The HONOR X9c was a hit in many markets, including the Philippines. So much so that the company released a more affordable model, the HONOR X9c Smart.
Despite having a toned-down processor, display, and camera, the HONOR X9c Smart retains some of the essential appeal of the standard version. Today, we’ll see if it’s actually a worthy budget alternative or if you’re better off with something else.
HONOR X9c Smart 5G Specs
- Android 14, MagicOS 8
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.8-inch FHD+ IPS display, 2412 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~389ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra octa-core processor
- 8GB RAM
- IMG BXM-8-256 GPU
- 256GB internal storage, non-expandable
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 108-megapixel (f/1.8, PDAF) + 5-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- Side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- Single loudspeaker
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.3
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 166 x 75.8 x 7.9mm
- Weight: 193g
- Colors: Moonlight White, Ocean Cyan
- 5,800mAh non-removable battery, 35W fast charging
Design and Build Quality
Design-wise, the HONOR X9c Smart looks very similar to the HONOR X9c. Only this time, the circular camera island has the cameras in the bezels instead of inside it.
It is also marginally heavier, but the overall feel in the hands is the same. It’s very comfortable to hold thanks to the curves on all corners and the smooth glass-like surface on the back.
The unit I’m reviewing is the Ocean Cyan color option, which looks very unique and has a pretty accent that looks like subtle ocean waves.
One of the main differences between the two is durability. While HONOR claims the X9c Smart is water-resistant, it lacks the official IP-rated protection its bigger brother has.
Still, it should withstand accidental exposure to water and drops from short heights at certain surfaces. For peace of mind, it’s best to use the free clear case in the box, which does a good job of protecting the screen and the camera island. Like the X9c, I don’t recommend testing its durability on your own unit.
Taking a tour, we have the flat 6.8-inch IPS screen on the front with a punch-hole cut out for the 16-megapixel selfie camera. Like other IPS screens, the chin is thicker than the rest of the bezels.
The left side is clean, while the right has the volume controls and the lock/power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The buttons feel surprisingly well made for the price. They are clicky and tactile. There’s a sensor on top together with the microphone.
The bottom has the loudspeaker, USB-C port, the other microphone, and a SIM tray for two nano SIMs. Sadly, there’s no space for a microSD card for storage expansion.
On the back, we have the aforementioned ring camera island. The main 108-megapixel camera is on the left, the ultra-wide on the right, and the LED flash is on top.
The HONOR X9c Smart has a sleek, comfortable, and fairly durable design. No problems here.
Display and Audio
For the display, the HONOR X9c Smart uses a 6.8-inch FHD+ IPS panel, a slight downgrade over the X9c’s AMOLED panel. It has a resolution of 2412 x 1080 pixels, ~389ppi, and a high 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Display quality is fine but not great. Colors and contrast are good, and sharpness is fine, but brightness could be better, especially for outdoor use.
HD streaming in platforms like Netflix is possible thanks to Widevine L1 support.
Unfortunately, it lacks the stereo speakers that the HONOR X9c and most devices in this price range have. The single bottom-firing speaker has so-so performance. The volume is loud enough, but the clarity could be better.
Hardware and Performance
The HONOR X9c Smart is powered by a 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra processor with 8GB of RAM, while the HONOR X9c has a beefier Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip with 12GB of RAM. This one also has 256GB of storage and an IMG BXM-8-256 GPU.
HONOR X9c Smart Benchmark Scores
Day-to-day performance is not that great, but decently satisfactory for its price. I had no issues browsing the web, social media feeds, taking pictures, downloading apps, and more.
Now, let’s see how it can handle games.
Genshin Impact ran fine under Medium resolution at 30fps. Not the smoothest, but playable. Thermals increased after a few minutes, but it didn’t affected gameplay much.
PUBG Mobile ran seamlessly under Smooth graphics and Ultra frame rates, Call of Duty: Mobile could be smoother under Medium gfx and Max frame rates, but still playable. Farlight84 had no problems under Balanced/High graphics and frame rate settings.
Lighter games like the very popular Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was buttery smooth under the highest available settings. The same goes for Asphalt Legends Unite.
