Equipped with three 48MP cameras and a dynamo configuration based on Kirin 710F chipset with 6GB RAM, a monstrous 4,000mAh battery, full support for Google services, and value-for-money design, Honor 9X will be a stunner in the mid-range for all Android smartphone seekers.
Design
The back of the Honor 9X disappeared into mysterious X effects thanks to HONOR engineers effecting diamond-shaped prisms in their tens of thousands etched into the 9X’s back cover via extremely sophisticated nanotechnology. The lenses function like tiny gems, reflecting independently to build up the mass shimmer. The effect will be uniform and repetitive had the same design and used all rhombic prisms. This means that light and shadow cannot coalesce into a sparkling effect on the back surface.
However, the external interface of Honor treats different rhombic prisms differently, allowing some to reflect all of the incident light while allowing others to reflect only some of it. Therefore, the reflections of the back cover are intermittent, making them flicker, and construct an enchantingly beautiful X shape. Then HONOR 9X with gradient halo technology will behave in a way that the color changes from four corners towards the center if this halo is like some kind of mixing of black, red, blue pigments and interweaving the shades to make it visualize an Attractive surface from any angle.
It is the beautiful back of the Honor 9X, but rather the elegant designs that combine user-friendly functions offer the greatest advantage. The pop-up front camera is especially highlighted as it does not intrude on the screen space, completing the 9X uninterrupted FullView screen design. Then, we must say that the durability of the selfie camera is commendable; this Pop-Up camera has been tested against several cases like bumping, dropping, and, moreover, the praise goes to its self-retracting mechanism to avert any possible damage while assessing impact strength.
Honor 9X, with its great 6.59-inch size, manages to remain comfortable, thanks to extremely thin screen borders on all four sides. Honor 9X boasts IPS panels for its screen together with Full HD+ resolution to truly elevate display quality, the high brightness sufficient to fancy outdoor usage, and vibrant colors that please the eye.
Volume up/down hardware keys and the power key will be on the right edge of the device; these keys have been placed a bit low down to be very comfortable in the reach of the thumb.
The top edge is home to the SIM slot and camera slot. The bottom edge, meanwhile, is host to external speakers, a USB-C connector, and the 3.5mm headphone port, a very commendable feature when most phones have abandoned this connection.
Configuration
Mated to 6GB RAM, the Kirin 710F reduces Honor 9X performance just enough to satisfactorily meet all experience requirements. Basic use, browsing applications on Honor 9X runs extremely smooth; games like PUBG Mobile and Arena of Valor Mobile run sweetly with mid-range graphics settings and, amazingly, while playing for long hours, the device hardly shows warmth.
Battery life is another good feature that Kirin 710F brings in a more sensible usage of energy. Honor 9X experience with battery capacity of 4000mAh performs normally above one day for basic work, while mixed task like social networking and web surfing is about 10 hours, enough for a day of basic used-but-limited user gaming.
Performance & Hardware
The Honor 9X uses the Kirin 710F processor, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This is precisely the hardware combination for balanced performance on the different tasks from multitasking, brilliant media consumption, as well as light gaming.
**1. Processor and RAM: One instance of a capable mid-range processor is the Kirin 710F, which has been designed to perform sufficiently for day-to-day activities. Its major activities such as web browsing, social networking, and productivity applications are easy to handle by it. So the multitasking with 4GB RAM is an experience, where application management and quick switching between apps does not appear to have a bottleneck.
**2. Storage: The Honor 9X has 128GB internal comprehensive storage, which according to most people is a good enough space. Moreover, the device offers memory expansion through microSD card support, with a maximum storage capacity of 512GB. This flexibility comes in handy for those who are in need of some more space for all their files and media.
**3. Gaming Performance: This Kirin 710F permits even the lightest to moderately intensive gaming. There is no heavy lag to say against games such as PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9-over medium settings. However, the more demanding titles may have some frame drops or slightly reduced graphics settings. It has a good performance rating for average, casual gamers but may need a better option for anything extremely top-tier.
