HONOR Philippines once again brings more excitement in 2025 as they launch their toughest phone ever under the X series lineup, the HONOR X9c 5G. Looking back at last year’s model, the HONOR X9b 5G, it was a huge success achieving an astounding 512% surge in sales on its first day of sale event.
Despite with the new features and upgrades, while retaining some of its other core specs, will the HONOR X9c 5G surpass its previous model with its latest array of features?
On the HONOR X9c 5G, aside from its boosted durability and pepped up aesthetics, users familiar with the device will surely continue to appreciate its vibrant AMOLED curved screen, larger battery capacity, ample storage, and impressive 108MP cameras.
Price and Availability
The HONOR X9c 5G is priced at PHP16,999, customers may also get a chance to win a brand new ROLEX DATEJUST Watch (worth Php 600,000) when you Pre-order HONOR X9c 5G until January 24.
The HONOR X9c 5G is available in all HONOR Experience stores nationwide and thru its official e-commerce online partners on:
- Shopee: https://bit.ly/Shop_X9c_Media
- Lazada: https://bit.ly/Laz_X9c_Media
- TikTok Shop: https://bit.ly/TikTok_X9c_Media
Now, let’s take a closer look at what makes the new HONOR X9c 5G truly stand out.
Unboxing
The HONOR X9c 5G is still using the same packaging design with a simple white box constructed from durable thick cardboard material.
On the box you’ll see a few printed elements with an image of the HONOR X9c 5G, model’s name, the HONOR logo, company information, and certification marks.
As you open the top cover box, the phone is the first thing you’ll see, covered with a protective plastic material. Underneath the phone is a separate carton box containing some of the included accessories, with the remaining accessories placed below it.
Everything out of the box you get the following contents:
- HONOR X9c 5G Unit
- SIM Ejector Tool
- Clear Protective Case
- Quick Start Guide
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- 66W HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter
HONOR Philippines also included a free screen protector already pre-applied on the display, allowing users to immediately use it right out of the box without the need to purchase one separately.
Design and Build Quality
In comparison to its previous model, the new HONOR X9c 5G gets a slight change in terms of its dimension and weight. It now measures at 162.8 x 75.5 x 7.98mm and weighs slightly more at 189 grams up from 185 grams including the new battery.
It still features those nice curved edges seen on both the front screen and its back panel, all bound by an aluminum frame for a lightweight and sturdy structure. We love how comfortable holding the phone, even for hours of use.
For 2025, the HONOR X9c 5G comes in with three new colorways with Titanium Purple, Titanium Black, and our review unit in Jade Cyan. The Jade Cyan color offers an elegant look with a striking blend of soft green hues and a bit of shimmer. What sets this color variant apart is the surface panel when your tilt it sideways under the light gives a polished gemstone-like texture just like a jade stone. It also helps hide fingerprint marks and smudges.
It’s a total standout color for users who values aesthetics but if you prefer a subtle color the other two variants is a great option especially the Titanium Purple.
At the rear panel, the circular camera module of the HONOR X9c 5G is neatly positioned at the top center, which helps prevent the phone from wobbling when placed on a flat surface. Inspired by luxurious Rolex watches, the camera module features elegant silver ring with fluted bezels and thick silver bands, with lenses placed at each corner of the inner circle, creating a stunning and refined look.
At the bottom, you’ll spot an HONOR logo and certification marks.
The standout feature of the HONOR X9c 5G is its enhanced durability, which has been upgraded from its previous model. It now offers all-around triple defense against accidental drops, water splashes, and includes added heat resistance.
To give you more details about the phone’s durability: its drop resistance has improved from withstanding 1.5 meters to up to 2 meters; it has achieved a higher level of water resistance, upgrading from an IP53 rating to an IP65M rating capable of withstanding dust and low-pressure water jets from all directions; and lastly, it now features heat resistance, enduring temperatures ranging from -40°C to 70°C.
Adding up to the phone’s durability is a reinforced AGC Dragontrail Star 2 Plus glass, skilfully fitted on both its anti-drop camera shield as well as on its curved display for that superior protection.
Here’s a sample durability test video we did for the new HONOR X9c 5G.
During our “HONOR X9c 5G: The Ultimate Durability Challenge” event, the brand successfully set a new Guinness World Record for “The Most People Performing a Mobile Phone Drop Test Simultaneously” with 264 participants simultaneously dropping the latest HONOR X9c 5G.
