MLBB, which are popular among the current youth in Malaysia.
Having said that, the phone only feels slow when loading games. Its 12GB of RAM (plus another 12GB of Turbo RAM), means you never have to worry about the phone freezing up. I can also have multiple apps running in the background without them resetting when I'm away for a while. It's also great if you need to run productivity apps it, though that's not something I'd recommend (better get a tablet instead).
Want to play high-end games? You could if you turn all the settings to low
The battery is easily the best aspect of the Honor X9c. It has a huge 6600mAh Silicon-Carbon battery, which is massive when compared to its counterparts from last year (like the Honor X8b). And thanks to the more power-efficient Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, the phone also lasts much longer.
While testing the phone, I performed some basic battery estimates by watching Netflix shows and playing some Zenless Zone Zero (two of my regular activities at home). On average, the battery goes down by 5% when watching a 45-minute Netflix show, or 13% when playing ZZZ for an hour. Of course, these are merely estimates. But that's up to 15 hours of Netflix or over 7 hours of high-end mobile games, which is pretty wild.
On top of that, the phone has 66W Honor SuperCharge to quickly recharge the phone. While not the fastest charger I've seen, the charger included in the box can bring the phone from 10% to 100% in about 1 hour and 8 minutes. If I need to leave the house or office soon and the battery is low, a 30-minute charge is enough to take it from 10% to around 55%.
Next, let's talk about the cameras for a while. Overall, the Honor X9c's cameras were okay but didn't struck me as impressive. Under natural sunlight, photos turned out sharp enough and had adequate detail. But colours seem to lack that 'pop' and felt slightly muted. The contrast, even in HDR mode, was also not very consistent.
0.6x zoom
1x zoom
2x zoom
3x zoom
Hi-Res mode may improve sharpness and brightness in some instances
Ultra-wide
Macro mode
Underwater mode could be interesting, but don't bring it out to the sea
Some low-light shots will have light 'bloom' surrounding light sources
Using Pro mode could result in better photos
Portrait shots are decent, but it would have been better if there was a blur control
Night photography was also average, assuming the pictures were taken in a somewhat well-lit area. However, noise was a lot more apparent, so many pictures end up looking grainy. Moreover, there's a serious light bloom effect surrounding light sources, which ruined photos taken in places like night markets or shops.
Conclusion - Enough upgrades to warrant consideration
In some aspects, the Honor X9c may not feel significantly better than a mid-range smartphone from 2023 or 1H 2024. But it has enough upgrades to really make its RM1499 price tag worthwhile. Not only does it offer plenty of features, but it also has incredible battery life, lots of RAM, and access to AI features. All of that is packed into a slimmer body that looks pretty good. Overall, it's a decent option if you need a mid-range phone that can do lots of things and deliver at least decent performance.
Not what you're looking for? Then maybe consider the realme 13+ (RM1399), which has a smaller 5000mAh battery but sports a notably more powerful Dimensity 7300 chipset for games and a 50MP camera with a newer sensor. There's also the vivo V30e (RM1399), which looks like a flagship phone design-wise and delivers better camera performance.
And that's it for our Honor X9c review, what do you think? Does this mid-range phone appeal to you? Let us know in the comments on our Facebook page and stay tuned to TechNave for more reviews!
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