You’ve seen the durability test videos from different influencers online. Now it’s time to dig deeper and see what the new HONOR X9c 5G is actually all about.
Apart from the improved durability, we’re seeing some impressively upgraded features on this one. Although, some were disappointingly the same as before.
In our HONOR X9c 5G full review, we’ll go beyond its toughness and see if it’s actually a capable device worth your hard-earned money. Let’s start.
HONOR X9c 5G Specs
- Android 14, MagicOS 8
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.78-inch 1.2K AMOLED display, 2700 x 1224 pixel resolution, ~437ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate, 4,000-nit peak brightness
- 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core processor
- Adreno 710 GPU
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB internal storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 108-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF, OIS) + 5-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Stereo speakers
- IP65M dust and water resistant, SGS Certified (2m drop resistant)
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.1
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC, IR blaster
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 162.8 x 75.5 x 8mm
- Weight: 189g
- Colors: Jade Cyan, Titanium Purple, Titanium Black
- 6,600mAh non-removable battery, 66W wired charging, Reverse wired charging
Design and Build Quality
Of course, the first thing I’ll be talking about is durability. The HONOR X9c officially gets an IP65M dust and water resistance rating. It also received a 5-star SGS rating for comprehensive reliability.

So, what do these certifications mean? According to HONOR, it can survive drops from up to 2 meters, the rear panel can endure 3,000 cycles of steel wool friction and has 360-degree water protection.
The water protection isn’t as impressive as the others as it can only survive depths of 25cm for up to 5 minutes. But that should be enough for accidental water splashes or getting caught in the rain.
I did a couple of durability tests (see video above). First, I dropped it at hip level face-down and the screen survived with no scratches. I also used it to crush garlic cloves and handled it like a champ.
To finish it off, I even dropped it in boiling water for 10 seconds and it survived with no issues. Still, I don’t recommend you show off and do these tests on your own unit. While it should survive accidents, you can still break the device if you do it deliberately.

Apart from its durability, the HONOR X9c is simply a gorgeous device. It feels incredibly sleek and thin thanks to its curved sides in both the front and back.
The marble-like accent of this Jade Cyan colorway is gorgeous to look at, while the matte texture keeps it clean from dust and fingerprint marks. The metal bezel surrounding the large circular camera island gives the X9c a distinct look, kinda similar to the ones seen on expensive watches.

Taking a tour, we have the large 6.78-inch AMOLED curved display on the front. The bezels are not the thinnest, but still looks very clean. A pill-sized punch-hole holds the 16-megapixel selfie camera on top.

Left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and the lock/power button. The physical keys are tactile, clicky, and feel well-made.

The top only has the speaker grills. At the bottom, we have the SIM tray for two nano-SIMs. Sadly, there’s no space for a microSD card for additional storage.

Also here are the USB-C port, built-in microphone, and the main loudspeakers.
On the back, we have the sharp 108-megapixel main camera, 5-megapixel ultra-wide, the LED flash, and what appears to be a placeholder for where a tertiary camera should be.

HONOR definitely nailed the design and build of the HONOR X9c. Apart from its well-known durability, it’s also one of the most elegant and sleek smartphones you can get for the price.
Display and Audio
The HONOR X9c has a 6.78-inch 1.2K AMOLED display with a resolution of 2700 x 1224 pixels, ~437ppi, 60Hz-120Hz refresh rate, 3840Hz PWM dimming, and a much higher 4,000 nits of peak brightness from its predecessor’s 1200 nits.




Display quality was really good. The high screen brightness improves visibility and viewing angles sunny outdoors, which is great for people who are always on the move.
Widevine L1 support is here for HD streaming on apps like Netflix, but the lack of HDR support may bum some people. Still, the vibrant colors, deep contrast, and sharp details makes watching movies and TV shows on this screen enjoyable.

Another upgrade the X9c got is the stereo speakers — a feature that should’ve already been on the X9b in the first place. The stereo separation makes for an immersive experience when watching action films and shooter games, the bass adds depth to the dialogue, albeit the treble could be a bit cleaner.
Hardware and Performance
The HONOR X9c, unfortunately, still uses its predecessor’s 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core processor with an Adreno 710 GPU. It also has the same 12GB of RAM and 256GB of non-expandable storage.
HONOR X9c Benchmark Scores




While I’m bummed with the lack of hardware upgrades, I’m still satisfied with the performance I got from the Snapdragon chip. The interface feels very snappy, apps open fast, taking pictures is quick, social media browsing is seamless, you can edit photos/videos, make calls, and do other things with no issues.
The benchmarks reflect the real-world performance, where I saw decent scores and impressive sustained performance in 3DMark’s graphics endurance test.

Now, let’s test its gaming performance. Genshin Impact was playable under Low settings with smooth and consistent frame rates, although occasional stutters are expected. Call of Duty: Mobile was seamless under High/Max, PUBG Mobile with Balanced/Extreme was incredibly smooth, while Farlight84 ran with no problems using HD/High settings.
Lighter games like Mobile Legends and Asphalt Legends Unite also ran flawlessly on their highest graphics quality.






If you’re an avid gamer, you won’t be disappointed with the HONOR X9c. Extra-demanding games are playable under low settings, while most titles will run with no issues under mid to high graphics quality. Overheating is not a problem, too.
Game | Graphics Settings |
Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: High • Frame Rate: Max |
Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: HD • Frame Rate: High |
PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Balanced • Frame Rate: Extreme |
Genshin Impact | • Graphics Quality: Low (Default) |
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Ultra • HD Mode: On |
Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The HONOR X9c ships with Android 14-based MagicOS 8.0. It’s not yet confirmed if it will receive the newer Android 15-based MagicOS 9 update, but considering it’s a new device, there’s a good chance that it will. However, we might have to wait for a while as the Magic6 Pro just got it recently.