**4. Heat Control: Honor 9X might be a great handheld device for long usage occasions, with warm temperature only slightly noticeable during heavy tasks. Performance won’t be severely throttled with the cooling system within the device.
Camera
First up, 16MP f/2.2 pop-up selfie camera of Honor 9X; it has AI subject detection, and beauty that beautifies the selfie beyond every imagination. Acne, freckles, face shape, eyes, nose, or complexion are all touched up and made appear very natural and beautiful, so Honor 9X users will never need any other beautifying app if they Take a selfie using this pop-up camera.
The pictures taken by Honor 9X are in form exposed to bright enough conditions- they are drawing pictures that are of dazzling detail. The AI of the machine is pretty smart in identifying a scene well.
The rear camera with a 48MP main lens gives very good quality, high detail in bright enough conditions, the resulting image has a large size. One thing to mention is, when you shoot in 48MP resolution the AI will be turned off and therefore the picture will look not so bright compared to when the AI is on. At the same time when the AI gets activated the device switches automatically to 12MP so yeah it sort of changes the overall brightness.
Software and User Interface
Running on EMUI 9.1 atop Android 9 Pie, this phone is really an Honor phone all the way. EMUI is Honor’s custom skin which adds various features and enhancements over Android.
**1. Customization:** EMUI 9.1 pretty much brings a full bunch of customization things, so you can personalize your device in a way that feels… like yours. You get themes, wallpapers, and also icon packs, and yeah they can be swapped around so the interface has this more one-of-a-kind look instead of something generic.
**2. Efficiency:** The software has a few genuinely useful touches, like split-screen multitasking, gestures , and a sort of special gaming mode that really boosts things while you play. There’s also an Options drawer, and a couple other small conveniences that you end up noticing after a bit.
**3. Performance:** Using the Honor 9X feels pretty smooth overall, and there is not that much bloatware just lingering around. Also, there are fewer pre-installed apps than you might expect, which is a small relief honestly. The interface is kind of easy to get a handle on, it’s pretty intuitive, so interacting with the device feels quicker. And hopping to different features is less of a hassle, most of the time.
**4. Updates: The Honor 9X arrives with Android 9 initially, an it can be upgraded later to newer Android releases depending on whatever Honor’s update policy is doing at the time. So users should kind of plan for update cycles that are fairly reasonable for security fixes, but also for new features when they actually show up, and not just assume everything lands instantly.
Battery Life and Charging
It has a 4,000mAh class battery, so Honor 9X can kind of be looked at as a mid-range phone, with solid endurance, you know. That kind of capacity should carry you through a full day of browsing , socializing and maybe a bit of gaming in between.
**1. Battery Life:** In normal conditions, the device is pretty good for a full day. If you are a heavy user you might need a recharge by the evening, simple as that. Overall the battery performance feels reliably, not flashy. The 4,000mAh battery hits this nice middle ground between raw capacity and efficiency, so the phone Battery, kind of in a way stays steady, it gets you through the day, without that constant hunt for a charging point.
**2. Charging Speed:** The Honor 9X pulls around 10W, which is slower than what a fair number of competitors offer. In practice it’s fine for everyday top-ups, but charging itself is going to feel lengthy compared to handsets with faster-charging tech, you know.
**3. Battery Optimization: The device offers quite a lot by way of battery optimization. Programs help in controlling power consumption and prolonging battery life. These comprise battery saver modes and adaptive battery management, which command the device to shut down unnecessary power-consuming applications.
Connectivity and Other Features
The Honor 9X offers a broad variety of connectivity features and extras that delight the user experience.
1. Connectivity: the device supports a dual SIM type setup, so users can kinda juggle two phone numbers at the same time. You also get 4G LTE backing, plus Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS. Overall, the connectivity feels like it kinda covers most needs pretty well, and it should handle everyday routines with very little hassle , honestly.
