HONOR X9c 5G review: A new standard in toughness

New year, new me – my resolution for 2025 is to take better care of my things as I am one clumsy human being. For those out there much like me, the HONOR X9c 5G might just be the smartphone you’re looking for this year. 

Around this time last year, HONOR released the X9b which was dubbed the toughest smartphone around. Out with the old, and in with the new – the HONOR X9c 5G is here to take that spot. 

Design

The smartphone comes in three available color options: Titanium Black, Titanium Purple and Jade Cyan. The latter is the color I was able to test, and I must say, it is quite a stunner. 

The design provides a luxurious feel with its ceramic-like design and smooth finish. Upon further inspection, the camera section further elevates the deluxe feel as its “bezels” are reminiscent of that of a premium watch. 

Build

In terms of the dimensions, the HONOR X9c 5G is slightly heavier than its predecessor weighing in at around 189g. This could be due to its bigger battery. Despite this, it does still manage to have a slim profile at just 7.98mm. 

Now for the star of the show – the build quality. Tough might be an understatement when describing this smartphone. You’re heavily protected against drops, water and heat. 

The drop resistance height has been generously increased to 2m. An Anti-Drop display and Anti-drop camera shield further protect the important areas on the device. I can easily endorse such features as just recently, I bought a new phone, and I’ve already dropped it a couple of times. 

Water resistance has also been improved. The smartphone will have no problem under wet conditions thanks to its IP65M Water Resistance rating. 

However, the craziest part is the heat resistance. Picture this: You’re having a meal at your favorite hot pot joint and you want to snap a photo of the food. Being a clumsy little fellow, you accidentally drop your smartphone in the boiling hot broth. Does your smartphone survive? 

Well, this is exactly the kind of test we carried out at our nearest Jiang Nan branch. After we were done with our meal, we decided to “cook” the device. Incredibly, the HONOR X9c 5G came out unscathed. That is definitely 5-star durability in my book. You can check out our hot pot test video here.

Display

Consuming content on this smartphone was definitely an enjoyable experience. It is equipped with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Peak brightness is now also at 4000 nits. 

I quite enjoyed watching TWICE’s new comeback on the HONOR X9c 5G. The colors really popped, and the visuals were quite crisp as our girls looked incredible as always (Onces, please continue to stream Strategy on Spotify and Apple Music).

The HONOR Magic Capsule makes another quick cameo which is always a welcome addition to any HONOR smartphone. 

Camera

The HONOR X9c 5G utilizes a dual camera setup. It comprises a 108MP main shooter and a 5MP Wide camera. OIS is now also present, so you can expect better quality photos of subjects in motion as well as capturing videos. 

Photos captured under well-lit environments were impressive. The clarity was great and had a solid level of detail. Colors were quite vivid as well which further enhanced the quality of the shots. 

For photos captured in low light, the quality was overall passable. Some of it tended to be a bit overexposed, but all-in-all were more than usable for everyday posting. 

You can take your selfies with the 16MP front camera. Images captured with this camera had a decent amount of detail as well. Again, for everyday posting on social media, it should not be a problem. 

For shooting videos, the main camera supports up to 4K@30FPS. The front camera on the other hand supports up to 1080P@30FPS. 

Performance

Under the hood, the HONOR X9c 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor paired with an Adreno A710 GPU. It also comes with 12GB of RAM, which can extend to 24GB, and 256GB of storage. 

Multitasking on this device is seamless. Booting up your apps and switching between them is also quick and smooth. 

When it comes to gaming, I had no trouble running CoD Mobile and PUBG Mobile on their base settings. For more intensive titles such as Genshin Impact, you may need to lower the graphic settings for a smoother experience. 

Battery and charging

This smartphone is long-lasting on the inside as well. It is powered by a whopping 6600mAh battery that can last you over three days of moderate usage. If only my social battery had the same capacity. Sigh. 

Charging this battery to full will take you only a little over an hour. This is all thanks to the 66W SuperCharger. 

Verdict

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. And the HONOR X9c 5G will get going with you. With its impressive durability and long-lasting battery life, this smartphone can definitely keep up with your fast-paced (and maybe even clumsy) lifestyle. 

The HONOR X9c 5G is priced at just PHP 16,999. At that price, this smartphone might just be an excellent investment for the brand-new year.

Product shots by Mica de los Reyes