The event continued with a series of games designed to test the phone’s new all-around triple defense durability. These challenges included a 10-foot drop test, being run over by a Tesla car, able to knock down a stack of metal cans, and being repeatedly boiled in water. Remarkably, we were amazed that the HONOR X9c 5G withstood all these rigorous tests, and we were there to witness it firsthand.
An important note to all users and readers of this review: all durability tests performed on the HONOR X9c 5G were conducted under controlled conditions and for demonstration purposes only. We strongly advise against attempting to replicate these tests, as doing so will void your warranty.
In terms of ports and button placements, the HONOR X9c 5G is almost the same as its previous model. The only minor change is found on the top edge, where an additional speaker grille accompanies the secondary microphone.
The bottom edge holds the speaker grille, microphone, dual-SIM card tray, and a USB-C port for charging and data connection.
The power and volume buttons on the right-side edge.
The left-side edge is completely clean.
Moving to the front, It has an aspect ratio of 19.85:9 and despite the smooth curved display of the phone, it maintains thin bezels all around. The front camera now features a centered pill-shaped hole design, replacing the previous tiny single punch hole due to an integrated sensor into it.
Display and Eye Comfort Features
We were impressed in the screen quality of the HONOR X9c 5G, it offers a large 6.78-inches AMOLED Curved display panel with a higher resolution of 2700 x 1224 pixels, and supports a remarkable 1.07 billion colors.
All I can say is that due to the AMOLED display, it offers stunning visual quality with vibrant colors, sharp details, and excellent contrast that’s great for watching HD video content and mobile gaming.
Scrolling through your social media platforms or websites is smooth with its 120Hz refresh rate, and if you want to extend battery life, you can set it to the standard refresh rate of 60Hz. For a good balance between performance and efficiency, the Dynamic mode can also be enabled to accommodate both refresh rates.
The peak brightness on the HONOR X9c 5G has been improved from 1,200 nits to 4,000 nits, making the display easily viewable even under direct sunlight, which is helps us a lot when reading incoming messages and replying them back. During indoors the screen also performs very well, no complains in this area.
Prioritizing the visual well-being of its users, the HONOR X9c 5G has several integrated eye comfort innovations added into the display for a more comfortable viewing experience over extended use.
There’s a Dynamic Dimming which responds to ambient light conditions to provide the right brightness and contrast; Circadian Night Display that adjust the color temperature of the screen based on the time of day; and the 3840Hz Risk-free PWM Dimming that can help minimize screen flicker especially during low-light settings to reduce eye strain.
Performance
Inside the core components of the HONOR X9c 5G, the processor is still the same from the previous model a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 octa-core chipset. It is manufactured using a 4nm process technology with 4 cores Cortex-A78 at 2.2 GHz and 4 cores Cortex-A55 at 1.8 GHz. The GPU is using an Adreno A710 with maximum frequency of 950 MHz.
As for the memory and storage configuration, it retains the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage specs. However, the HONOR RAM Turbo is now increased from 8GB to 12GB, boosting the phone’s total memory to a massive 24GB of RAM.
The additional 12GB of Virtual RAM ensures smooth multitasking and allows the phone to have seamless switching between multiple apps without any lag.
Sharing our benchmark scores on the HONOR X9c 5G.
- GeekBench 6 CPU: 933 Single Core / 2716 Multi-Core
- GeekBench 6 GPU: 1319 OpenCL Score
- CPDT: 546.67 MB/s Write, 640.35 MB/s Read
- PCMark: 12840 Work 3.0 Performance
- 3DMark: 2390 Wild Life (14.31 fps)
The processor is reliable and pretty decent as it performs well even those daily tasks on the phone like e-mail, web browsing, calls/text, and more. For mobile gaming, it handles heavy graphics fairly well, such as in Genshin Impact while the other opular games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG, and Call of Duty run smoothly on default settings. If you prefer casual or offline game apps, the phone can offer great enjoyment with no issues at all.
The HONOR X9c 5G boasts a dual stereo speaker with the volume level capable of being maxed out to 300% which is highly convenient for situations where the speakerphone needs to be loud enough for everyone to hear. This feature is also useful in noisy environments ensuring you can hear calls clearly. In general, the sound quality is incredible even when we use it for music or videos, we also feel that the bass needs more improvement.
The HONOR X9c 5G has a comprehensive biometric option based on your preference, you may opt for either a fingerprint scanner or face unlock. Additionally, a lock screen password is available for an extra layer of security. Both biometrics are easy to register and unlocks the phone easily.