2. Audio: The Honor 9X has a single bottom-firing speaker. The sound is clear enough and it stays fairly balanced. Still, if you want that deeper, more rich “immersion” vibe, it doesn’t quite reach the same level you’d expect, from the higher-end models. Bluetooth audio is also there, so you can match wireless headphones or even a speaker, if you’d rather do it that way.
3. Biometrics: There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor on the Honor 9X. It works nicely for unlocking when your hand is sitting in a normal grip, and the sensing feels quick , like it unlocks in no time. Also, you get face unlock through the pop-up camera, so it acts as a second authentication path. It’s convenient, yes, but face unlock is a bit less secure compared to the fingerprint, in typical day to day use.
4. Other Sensors: Several sensors on the Honor 9X make the whole experience feel smoother , including the accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. These are used for stuff like auto-rotation, gesture controls, and adaptive brightness. In the end, it makes the interface feel more responsive, and yeah… easier to work with.
5. USB and Audio Jack: The phone uses USB Type-C for charging and data transfer. This is the current standard, and it is generally faster than microUSB for data , plus it tends to charge efficiently too. On top of that, the Honor 9X supports a 3.5mm audioplug, so using wired headphones doesn’t need any adapter, which is always a plus.
Benefits and Disadvantages
Pros:
Innovative Design: The pop-up camera design of the Honor 9X offers a complete screen experience without notches or punch holes. Thus, the beauty of the device is enhanced.
High-Resolution Camera: With 48 MP main camera through gadgets for near real-time photography enhancement, the camera produces detailed and vibrant images.
Expandable Storage: For expandable storage, the gadget has a microSD card slot so users can add more capacity based on what they need , not what it came with.
Decent Performance: The Kirin 710F processor together with 4 GB RAM brings fairly decent speed for day to day work and also medium gaming, you know.
Full-Screen Display: The phone comes with a 6.59 inch full screen which feels smooth for watching and multimedia , so it works out well as a gaming phone
Cheap Buying Price: The Honor 9X gives a strong feature set for a price well within reach, providing good value for money.
Disadvantages:
No 5G Connectivity: The Honor 9X is deprived of this support, which is disappointing to those who prefer keeping their devices future proof.
Not Worthwhile for Gaming: The Honor 9X is a fine performer in handling light to moderate gaming, but anything high demanding may not work with top graphical settings.
Just Acceptable Charging Speeds: Charging speed at 10W is far below that of several rivals, and can easily become a sore point among users who care about speed in charging.
Glass Back Gets Smudge: This finish gets touched by two fingerprints easy, plus a pile of smudges, so the owner will spend some time, to keep it looking fresh and nice.
No Official Water Resistance Ratings: The Honor 9X has no official IP rating for water or dust. So people need to stay careful and keep the device away from wet and gritty stuff.
Single Speaker: The bottom-firing speaker produces clear audio but fails to provide depth and richness, which might make it unsatisfactory for users who expect quality in sound.
Conclusion
The Honor 9X is a great overall smartphone in the middle segment. It offers a very good design, performance, and features. The pop-up camera has been a very innovative way to make it a full-screen display for the immersive positive experience and the absence of bezels on either side. The 48MP camera with its great resolution will capture great detail in vibrant colors. The memory on this smartphone is expandable- storage can be increased, and it can give decent performance at prices that are quite reasonable- all make it an attractive device for mid-range value seekers.
Then again the Honor 9X is deprived of 5G, the gaming performance isn’t that great, charging speeds are much slower than their rivals, and it does have some more limitations. Yet, with design, camera features, and affordability going in favor, this still remains a smart decision for the user. Merging contemporary features with attractive pricing, The Honor 9X stands tall, right there in the battlefield of mid-range smartphones with a great option for anybody seeking an all-rounded device at a reasonable price.
HONOR 9X 6.59 inch Smartphone, 4GB 128GB, 48 MP AI Dual Camera, 16MP Pop-up Front Selfie Camera, Dual SIM GSM Unlocked 4G LTE International Version EU Plug US Adapter, Blue: Buy it now
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.