As for the UI itself, it still looks like the same MagicOS we’ve known for years. The elements are imposing and clear. It’s not the most minimalistic, but it’s well-organized and dressed well enough for ease of use.


HONOR Connect is here that lets you sync tasks, notifications, and internet tethering across HONOR devices. This is useful if you’re deep in the HONOR ecosystem and also own their tablets, smart TVs, and more.
There’s also HONOR Share which lets you share files between HONOR smartphones and PCs easily and even print files wirelessly.


Customization settings are plenty and you also have different Always-On Display (AOD) wallpapers to choose from.


The in-display fingerprint scanner worked fast and accurately during our tests. The face unlock was speedy, too, even in pitch-black rooms as it amplifies the screen brightness to light up your face.


HONOR’s Magic Portal lets you drag a photo from one app, drag it to the portal, then drag and drop it again to a different app. It works fine but probably doesn’t support your most-used apps like Facebook or Instagram.
Multi-Window is also here, letting you use two apps at once in split-screen mode, then have another one as a floating window. There’s also a Multi-Window dock that you can access from the corner of the screen, acting like a task manager. It’s good to have but not really that useful in a small screen like this.


The camera app is clean and straightforward. It has an Aperture mode that lets you manually adjust the aperture, Night Mode, Portrait Mode, Multi-Video, Pro Mode, Hi-Res, and more. Of course, there’s AI scene detection as well. Video recording can go up to 4K @ 60fps.
HONOR still uses Microsoft SwiftKey by default. While I do prefer Google Keyboard, I do appreciate its dense features, customizability, and its clipboard integration with Windows PCs.
Cameras
From the X9b’s triple cameras, the HONOR X9c now only has two. That’s not a problem, though, as the third one was only a 2-megapixel macro lens that no one would probably miss.

The best part about the X9c is the 108-megapixel main camera now has optical image stabilization. However, the ultra-wide lens still uses a low-resolution 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera. There’s also 16-megapixel selfie snapper in front.
Image quality from the 108-megapixel main camera has noticeably underwhelming colors and contrast. Photos look washed out most of the time. Hopefully, a software update can improve the post-processing. Details and dynamic range are decent, though.












That same color and contrast issues persist in low-light. Sharpness and dynamic range are still good, though. The OIS improves details on low-light moving shots, but not by a mile.








Image quality from the low-resolution 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera is very underwhelming, but no surprises there.
The details are soft and images suffer the same problems as the main camera. But I do appreciate having the option to shoot subjects with a wider lens, which is great for landscapes, interiors, and architecture. Low-light shots are surprisingly decent.








Finally, we have the 16-megapixel front-facing camera, which appears to take better photos than the rear cameras. Selfies look well-detailed, with accurate skin tones, and good dynamic range.




The HONOR X9c has a lot of strengths, but the camera department is definitely not one of them.
Battery and Charging
One of the biggest upgrades of the HONOR X9c is the battery. It now has a massive 6,600mAh capacity, versus the HONOR X9b‘s already impressive 5,800mAh. Not only that, HONOR pulled this off while having the same thickness thanks to silicon carbon technology. You can also use the device as a power bank with its reverse wired charging feature.


It lasted for 14 hours and 25 minutes in our PCMark synthetic battery loop test, which is lower than the average score we get of 14 hours and 55 minutes on other devices.
However, it received the highest score on our 1080p YouTube Video Loop Test. It lasted four 24 hours and 10 minutes, versus the average score of 15 hours and 17 minutes. This more realistic test hints at a great battery life that should last you for two to three days of light to moderate use.

The most welcome upgrade is the charging speed. It now has flagship-grade 66W fast charging — almost 2x faster than its predecessor’s 35W charger. A quick 15-minute top-up already provides 0-21% of charge, with a full 100% charge taking around 1 hour and 10 minutes. See the full test results below:
- 15mins: 0-21%
- 30mins: 43%
- 45mins: 66%
- 1hr: 88%
- 1hr 10mins: FULL
Verdict
After spending some time with the HONOR X9c, I found out there’s more to this device than its durability features. It’s incredibly sleek, has a spacious and vibrant display, a very solid battery life, and flagship-grade charging.

HONOR also finally upgraded it with stereo speakers and, while the lack of chipset upgrade is a huge bummer, its performance in day-to-day tasks and gaming are still acceptable for most casual users.
Far from perfect, I do wish it took better photos. Plus, a guarantee of an Android 15 update or more would be nice.

But as it is, there’s no denying that the HONOR X9c is a great device. In fact, the durability features that HONOR keeps on bragging about are just a bonus. This smartphone is an affordable yet impressive daily driver, whether you intend to go rough with it or not.
HONOR X9c 5G pricing and availability in the Philippines
The HONOR X9c 5G has a price of Php16,999 in the Philippines. It’s now available at HONOR stores nationwide, and online through Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Durable and sleek design
- Upgraded with stereo speakers
- Acceptable performance in basic tasks, gaming
- Solid battery life, flagship-grade charging speed
Cons
- Same chipset, RAM, and storage as X9b
- Android 15 update yet to be confirmed
- Camera quality could be better