Camera and Photo Samples
Regarding its photography and video performance, the rear camera of the HONOR X9c 5G now features a dual-camera setup, replacing the triple-camera setup from its previous model. The macro camera is missing, but you still get a 108MP f/1.75 on the main camera which is now equipped with OIS to produce sharp and blur-free photos and videos especially at low light scenarios.
The second lens is a 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera that’s perfect for capturing broader shots such as landscapes, buildings, and group selfies. These dual cameras are complemented by an LED flash module to aid in better image results in low-light conditions.
Your selfies are covered by a 16MP lens with an aperture of f/2.45 and face detection feature for clear facial details.
On the camera app, you still have the same six shooting modes that are ready to use – aperture, night, portrait, photo, multi-video, and video. Clicking the more options will offer the same additional shooting modes except for the super macro not already available. You got the following modes: pro, panorama, HDR photo, time-lapse, slow-mo, watermark, story, scan document, and high-res.
The top of the camera viewfinder allows users to access the barcode scanner, AI, flash, color filter, settings and an additional function the Moving Photo feature that can capture a short video clip along with the still image you took.
The zoom switch now provides four options: a convenient 0.6x for wider shots, 1x zoom, an additional 2x zoom, and 3x zoom for portrait shots. Slide all the way the zoom slider to extend up to a maximum of 10x zoom which is an improvement from the previous 8x limit.
Allow us to share with you these photos we took using the HONOR X9c 5G.
0.6x Ultra-wide, Photo mode, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
2x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
3x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
10x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Sunny Weather
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Low Lighting
1x Photo mode, Main Camera, Outdoor, Low Lighting
Selfie, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
Selfie, Portrait Mode with Bokeh, Indoor, Ambient Lighting
Selfie, Indoor, Low Lighting
Photos captured with the main camera turned out pretty well, especially in outdoor settings with favorable lighting as well as indoors with strong ambient lighting. The image quality shows great detail, good color reproduction, and contrast.
The ultra-wide cameras can also produce good image quality, although the colors are less vibrant and there is less distortion on the sides.
In low-light conditions, it still manages to capture decent photos. Although the details are a bit soft and minimal noise is present, we are happy that they are still usable.
As for the front camera, it manages to capture selfies that are clear and good image quality especially in good ambient lighting or well-lit environments. Using the portrait mode, the image quality is also similar when shot under good lighting conditions with nice pleasant bokeh effect that you can adjust the amount of blur from strong to weak.
For video recordings on the rear camera, it supports up to 4K resolution at 30fps, while the 1080p and 720p resolutions offer both 30fps and 60fps options. On the front camera, videos can be recorded at up to 1080p and 720p limited to 30fps.
Software and Connectivity
The HONOR X9c 5G runs on MagicOS 8.0 based on the latest Android 14.
It comes with a few pre-installed apps like Booking.com, Facebook, Netflix, ReelShort, TikTok, Trip.com and WPS Office which can be easily deleted if you don’t like it. You also get the Google services with the users having access to the extensive suite of applications we usually use like Google Drive, Gmail, Maps, Meet and more.
Customizing the user interface from the new MagicOS 8.0 is still possible on the phone to provide a distinct and user-friendly experience. You can change the themes, icons, wallpaper, and other visual elements like the Magic Lock Screen just to be unique.
Debuting on the HONOR X9c 5G is a range of innovative features designed to enhance productivity and convenience. One that’s already popular is the Magic Capsule, which allows certain apps such as the recording, music player, timer, and beauty) to display an elongated pill-shaped notification around the front camera with real-time status updates that run in the background while you multitask. You can even tap it to enlarge it for better viewable size and control.
The Magic Portal lets you extract text or images when you press and hold it then drag them directly into other apps towards the edges of the screen while working on a different task. It’s useful when you’re in a hurry and need to switch between applications efficiently.
Then there’s the Parallel Space feature, which allows you to have two separate home screens – one for personal use and another as a secure environment for work, where you can store important documents, files, or apps. Keeping your sensitive data to be remained private and inaccessible to others.
For connectivity, the HONOR X9c 5G offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.1, OTG, and 5G support. So far, the 5G connection performs seamlessly and delivers fast speed, provided you are in an area with 5G coverage.
Battery Life
Last year’s model, the HONOR X9b 5G is equipped with a 5800 mAh battery paired with 35W SuperCharge fast charging technology. In the new HONOR X9c 5G, the battery capacity has been increased to a massive 6,600 mAh, along with an upgraded 66W SuperCharge fast charging feature.
