The Honor X9d 5G: A Midrange Phone with a Focus on Value, Durability, and Battery Life
The Honor X9d 5G is a midrange smartphone that prioritizes value, durability, and battery life over long-term software support and gaming performance. It's a phone for those who want a reliable device that can handle daily tasks without breaking the bank. With a huge 8300mAh silicon-carbon battery cell and IP69K water and dust resistance ratings, the X9d stands out in its price segment. However, it's not without its trade-offs, including a weak secondary ultrawide lens, no eSIM compatibility, and a shorter software support tail than market standards.
In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Honor X9d's strengths and weaknesses, exploring its design, performance, camera, and overall value proposition. Whether it's the right choice for you depends on your priorities and what you're willing to compromise on.
Design & Aesthetics
The Honor X9d comes in three colors: Reddish Brown, Midnight Black, and Sunrise Gold. The unit we reviewed is in the Reddish Brown colorway, which looks more red than brown and is accented by a gold-tone frame. It weighs 193 grams and has a 6.79-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 6000 nits. The leather-texture finish on the rear provides a good grip, while the large camera ring houses the two camera sensors and the flash.
The phone is a bit too large for one-handed use, especially for smaller hands, but its slim profile makes it more usable than you might think at first. The preinstalled screen protector cracked during the review period when the phone made contact with another device in my pocket, so you may want to budget for a more durable screen protector.
Performance & Reliability
The Honor X9d's Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset handles regular tasks easily, with apps loading quickly and streaming, browsing, and social media all working smoothly. Gaming is the main caveat here, with the device struggling to keep up with demanding titles. However, I haven't noticed any crashing or unusual app behavior during the review period, suggesting it should be a good device for those needing durability and reliability.
Camera
The Honor X9d's camera system is built around the 108-megapixel main sensor, which produces sharp, detailed images with accurate colors in good lighting conditions. Under low light conditions, the phone is quick to slow down the shutter speed, which may result in blurry shots unless you've got steady hands. The 5-megapixel ultrawide lens is a different matter, delivering washed-out colors with low sharpness.
There is no telephoto lens, instead the phone creates a 3x digital crop that produces solid results in good light. Quality quickly degrades when you extend the digital zoom up to 10x. The 16-megapixel front-facing camera is great for video calls and social media selfies.
Battery Life
The battery is the highlight of the device. In a one-hour YouTube streaming test at half brightness, the phone only dropped one percent. If you extrapolate that out to a real-world mixed usage figure, two full days between charges becomes a reasonable expectation. The screen offers excellent brightness that keeps it useable outdoors.
Value & Alternatives
Coming in at $699 RRP, the X9d is in a highly competitive segment. It's up against phones like the Motorola Edge 70, the Nothing Phone 3a, and the Samsung Galaxy A56. Motorola and Samsung both offer longer software support tails, which is a big advantage if you're planning to hold onto the phone for years to come.
The Nothing Phone option competes mainly on its camera versatility and its distinctive design. Where the Honor X9d stands out is the battery life and durability credentials. The huge 8300mAh silicon-carbon battery cell and the IP69K ratings are the highlight features at this price point.
Conclusion
The Honor X9d 5G is a phone for people who prioritize battery life, durability, and day-to-day use over long-term software support and gaming performance. It makes a strong case for those seeking reliability at a midrange price point. However, it's not without its trade-offs, and you should be aware of the limitations before making a purchase.
