It’s been a year since the HONOR X9a 5G wowed us with its indestructible build. Now, we’re about to face the stronger version of itself: the HONOR X9b 5G. Fortunately, this newest iteration has built up more strength in more aspects than one. Read more to find out.
Inside the box
The X9b 5G comes with a protective case, SIM ejector pin, warranty card, USB-C cable, 35W adapter.
Design
It goes without saying that this newest iteration is a standout. If you’re big on smartphone aesthetics the X9b 5G is worthy of your undivided attention.
The rear design is a combination of the flashy Sunrise Orange colorway and the Rolex-inspired golden accents at the camera layout. At the same time, you get the amazing feel of a vegan leather back.
For those who want a more muted color, you can go for Emerald Green or Midnight Black.
Build
The form factor is also highly commendable. It features a lightweight (185g) and slim profile (7.98mm), making it very comfortable to hold even for long hours.
Its IP53 water and dust protection will also come in handy especially during accidental spills — something its predecessor didn’t have.
Display
On flip side is the star of the show — the 6.78-inch AMOLED curved screen with 120Hz refresh rate and 1200 nits peak brightness.
The front panel is the definition of strong and beautiful. As an on-the-go series binger, I’m a fan of the immersive display. You get stunning visuals housed in a large and bright screen. It gets plus points since it has TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification.
If you’re at the higher end of spectrum in terms of clumsiness, the X9b 5G is your number one pal. HONOR shows off its Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Display with SGS five-star overall drop resistance certification. Simply put, it has 360-protection from accidental drops.
It helps when your smartphone doesn’t give up on you when you’re having your moments. After putting the X9b 5G to the test, it didn’t disappoint at all. It came out strong after putting it through several drop and smash tests. The frame might have some dents, but the screen was left unscathed.
Camera
Looking back at the premium-looking ring figure at the rear, there’s the triple camera setup featuring the 108MP main camera, 5MP ultra-wide camera, and 2MP macro camera.
It’s worth noting how much the X9b 5G has gotten better compared to its predecessor. Back then with X9a, photos taken in low light were a little washed out, overexposed and grainy. Now, with the X9b 5G, details are sharper and colors are more vivid.
When there’s good lighting, the quality of the shots is easily impressive. It exhibited good amounts of detail with bright and vivid colors to match.
Likewise, the 3X Lossless zoom exhibited nearly the same quality as the main shooter. For those who love taking Gen Z shots, the 5MP ultrawide camera will be your best friend.
Selfie queens will also enjoy the 16MP front camera. Surprisingly, even when the lighting’s tricky, the selfies I took still showed good dynamic range, and enough details.
Performance
Under the hood we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor. This is paired with 12GB RAM (expandable to 20GB) and 256GB ROM
Doing basic day-to-day tasks like going through social media, answering tons of emails, and multitasking was effortless.
It can also carry out heavier tasks like gaming without any hitches. There were no lags and frame drops when I tried running titles like Asphalt 9 and Mobile Legends even at the highest graphic setting.
Lastly, since it’s built with more than enough storage, you have plenty of room for safety shots when shooting your content.
Operating System
As for the software, the X9b 5G runs HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13. Since the user interface is quite familiar, it feels very intuitive to navigate through it; almost like second nature.
Battery
The big surprise is the large battery in such a light package. This robust device is built with a 5800mAh battery, which can last you for 3 days with light-to-moderate use and 2 days with heavy use.
When you run low on juice you can power it up with the 35W SuperCharger. From 0 to 100%, it can take a little over an hour.
Verdict
To sum it up, I can confidently say that HONOR took a big leap to impress us with the HONOR X9b 5G. It spoiled us with an abundance of upgrades — almost in all aspects.
From its strong, beautiful display and improved camera capabilities down to its impressive performance and long battery life — I won’t be surprised if it turns out to be a smashing hit. Quite literally, it already is.
Given the price point of PHP16,999 and the all-around upgrades, the HONOR X9b 5G should definitely be on your radar since it’s one solid midrange smartphone.
Pre-order the HONOR X9b 5G from January 12 to 19, 2024 and get a FREE HONOR Gift Box and HONOR Choice X5 Earbuds worth Php 4,000.
Shop through these links:
Shopee: https://bit.ly/Shop_X9b_2ndOpinion
Lazada: https://bit.ly/Laz_X9b_2ndOpinion
TikTok Shop: https://bit.ly/TikTok_X9b_2ndOpinion
