Honor X9b detailed review: The sakht phone needs stronger optimisation

I’ve been using the Honor X9b for a couple of days and here’s my detailed review. But before we dive into that, here are Honor X9b specifications. Also Read: Honor MagicPad 3 Pro Launched With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, 12,450mAh Battery; MagicPad 3 (12.5) Also Announced

Honor X9b marks the company’s return to India. This phone has one of the strongest screens you’ll ever see, along with a 108MP main camera, and powerful specs to keep it going. But Honor still needs to do a lot of work before this phone can become the full package. Also Read: A Phone That Thinks And Moves? Honor Robot Phone Has A Camera That Pops Out

Honor X9b specifications

Honor X9b review: Display strength test

Also Read: Honor Magic 8, Magic 8 Pro Launched With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, Up To 200MP Telephoto Lens: Price, Specs

Just like my initial impressions article, Honor has done a fairly good job here. The design feels light in hand and the phone is easy to hold on to. It is so light that you can keep using it for hours without getting tired. The ring around the rear camera also makes for a decent place to hold the phone with a single finger.

Honor has been marketing its toughness and I tested it. The display was unscathed after cracking over 10 walnuts and dropping the phone multiple times. This phone’s screen is built like a tank, but there’s a caveat. Honor’s screen bounce tech mostly works if the screen hits the ground flat. The phone’s weight also flips it in that direction to minimize the damage, so it is mostly safe. However, the screen may not survive if it hits the ground corner first.

Although one of the advantages of this tough screen is that you don’t need to worry about putting tempered glass on the phone or putting it screen down on a table.

Honor X9b review: Cameras

On paper, the Honor X9b has a triple camera system with a 108MP main camera + ultra-wide + macro lens. In real-world testing, these cameras haven’t given us a satisfactory response. Pictures from the main camera lack detail, the ultrawide struggles with exposure, and the macro again has detail issues.

On the front too, AI corrections make the colours pop, but images are missing out on detail and texture. However, we expect Honor to improve the cameras with updates, so let me tell you what’s good here. Honor has many AI modes, including a multi-video mode. It lets you capture video from both front and rear cameras at the same time.

You also get an AI-powered app that will generate 24-second clips for you to post on social media. All you have to do is shoot a video, feed it to the app, and select a template. It lacks advanced controls, but it is a good and easy tool for most users.

Honor X9b review: Performance and UI

Honor has made a lot of changes with MagicOS 7.2. While you will like most of the things, some things make it confusing. Among the good things, we have AI suggestions on the home screen and control centre. Your most used apps show up in a dedicated space on the home screen so you can access them faster.

Onto the limitations, you don’t even get an app drawer as an option, so you have to use the home pages to show all the apps. The control centre and notifications come down from the right and left corner swipe respectively. It is initially confusing but slowly becomes unusable as swiping between them requires blank space.

While the UI may be a subjective issue, there’s one problem that you’ll face in the long run. Honor X9b comes with Android 13 and will get 2 updates. It means the phone will go up to Android 15. However, almost all competitors already ship with Android 14, so you’re not only getting an older version with Honor, but you’ll also miss out on Android 16’s features because of this.

Honor also needs to work on the performance part here. There’s a visible lag in loading games like Asphalt, or switching between cameras. However, this is something Honor can fix with updates as the phone already has good specifications.

Honor X9b review: Battery and charging

The Honor X9b’s battery life is as solid as this phone’s screen. This 5,800mAh cell gave me close to two full days of use with office apps, some YouTube, and light-hearted gaming. However, the 30-watt charger takes a lot of time to top up this battery. As a result, the X9b has great battery life with not-so-great charging time.

Once the phone drains, it will take approximately 1.5 hours to fully charge it. The good part is that Honor lets you quickly charge it with any charger, so you can order one with the phone at no extra cost or use a faster USB-C charger if you have one.

Honor X9b review: Verdict

Let’s quickly go through the pros and cons here. The Honor X9b is one of the toughest-built phones in the segment. The screen is practically unbreakable, it is unbelievably light, and the battery life is great. Coming to the downsides, the cameras need to be better, it has an outdated Android version, and it lags during heavy tasks.

Honor can fix the cameras and the performance issues with updates. So you can buy this phone if you don’t mind the older Android version and slow charging. That said, if we receive one that improves its cameras and gaming, we will also update this review and then recommend the Honor X9b.