The bottom line is, the HONOR X9c Smart can definitely run games with no problems, as long as you stay under medium settings. Graphics quality won’t be impressive, but it’s probably good enough for most people.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Medium • Frame Rate: Max |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: Balanced • Frame Rate: High |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Smooth • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Medium • Visual Effects: Low • FPS: 30 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Super • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
Instead of the latest version, the HONOR X9c Smart sadly still runs on Android 14-based MagicOS 8.0. HONOR hasn’t even confirmed yet if it will receive the MagicOS 9 update or how long they will support the device.
HONOR’s Dynamic Island-like feature called Magic Capsule is here but only works in a very limited number of built-in apps.
Magic Portal is also a nice multitasking feature that lets you drag and drop texts and media from one app to another easily. Although the support feels a little limited as of writing.
MagicOS offers a lot of personalization features, including numerous AOD wallpapers that are also customizable.
Both biometrics features, the side-mounted fingerprint scanner and face unlock, worked fast and accurately during our tests.
HONOR spared us from annoying bloatware and pre-installed apps that take up unnecessary space.
The HONOR RAM Turbo is enabled by default and cannot be configured, adding 12GB of RAM from the storage. Features like this barely improve performance or occupy storage space, so I just let it be. It’s not like they gave me the option to turn it off, anyway.
Global search is easily accessible by swiping down from the home screen. It scans all your apps, contacts, local files, calendars and more. Microsoft Swiftkey is the default keyboard, which I’m starting to like better than the usual Google Keyboard used by other brands.
HONOR’s camera app is feature-rich while staying clean and straightforward, no worries there.
Cameras
The HONOR X9c Smart has a 108-megapixel 1/1.67-inch sensor with f/1.75 aperture. It is joined by a low-resolution 5-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 16-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies.
Image quality from the main camera is good, but nothing to write home about. The colors are appealing and realistic, the contrast is deep, and the details are sharp. Dynamic range is a hit-or-miss but it looks great when it works.
Image quality drops hard at low light. Noise and grains are more noticeable, and the white balance is usually off.
The 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera unsurprisingly has poor image quality. Details are soft, and low-light shots are terrible, but at least the colors are fairly accurate.
Selfies from the 16-megapixel front camera look surprisingly better. Details are good, even in low light. Skin tones are fairly accurate, albeit the dynamic range is still a little sloppy.
The HONOR X9c Smart has usable camera hardware, I just wish they took pictures better.
Battery and Charging
The HONOR X9c Smart boasts a 5,800mAh battery, 800mAh smaller than the X9c. HONOR also dropped the charging speeds by almost a half at only 35W.
It had a long and reliable battery life but had a below-average score compared to other phones I’ve tested in this price range. In PCMark’s synthetic battery loop test, it lasted for 13 hours and 40 minutes, versus the average score of 14 hours and 56 minutes. In our more realistic test, it lasted for 16 hours and 1 minute after I looped a 1080p YouTube video — slightly lower than the average score of 16 hours and 43 minutes.
Obviously, the X9c had better longevity than the X9c Smart. The former lasted 1.25 hours more in PCmark and a whopping 8.15 hours in our YouTube test.
Charging speeds are not the fastest, but forgivable for the price. It took 1 hour and 22 minutes to fully charge this device. See the full test results below:
- 15mins: -19%
- 30mins: 39%
- 45mins: 55%
- 1hr: 73%
- 1hr 15mins: 91%
- 1hr 22mins: FULL
Verdict
HONOR has a lot of critically acclaimed releases, but sadly, the HONOR X9c Smart is not one of them.
For the price, it should already have stereo speakers and should already run on the latest Android 15 operating system.
I’m also not a big fan of the cameras’ performance and I wish the display was a bit brighter so it’s more comfortable to use outdoors.
On the upside, it has one of the most interesting designs and durable build quality in the market. It also provided decent performance and battery life.
But if you can, I highly recommend splurging a bit more for the standard HONOR X9c.
HONOR X9c Smart pricing and availability in the Philippines
The HONOR X9c Smart has a price of Php13,999 in the Philippines. It’s available in tons of HONOR stores and kiosks nationwide, multi-brand shops, and online via Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
Pros
- Distinct design, tactile buttons, durable
- Decent performance
- Reliable battery life
Cons
- Display could be brighter
- No stereo speakers
- Still on Android 14
- So-so cameras