Honor X9c Review: A Tough Phone with Great Battery and Display

Honor has established itself as a major player in the durable smartphone market, and the X9c continues this tradition with impressive resilience and a long-lasting battery. Our review unit, the Titanium Purple variant, felt premium in hand, with a sleek design and comfortable grip despite its sizable battery.

The 6,600 mAh battery easily lasted two full days of typical use, and the included 66W charger brought the phone back to full capacity in just over an hour. The 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display delivered sharp, vibrant colors with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and managed impressive brightness levels even in direct sunlight.

However, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor felt outdated for the price, handling everyday tasks adequately but showing limitations during more demanding applications. The dual-camera system carried over the 108MP main sensor from last year's model, offering decent daylight performance but lacking advanced features like optical image stabilization for video recording.

Despite these shortcomings, the X9c excelled in durability testing, surviving drops, being run over by a JCB, boiling water immersion, and even being thrown from a drone without sustaining damage. This makes it an excellent choice for users prioritizing durability over raw performance.