The Honor X9c is a stylish mid-range phone with a vibrant curved AMOLED display and excellent battery life, making it appealing for everyday use and media consumption. However, its middling performance, lack of HDR support, and oversaturated camera output keep it from being a top pick in its segment, especially when rivals offer better durability, gaming capability, and camera versatility.
The mid-range smartphone segment is getting more competitive than ever, with brands like iQOO and Motorola offering powerful features to cater to gamers, creators, and everyday users. While this has been good news for consumers, it also makes choosing the right device difficult at the same time. Recently, Honor introduced its X9c in India in the sub-Rs 20,000 category with promising specifications on paper. But does it do enough to stand out in a segment full of options? Let’s find out.
Honor X9c Display
The Honor X9c features a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED panel with 1.5K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. In our Calman and Spectracal C6 colourimeter tests, the device achieved an average Delta E of 1.8, which is a respectable score, meaning the colours on the display are accurate enough to give you a great viewing experience.
During our testing, the maximum brightness reached 2,150 nits. However, there is no HDR support, which may disappoint those who want to stream high-dynamic-range content.
Honor X9c Design
We got our hands on the Jade Cyan variant, and you cannot deny that the phone makes a visual statement. The curved front display, the circular camera module at the rear, and the sub-190g weight give it a good in-hand feel. The device is slim with a 7.98mm thickness and IP65 rated, which checks the basic splash and dust resistance.
However, Honor hasn’t specified the type of front glass protection, which is a critical detail missing at this price point. Phones like the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion, a direct competitor, offer IP68 certification and MIL-STD 810H military-grade durability, making the X9c feel less reassuring in terms of ruggedness.
Honor X9c Performance
Under the hood, the Honor X9c runs on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. On paper, this should be adequate for everyday multitasking, and it is. Navigating through the UI, launching apps, and even casual gaming felt smooth enough, thanks in part to the well-optimised MagicOS 2.
In our testing, the Honor X9c got 591,580 points on AnTuTu, 936 in Geekbench single-core, and 2,753 in multi-core. Thermal performance was managed well, with throttling controlled to around 82%.
Where it lags, however, is in relative power. In the same price segment, the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion delivers notably better raw performance with the newer Dimensity 7400, and the iQOO Z10 offers a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset. The Honor X9c may handle the basics well, but it’s not cut out for demanding tasks.
During the testing, we found a bright spot- the read/write speeds, which are noticeably faster than some rivals, translating to swift app loads and snappy system responsiveness.
Honor X9c Camera
The Honor X9c features a 108MP main camera and a 5MP ultrawide lens. The results, in our experience, are mixed. The main sensor captures decent details, and images generally look sharp. But the post-processing tends to oversaturate and boost contrast significantly, leading to a colour profile that looks artificial and exaggerated compared to real-life scenes.
Portrait mode delivers good edge detection, and for users who prefer punchier colours, the output may actually be appealing. The selfie camera is reliable, and Honor includes a solid range of manual settings to tweak captures.
For content creators, the multi-video feature is a thoughtful addition, allowing simultaneous recording with front and rear cameras, a functionality that, while niche, is well executed.
Honor X9c Battery
Battery life is where the Honor X9c is good, if compared to the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion. The device features a 6,600mAh battery and 66W wired charging. In our PCMark battery test, it recorded 837 minutes, a good leap over the Edge 60 Fusion’s 544 minutes. For most users, this translates to nearly two full days of use on a single charge with moderate usage.
Verdict
The Honor X9c is a decent mid-range option, but with some noticeable flaws. The curved AMOLED panel offers good colours and impressive brightness, but lacks HDR support. The design, on the other hand, is a premium feeling, but the protection leaves some questions unanswered. The performance is decent, but if you are looking for a performance-oriented phone, specifically for gaming, the iQOO Z10 will be a better choice in this price range.
The camera is also decent, offering detailed images but leaning towards more saturated, contrast-rich processing, which may be a problem for some users. Portraits and selfies are decent, and the multi-video feature is a welcome bonus for content creators.
The device packs a 6,600mAh battery, making it a decent option as you can expect roughly a 1.5-day of usage. However, it is not the best in the segment as the iQOO Z10 offers a 7,300 mAh battery.
Overall, the Honor X9c is not the best in terms of performance and camera, but the display and battery make it a decent choice in the segment. That said, in a category where buyers have increasingly specific preferences, alternatives like Motorola Edge 60 Fusion and iQOO Z10 may feel more compelling, specifically for those who demand performance, camera, or versatility.
Honor X9c Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | |
| Market Status: | Launched |
Key Specifications
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
