Since HONOR’s return back to India, they have released a number of smartphones offer unique designs, good performance and interesting cameras. The HONOR X9c is the latest in their lineup, priced at Rs. 21,998, offering a 6600mAh battery, a 108MP rear camera and a big display that is packaged into a durable, beautiful design. Is it worth the price? Read on in our review of the HONOR X9c.
Box Contents
- HONOR X9c 5G 8GB + 256GB variant in Jade Cyan colour
- 1x USB Type-A to Type-C cable
- 1x Plastic clear case
- 1x 2-pin 66W HONOR SuperCharge Wall Adapter
- 1x SIM Ejector Tool
- User Manual
Display, Hardware and Design
The HONOR X9c features a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with a maximum resolution of 2700×1224 and it supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It can reach up to 4000 nits of peak brightness, so sunlight readability was no issue and HDR content looked great. The panel also supports 3840Hz ultra-high frequency PWM dimming technology, so I didn’t face any eye fatigue when using the display at night. The DCI-P3 wide colour gamut support resulted in good colours as well.
The experience of using the display was smooth, thanks in large part to the dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. HONOR does offer the option to force the display at either 60Hz or 120Hz. I left it in the “Dynamic” option and I experienced no hitches.
The phone also supports an eBook Mode, which turns the entire display into monochrome black and white, reducing eye fatigue when reading eBooks.
Coming to durability, HONOR makes some bold claims with the X9c. It features their Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Technology 2.0 which should protect the phone’s exterior from drops up to 2 meters. While I did not test this with our device, it certainly adds confidence to the long-term durability of the device. HONOR doesn’t mention the type of display protection tech used, but the phone is IP65 water and dust resistant, which is uncommon for a phone at this price range.
The display has a small pill shaped cut-out in the top center, which houses the 16MP front-facing camera. The phone has a dual-speaker setup as well, with dedicated holes at the top edge. Haptic feedback strength was on par with similar devices of its price range too.
The power button and the volume rocker are both on the right edge of the device. The bottom edge is where you can find the USB Type-C port, SIM slot and the bottom speaker grill. The left edge is empty while the top edge only contains 3 holes for the secondary speaker.
The edges are made out of plastic with a glossy finish and the back panel has a beautiful marble finish that looks great in all angles.
Camera
Despite having a large rear camera bump , it features only 2 rear-facing cameras within that setup
- 108MP main camera (f/1.75) with OIS
- 5MP Ultra-wide camera (f/2.2)
The camera UI is similar to other MagicOS-equipped HONOR smartphones. It is loaded with features such as Multi-video, Panorama, AR Stickers, a Pro mode, etc. The 108MP main camera bins down to 12MP by default, although there is a dedicated Super-Res Mode that will capture images at the full 108MP resolution as well.
In well-lit conditions, the 108MP primary sensor does a great job at capturing detailed photos with good contrast and colours. There is plenty of detail and with HDR turned on, there is decent dynamic range as well.
However, at night, the camera starts to struggle a bit. The OIS does its job at counteracting shaky hands, however the shutter speeds are not quick enough to shoot sharp images.
Ultra-wide photos are average, as it is only a 5MP sensor. I noticed that the white balance would be quite different from the main sensory, and the details were softer. It is usable in a pinch, but I wouldn’t be using it too much. Portrait mode was a bit of a mixed bag. At 1x, the portrait cutouts were fine and the background blur looked good. However, at 2x or 3x, the cutouts had issues and it would blend the subject incorrectly with the background.
Here are some samples:
Software, UI and Apps
During our review, the HONOR X9c was running on their latest MagicOS 9.0 software that’s based on Android 15. At the time of review, the phone was running the September 2025 Android Security Update. HONOR has not mentioned how long they will support the X9c with major Android OS updates, but I expect it to be 2 major updates, similar to the competition.
MagicOS 9.0 is packed with plenty of features that are enabled with AI. The Magic Portal feature is similar to Google’s Circle to Search feature, where you can circle a portion of the screen with your knuckle to bring up contextual information and actions. HONOR has also taken advantage of the pill-shaped cutout for the front camera with a feature called MAGIC Capsule, similar to Apple’s implementation of their Dynamic Island.
Other features include Magic Retouch, AI Translate and AI-Suggestions. Among the many AI-focused features, I did find a few to be useful, but some of them still felt a bit unpolished. I do expect them to get better over time as more companies invest in AI-centric features in their software.
There are numerous customization options for various elements of the OS such as Always-On-Display customizations, Home Screen, Themes, etc. They allow the user to personalize their X9c to their liking, which is appreciated.
On the performance front, MagicOS feels plenty fast thanks to its Full-stack Graphics Engine that boasts improved rendering capabilities at lower power consumptions. It also features their Predictive Scheduling Engine, which enables high-intensity games to run at high FPS for longer periods of time. The phone has 8GB of RAM with an additional 8GB RAM expansion thanks to HONOR RAM Turbo.
Coming to pre-loaded apps, the X9c unfortunately comes with a couple of apps such as TikTok, Trip.com, ReelShort, Block Blast, etc. These apps can be uninstalled easily, so it’s not that big of an issue.
Fingerprint sensor and Face unlock
The X9c features an optical fingerprint sensor that is placed a little lower in the screen that I prefer. The accuracy is good and I had no complaints about the speed either. You also get Face Unlock, however it’s not as secure so I did not use it.
Dual SIM and Connectivity
The phone features Dual SIM connectivity, with support for 5G NR and 4G LTE. I faced no issues with Airtel and Jio SIM cards out of the box, and the signal strength was fine as well. Noticeably, the phone only supports Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, which is a bummer for a device launched in 2025. It does support USB OTG at USB 2.0 speeds, and it has NFC capabilities inside.
Performance
Powering the HONOR X9c is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, which features 4 Cortex A78 cores running at 2.2GHz along with 4 Cortex A55 cores running at 1.8GHz. For the GPU it is equipped with the Adreno A710 GPU.
While the processor was launched a few years ago, it is still plenty capable for all day-to-day functions. I rarely noticed hitches or performance stutters, and HONOR appears to have done a good job of optimizing MagicOS as well. Apps opened fast and navigating the OS was smooth.
The Adreno A710 GPU performs well enough for light-to-medium intensive games, with good framerates in COD and BGMI. In heavier titles such as Genshin Impact, you will have to lower the graphics quality to get playable framerates.
Battery life
The battery life on the HONOR X9c is definitely one of its strengths. Keeping the phone alive is a 6600mAh battery that is made using the latest in battery technologies – Silicon-Carbon. These batteries have much better power densities, allowing much higher capacities in smaller sizes.
It isn’t a surprise that the HONOR X9c has good battery life, able to comfortably last a day with around 6-7 hours of screen on time. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is not a power hungry processor, and with light-to-medium use, I was able to comfortably get through a day.
It can charge at a peak rate of 66W, which allows the phone to be topped up fully under an hour. However, I did notice that it charged a bit slower than the competition.
Conclusion
Overall, the HONOR X9c strikes a good balance between design, performance, and battery life, making it an appealing mid-range smartphone in 2025. The premium build, curved AMOLED display and 6600mAh battery make it stand out in its price segment. The primary camera performs well in daylight, although the low-light performance leave room for improvement. For users prioritizing design, display quality, and long-lasting battery life over raw performance or camera versatility, the HONOR X9c is a well-rounded and stylish choice at ₹21,998
Pricing and availability
The HONOR X9c is available in a single variant (8GB + 256GB) on Amazon for a price of Rs. 21,998