Who doesn’t appreciate a smartphone that can survive accidental drops? HONOR has engineered the HONOR X9b 5G with an Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Display to provide users with a sense of security.
Simply put, the Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Display ensures 360° Anti-Drop Protection, offering defense from drops at any angle. While there might be scratches depending on the circumstances, this three-tier protection system reinforces the screen, frame, and internal components.
The Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop technology is specifically designed to safeguard the 6.78-inch AMOLED curved screen and the beautifully crafted back (the Sunny Orange variant features vegan leather). The matte texture on the back enhances grip, but be mindful of potential dusting and discoloration. Nonetheless, without the jelly case, it remains a premium-looking beauty.
Read:
HONOR X9a 5G: Thoughts and impressions
HONOR 90 5G: Thoughts and impressions
The HONOR X9b 5G carries the SGS Five-star Overall Drop Resistance certification from SGS, an organization offering inspection, verification, testing, and certification services. It also boasts IP53 water and dust upgraded protection.
Display
Now, onto the basics.
The HONOR X9b 5G measures 163.6mm (L) x 75.5mm (W) x 7.98mm (D) and weighs 185g, battery included — standard dimensions for a modern phone, making it easy to handle for various tasks.
With a resolution of 2652×1200 and a refresh rate of 120Hz, the 1200 nits Peak Brightness ensures clear visibility even under bright conditions, eliminating the need to squint or max out brightness during daylight.
Performance
Beyond physical toughness, HONOR has equipped the HONOR X9b with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (4nm) chipset, featuring an Octa-core, 4xA78 CPU, and Qualcomm Adreno GPU. This configuration ensures uninterrupted entertainment and gaming experiences, even excelling with games like Mobile Legends.
The HONOR X9b 5G operates on MagicOS 7.2, based on Android 13.
Camera
I have become discerning about smartphone cameras, having used another HONOR phone — the HONOR 90 5G. This camera’s setup includes a rear camera which boasts 108MP, an Ultra-Wide Camera at 5MP, a Macro Camera at 2MP, and a 16MP selfie camera.
Managing my expectations, I was ready for a mediocre output but was pleasantly surprised that the details were crisp and vivid. To say that it’s outstanding may sound like I’m exaggerating but let’s just say, it far exceeded my (managed) expectations. The colors are clear and true to real colors. I’m always wary of overprocessed photographs but this one gave me natural-looking images. Of course, there are color corrections and all but if you are truly averse to overprocessing, there is always the manual setting. I don’t have time for that so I needed something like HONOR X9b that meets my requirements: instant but natural-looking photos.
Like the other HONOR phones I had the opportunity to test, the 5800mAh battery provides the juice I could need for a day of image-heavy coverage. In fact, I don’t have to bring the 35W SuperCharge charger or power bank.
While HONOR did some tests — drops from 5 feet, smashing of the clueless watermelons and hard surfaces — it doesn’t mean that you should too. It’s your phone from your hard-earned money, so with the danger of becoming preachy, spare the phone. You will drop it anyway… one of these days.
NOTE ON THE TITLE: I’m aware that pumpkin has many other colors but in the interest of using a musical reference, I took the liberty of using it for the pumpkin’s most familiar color: orange. Indulge me. Thanks.
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