HONOR X9c 5G reviewed

Around this time last year, HONOR released the HONOR X9b 5G, a truly tanky phone which survived our drop tests while doling out performance that won’t leave you lacking.  This year’s follow up, the HONOR X9c 5G, promises improved durability all around in what it dubs the “All-angle Triple Defense” consisting of drop, water, and heat resistance. That is why this early on, it is laying claim to the title of “toughest smartphone of 2025.” But does it have anything more to offer other than being destruction-proof? Find out below.

Design: 4/5

We were able to get the HONOR X9c 5G in the chic Jade Cyan palette, although Titanium Purple and Titanium Black variants are also available if you are looking for something a little more muted. The back is a polycarbonate material with a smooth matte finish, which in my experience made the phone slippery with my sweaty hands. Good thing the phone comes with improved durability standards as well as a free transparent jelly case out of the box to mitigate any fall risks.

Making a comeback is the unique circular camera island with a ridged border. The lenses and flash unit sit on a 2×2 grid inside the island, with the main camera on the upper right, wide shooter on the upper left, flash on the bottom left, and the depth sensor on the bottom right. I personally prefer this arrangement versus last year’s plus pattern that had the aforementioned units around the island border.

Flip the HONOR X9c 5G around and you’ll see a 6.78-inch AMOLED curved display which peaks at a brightness of 4,000 nits, refresh rate of 120Hz, and PWM dimming of 3840Hz. A camera pill notch is by the top, while an in-display fingerprint scanner is present by the bottom. A tour of the edges reveal the volume and power buttons along the right; a speaker assembly at the top; a bare left; and the SIM tray, microphone pinhole, USB Type-C port, and another speaker assembly at the bottom.

Overall, the HONOR X9c 5G’s aesthetics are quite solid.

Hardware: 4.5/5

The HONOR X9c 5G’s core specs remain the same as its predecessor. You’re looking at a returning 4nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor which features an Adreno 710 GPU, four Cortex-A78 cores running at a maximum 2.2GHz, and another four Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.8GHz. This is paired with 12GB of dual-channel RAM and 256GB of non-expandable internal storage.

There are plenty of hardware improvements outside the HONOR X9c 5G’s horses. The aforementioned 6.78-inch AMOLED display’s max brightness and PWM dimming are over 230% and 100% better, respectively, than last year’s iteration. The phone is overlaid with Super Double Tempered Glass at both the front display and rear camera assembly, higher IP65m rating, and -40°C to -70°C temperature rating to ensure better overall durability. The battery department also has massive upgrades with a gargantuan 6600mAh power pack and a speedier 66W HONOR SuperCharge compatibility.

Another huge improvement comes in its camera system. The HONOR X9c 5G improves its photography and videography chops by adding Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) to its main 108MP f/1.75 shooter. It is backed up by a 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide secondary; 2MP f/2.4 macro lens; an LED flash module; and a 16MP f/2.45 selfie shooter.

All these hardware are wrapped in a body that is slightly shorter at 162.8mm and slightly heavier at 189g, all while maintaining the same 75.5mm width and slim 7.98mm frame. That’s some good engineering right there.

User Experience: 4.5/5

As with last year’s version, let’s start the user experience portion of this review with the torture test. We dropped the HONOR X9c 5G from around 2-meters high onto concrete a couple of times without any case. Besides a few easily wipeable dirt marks, it walked away unscathed. I also had plenty of fun yeeting the phone from chest high to the ground while walking through a mall’s tech section just to see the shocked faces of promodisers. What else can the HONOR X9c 5G handle you ask? It can withstand boiling water, giving you confidence in case you accidentally drop it in fresh soup. Watch the video below to see the torture, though huge disclaimer: replicate it at your own risk.

More than being a tank of a phone, the HONOR X9c 5G is also a decent powerhouse. Titles such as Call of Duty Mobile, NBA 2K Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and Pokémon Unite all ran buttery smooth with maxed out settings without any hiccups. More demanding games such as Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact were also more than playable with everything that can be turned on enabled and every graphics setting tuned to max. Sure, there are split-second stutters and texture pop-ins, but remember that the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor is geared more towards energy efficiency rather than sheer power.

Running synthetic benchmarks yielded a surprise; despite having the same innards, the HONOR X9c 5G actually performs much better than the HONOR X9b 5G across PCMark, 3DMark, and the Cross Platform Disk Test. Battery life was also surprisingly longer due to the more sizable 6,600mAh battery, and was much quicker to charge thanks to the 66W HONOR SuperCharge interface. Check out the table below for the benchmark scores between the X9c and X9b.

Lastly, let’s talk about the camera. The HONOR X9c 5G performs quite well in both indoor and outdoor scenarios, though of course, noise creeps in and shutter times take longer the dimmer the scene is. OIS is a nice addition, allowing users to shoot steadier photos and take smoother videos without compromising image quality. Check out some of the photos below.

Another standout feature is the AI Eraser in the native Gallery’s Edit menu. With just a few swipes and taps, you can easily remove unwanted elements from your photo, leaving you with the perfect shot. Check out the before and after comparisons below to see how the HONOR AI Eraser feature works.

Value: 4.5/5

The HONOR X9c 5G is priced at PHP16,999—the same price as its predecessor but you are getting an even better phone all around. Specifically, the HONOR X9c 5G has better IP rating at IP65M versus last year’s IP53; Super Double Tempered Glass at both the front display and rear camera assembly versus last year’s front only protection; 4,000 nits versus 1,200 nits peak brightness; gentler eye care with 3,840Hz PWM dimming versus 1,920Hz; an ever-so-slightly better screen-to-body ratio at 93.7% versus 92.58%; faster charging at 66W versus 35W; dual versus solo speakers; larger battery at 6600mAh versus 5800mAh; and the presence of OIS on the main shooter.

Sure, you are getting the same processor, RAM, and storage. But with the above improvements across the board at the exact same price tag, the HONOR X9c 5G will undoubtedly take the crown of most bang-for-your-buck toughest smartphone of 2025.

Specifications:

• Display: 6.78-inch, 2700 x 1224px, FHD+ Quad Curved AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate; 4,000 nits peak brightness; 1.07-billion colors; DCI-P3 wide color gamut; HDR10 support; HONOR Eye Comfort 3840Hz PWM dimming; AGC DT star2 Plus Super Double Tempered Glass
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1
• OS: MagicOS 8.0 (Android 14)
• RAM: 12GB RAM
• Storage: 256GB
• Camera: 108MP f/1.75 with OIS (main rear); 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (secondary rear); 2MP (depth rear); 16MP f/2.45 (front)
• Connectivity: 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, OTG, USB 2.0 Type-C, dual nano-SIM
• Battery: 6,600mAh, 66W HONOR SuperCharge
• Others: In-display Optical Fingerprint Scanner; Face Unlock; HONOR Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Technology 2.0; 2-meter drop resistance; IP65M water resistance; heat resistance
• Dimensions: 162.8 x 75.5 x 7.98 mm
• Weight: 189g
• Colors: Jade Cyan, Titanium Purple, Titanium Black

What’s Hot

• Still as tough as ever
• OIS on the main camera
• Better build and features while maintaining predecessor’s price

What’s Not

• Same processor-RAM-storage combo as predecessor

Bottomline

The HONOR X9c 5G is the best phone for the klutz in you.

Reviewed and Photos by Chris Noel Hidalgo
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 25 No. 6 Issue.