Another notable addition is the introduction of a Silicon-Carbon Battery, which offers higher energy density, faster charging capabilities, and expects longer battery lifespan for the device.
The HONOR X9c 5G also earned a prestigious 2025 Gold Battery Label from DXOMARK, claiming the no. 1 spot achieving an outstanding score of 164, marking it as a reliable phone with solid charging capabilities and optimized energy management.
Our charging test with the HONOR X9c 5G was impressive. A 15-minute charge gave the battery a 21%, and after 30 minutes, it reached a 65% charge. The phone was fully charged in just 1 hour and 17 minutes.
Recorder Charging Time Entry
- 07:50 – 08:05 : 21% 15 minutes
- 08:05 – 08:20 : 43% 15 minutes
- 08:20 – 08:35 : 65% 15 minutes
- 08:35 – 08:50 : 82% 15 minutes
- 08:50 – 09:07 : 100% 17 minutes
The phone has several features to optimize battery performance for ensuring longevity and efficient power management such as a Performance Mode for maximum output, Power Saving Mode, and Ultra Power Saving Mode to extend its usage. There’s also a Smart Charge Mode preserving the battery’s health by regulating charging patterns and a Smart Battery Capacity feature further enhances the battery’s lifespan.
What We Like
- Curved Design
- New Colorways
- 120Hz AMOLED Display
- All-Around Triple Durability (Drop, Water, and Boil)
- 4000 nits Peak Brightness
- Eye Comfort Features
- 12GB HONOR RAM Turbo
- Reliable Chipsets
- 108MP Main Camera
- AI Eraser
- 4K Video Resolution
- Massive 6600mAh Battery
- 66W Fast Charging
- Dual Stereo Speakers
- Smooth UI
- Parallel Space and Magic Portal
- 5G Ready
What We Want
- 100W HONOR SuperCharge
- Expandable Storage
- Audio Port
Conclusion
In summary, the design looks amazing, and the phone is tougher than ever capable of resisting hot water and higher drops. The display features of the new HONOR X9c 5G make it an exceptional choice for enjoying multimedia content while also supporting users’ visual wellness.
The core chipsets can perform well for various tasks, and the cameras are now even more reliable, thanks to the addition of the OIS feature. Although, low lighting may be a struggle you can use the Night mode instead for a little improvement.
Another standout feature is the phone’s battery. It manages to fit a 6,600mAh capacity into its slim design and is paired with 66W fast charging support. With medium usage during out test such as updating emails, checking social media, watching YouTube or TikTok videos, taking our sample photos, playing a few mobile games, and making some calls and texts, we were able to stretch the battery life to up to two days.
We think that the new HONOR X9c 5G follows a more strategic approach. The top tech brand likely chose to retain the existing previous specs because they are still reliable while focusing on enhancing its durability and upgrading its other key features. This still makes the device even more appealing to users while maintaining the same attractive price point.
Overall, the HONOR X9c 5G is definitely a mid-range phone worth considering to buy, especially now that it’s even more durable and comes with some upgraded specs. Now, you don’t have to worry about accidental drops on the ground or even into a swimming pool with this remarkable phone.
Full Specifications – HONOR X9c 5G
- Price: PHP
- Colors: Titanium Purple,Titanium Black,Jade Cyan
- Dimensions: 162.8 x 75.5 x 7.98 mm
- Weight: Approx. 189g (including the battery)
- Screen-to-body Ratio: 93.7%
- Display: 6.78 inches
- Aspect Ratio: 19.85:9
- Color: 1.07 billion colors
- Panel Type: AMOLED
- Resolution: 2700×1224 pixels
- Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Peak Brightness: 4000 nits
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Octa Core
- CPU Dominant Frequency: 4xA78 *2.2GHz+4xA55*1.8GHz
- GPU: Adreno A710
- Operating System: MagicOS 8.0 (based on Android 14)
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Rear Camera: 108MP Main Camera (f/1.75) with OIS, 5MP Wide Camera(f/2.2)
- Video Shooting: Support 4K (rear), 1080p (front) video shooting
- Front Camera: 16MP (F2.45)
- Battery Capacity: 6600mAh
- Wired Charging: 66W
- Battery Type: Lithium polymer battery (Silicon-Carbon Battery)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.1, OTG, USB-C
- Positioning: GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo
- Sensors: Gravity Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyroscope, Compass, NFC, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor
- Cellular Network: 5G (NR), 4G (LTE FDD/FDD), 3G (WCDMA), 2G (GSM)
