The HONOR X9d 5G may be known for its extreme durability tests which both us and the brand conducted. But after spending time with the device, it’s clear that toughness is only part of the story. Beyond surviving drops, water, and dust during our tests, the phone delivers a well-rounded experience for us, making it a strong contender in the mid-range segment.
Now here are five things the HONOR X9d 5G does well apart from durability.
1. Large, Colorful, and Eye-Friendly Screen
The HONOR X9d 5G features a 6.79-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, delivering smooth scrolling and sharp visuals for everyday use. Whether browsing social media, watching videos, or gaming during breaks, the thin bezels and flat screen design make viewing enjoyable and immersive. Outdoor visibility is also impressive, as the screen remains readable even under direct sunlight.
Color reproduction is another highlight, with support for 1.07 billion colors and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. Photos and videos look vivid without appearing overly saturated. Long viewing sessions are easier on the eyes as well, thanks to Eye Comfort mode, Circadian Night Display, Dynamic Dimming, and 3840Hz PWM risk-free dimming.
Even when the screen is wet or used with gloves, touch response on the screen remains responsive due to intelligent touch optimization.
2. Exceptional Battery Life
The biggest strengths of the HONOR X9d 5G is the massive 8,300mAh silicon-carbon battery, a significant upgrade from the previous model. We had the phone doing light to moderate usage which easily stretches to two full days, while lighter days can push close to three days on a single charge. Even with heavier use such as video streaming, social media scrolling, and gaming, the phone comfortably lasts until evening.
Despite the large battery, charging speeds remain impressive with 66W wired HONOR SuperCharge support. The phone charges faster than expected, reaching usable levels quickly and fully charging in just over an hour. There’s no wireless charging, but reverse charging proves more practical, especially for topping up accessories like wireless earbuds.
3. Reliable Cameras
The HONOR X9d 5G comes with a familiar but dependable camera setup, led by a 108MP main camera with optical image stabilization and a 5MP ultra-wide camera. In daylight and well-lit environments, photos come out sharp with balanced contrast and vibrant colors that don’t feel overprocessed. Indoor shots with good lighting also deliver pleasing results.
The ultra-wide camera performs best in good lighting, producing acceptable images with minimal distortion, though it’s not as strong as the main sensor. Zoom options include 3x lossless zoom and up to 10x digital zoom for closer shots.
Video recording tops out at 4K at 30fps on the rear camera, with stabilization that works well enough for casual content creation. The whole camera system remains reliable for everyday photos, videos, and even underwater shots thanks to its IP69K rating and dedicated Underwater mode.
4. Practical AI Features
Beyond just photography, the HONOR X9d 5G integrates an array of AI-powered tools that enhance productivity and creativity. AI editing features such as object removal, cutout, upscaling, outpainting, and face correction make photo editing quick and accessible, even for users with minimal experience.
On the productivity side, AI Writing helps polish or summarize text, AI Translate enables real-time language interpretation, and AI Subtitles provide automatic captions and translations for audio or video content. Magic Portal allows quick drag-and-drop actions across apps, while Magic Text makes it easy to extract text directly from images.
There’s a new Moving Photo feature that lets users create animated collages by combining short motion clips with customizable layouts, filters, and captions.
5. Smooth and Dependable Performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 octa-core processor and paired with 12GB of RAM plus RAM Turbo support, the HONOR X9d 5G delivers consistent and stable performance. Everyday tasks such as multitasking, browsing, messaging, and media consumption run smoothly, while storage performance keeps app launches and file transfers quick.
Gaming performance is solid for a mid-range phone. Popular titles like Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG, and Mobile Legends run well at default to medium settings, while casual games run effortlessly. Audio performance complements gaming and media consumption, with dual stereo speakers delivering clear mids and highs, a touch of bass, and the option to boost volume up to 400% for calls or meetings when needed.
The HONOR X9d 5G may grab attention because of its extreme durability tests, but its real strength lies in how balanced it is as a daily smartphone. With a vibrant display, excellent battery life, dependable cameras, useful AI features, and great set of chipsets, it proves that it’s not just built to survive tough conditions, but also designed to deliver a solid and practical user experience beyond toughness alone.
Price and availability
The HONOR X9d 5G is priced at Php 17,999 during the pre-order period from January 9 to 23, then Php 18,999 SRP starting January 24, with pre-order buyers receiving a Jisulife Fan 5 and an HONOR Gift Box, plus a chance to win a Tesla Cybertruck in the pre-order raffle giveaway. You can purchase the HONOR X9d 5G in all HONOR Experience Store nationwide, authorized resellers, and online e-commerce partners on Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok Shop.
