Although HONOR may not be a household brand in the local market, but the company had launched many great devices over the past one year which never fail to blow us away with their trendsetting design and innovations like what we saw on the Honor Magic V3 (Review).
To cap off its remarkable year, HONOR has announced a new affordable and yet capable mid-ranger – HONOR X9C – in Singapore that’s targeted towards the more budget-conscious consumers. As you can probably tell from its moniker, the new HONOR X9C came as a direct successor to last year’s HONOR X9B (Review), bringing along a fresh design and updated hardware which make it an even better deal.
Just like its predecessor, the HONOR X9C continues to impress with a sleek and stylish design which sets the phone apart from other mainstream devices. It features a redesigned circular camera island which exudes a more refined aesthetic that elevates the overall design of the phone.
The model I had for review comes in a gorgeous Cyan Jade colourway that looks really unique and kind of reminds me of the Ocean Cyan HONOR 200 Pro which I reviewed several months ago. Also, the surface itself is slightly frosted which explains why its able to prevent those unsightly smudges from building up even after long hours of usage.
@playfuldroid HONOR X9C in Jade Cyan colorway ? #HonorX9C #HonorX9 #Honor #Smartphone ? ???????????? ???? – _pidsvidoma_
Measuring just 7.98mm in thickness, the HONOR X9C not only offers a delightful one-handed usage experience, but also provides a premium hand feel as the phone features a high quality metal frame that we don’t typically see on smartphones in this price category.
On the frontside, the HONOR X9C flaunts a spacious 6.78” display that’s based on a high-end AMOLED panel which is capable of delivering sharp and vibrant visuals, whether you’re using the phone indoors or outdoors. On top of that, it also comes loaded with many other advanced features such as a smooth 120Hz refresh rate as well as an impressive 4,000 nits peak brightness to ensure the best visual experience.
And like any other HONOR smartphones, eye comfort remains a top priority for the HONOR X9C which is equipped with advanced eye protection features including an industry-leading 3,840Hz PWM dimming, Dynamic Dimming as well as AI Circadian Night Display.
At the helm, the HONOR X9C is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset which performs exceptionally well in daily use, providing a seamless mobile experience be it scrolling through social media, streaming videos or even playing mobile games.
Other than that, the HONOR X9C is also backed by a mammoth 6,600mAh battery which consistently lasts for at least two days on a single charge during my typical workdays. To sweeten up the deal, the phone also supports a blazing-fast 66W wired charging that’s able to deliver a full charge from 0 to 100% in just around 75 minutes which is pretty quick considering its larger capacity.
Moving on to the imaging side of things, the HONOR X9C features a versatile dual-cam system comprising of a 108 megapixels (f/1.75 aperture) main camera as well as a 5 megapixels (f/2.2 aperture) ultra-wide unit for landscape photography.
Regardless whether you’re shooting in a well-lit or dingy environment, the main camera consistently captures stunning photos with excellent dynamic range and details. While this may sound exaggerated, you’d be surprised to find that the photos taken by this affordable device actually rival those captured by smartphones costing twice as much.
What really makes this device stands out from other competing models lies in the availability of OIS stabilization for the main camera unit which not only enables the camera to capture blur-free photos of night scenes, but also guarantees smooth and stable footage when recording videos.
@playfuldroid Honor X9C Night Mode Camera Test ? #HonorX9C #HonorX9 #Honor #Smartphone ? ???????????? ???? – ??????? ????#????????
Despite the lack of a telephoto camera, the HONOR X9C is still able to support up to 10x zoom factor through digital cropping. Quite surprisingly, photos taken between the 2x to 10x zoom range looks acceptably clear and sharp even without a dedicated zoom lens.
All in all, the HONOR X9C is arguably one of the most impressive budget smartphone that’s currently available on the local market. Its a well-rounded smartphone which not only serves well as a daily driver, but also makes a great companion for mobile entertainment thanks to its immersive display and long-lasting battery life.
For those who’re interested, the HONOR X9C is priced at just S$449 and is available for purchase through Lazada, Shopee, TikTok Shop, as well as authorized dealers including Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Gain City, and Harvey Norman.
