It is only the first month of the year, and HONOR Philippines has already launched its latest midrange smartphone, the HONOR X9d 5G, which comes with several upgrades, particularly in durability.
We have seen numerous stunts and durability tests on social media, including several tests where it was compared against the Tesla Cybertruck, and it survived. But is toughness the only thing it brings to the table? Let us find out if it is truly worth buying.
I have been using the phone since December 18, 2025, and I am now ready to share my experience and insights. You can also check our first impressions of this phone to get an idea of what it offers.
Display Experience
One of the changes in this phone is the display. Watching media is better on the HONOR X9d 5G since it has a flat 6.79-inch display, covering all compared to the curved display of the HONOR X9c 5G. It also has 1.5K resolution, so visuals are sharp enough.
Besides, watching content on this phone is enjoyable since it uses an AMOLED panel. Plus, it supports 6,000 nits max brightness, sufficient for outdoor use. It is also smooth in gaming and scrolling, thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate feature.
Performance & Thermals
While a lot of people hated this phone because of its chipset, it still delivers decent performance. Actually, the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 on this phone is not bad at all. It is paired with 12GB RAM + 12GB HONOR RAM Turbo that allows a seamless multitasking performance.
Although I honestly experienced some frame drops, which I believed could be fixed by a software update. But it delivers snappy gaming performance even in known titles like Genshin Impact. For productivity and casual use, its performance is more than enough for its price.
It does get warm when playing games, but for casual day-to-day use, the thermals remain stable. It is also worth noting that this phone is rated to operate in extreme temperatures, from as high as 55 degrees Celsius down to as low as -30 degrees Celsius.
We tried running some benchmarks on the HONOR X9d 5G, and it scored 999,676 on AnTuTu Benchmark, while 13,456 on PCMark Work 3.0. Of course, these scores are considered high and imply that it can really deliver good performance.
For storage, it only comes in a 256GB variant. I hope that they will also offer a 512GB variant like the HONOR X8b and HONOR X8c. But the 256GB variant is already enough, especially if you are only a casual user.
Battery Life & Charging
Another big upgrade of the HONOR X9d 5G is its battery; the 8,300mAh battery capacity really delivers a long battery life. In my usage, I got 2-3 days of battery life. This will be helpful to those who rely on their phones the whole day, like delivery riders.
In our battery benchmark test, it got 17 hours and 44 minutes on the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life benchmark.
The device features 66W HONOR SuperCharge technology. In my testing, charging from 5% to 100% took 1 hour and 20 minutes. While this is impressive given the large battery size, a slightly faster charging speed would have been a welcome improvement.
Cameras
To recall, the HONOR X9d 5G still features the same camera setup as its predecessor, a 108MP main camera with OIS, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, and a 16MP selfie shooter. But it has a slightly noticeable improvement in terms of image processing. Don’t get me wrong, it can provide good image quality, but don’t expect too much.
The photos we took are decent, have good color vibrancy, are clear, and detailed. Even using its selfie camera, we got good image quality. However, in low-light environments, fine details tend to smear and appear painterly once you zoom in.
While for video, this phone also produces decent video quality with its up to 4K@30fps resolution. Its OIS feature really helps to stabilize the video, though I would like a toggle for its stabilization in the settings, like on other phones.
HONOR X9d 5G Camera Samples:
Software & Connectivity
The HONOR X9d 5G runs MagicOS 9.0 based on Android 15 out of the box. My user experience is good, but as I have mentioned above, there are a bit of frame drops.
While HONOR doesn’t disclose how long its software support lasts, it might receive a minimum of up to 2 years of major updates and more for security updates.
For connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC. However, during the first few weeks, I encountered issues with its 5GHz Wi-Fi, where it would randomly disconnect from the network.
Verdict
The HONOR X9d 5G offers a well-balanced feature set that matches its price point. It delivers solid performance, a high-quality display experience, long battery life, and capable cameras. It also stands out for its enhanced durability, making it a suitable option for delivery riders, outdoor workers, students, and even seniors. While it is not a perfect device, it still provides strong value for money.
HONOR X9d 5G Specifications
- Display: 6.79-inch AMOLED, 1200 x 2640 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, 6,000nits peak brightness, 3,840Hz PWM Dimming, Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop 2.0, In-display fingerprint scanner
- CPU: 2.3GHz 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 octa-core processor
- GPU: Adreno 810
- RAM: 12GB + 12GB HONOR RAM Turbo
- ROM: 256GB
- Rear Camera: 108MP with OIS + 5MP ultra-wide + LED flash
- Front Camera: 16MP
- Battery: 8,300mAh, 66W HONOR SuperCharge (Type-C)
- OS: MagicOS 9.0, Android 15
- Connectivity: 2.4GHz & 5GHz WiFi, 4G LTE, 5G, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, NFS, Dual SIM (nano)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, maganetic
- Colors: Reddish Brown, Midnight Black, Sunrise Gold
- Weight: 193g
- Others: AI face unlock, USB-C, IP66 + IP68 + IP69 + IP69K rating, 2.5M drop-resistance, dual stereo-speakers
Pricing and Availability
HONOR X9d 5G – PHP 18,999 | Shopee link | Lazada link
The HONOR X9d 5G retails for PHP 18,999, but you can pre-order it for only PHP 17,999 until January 23. You can also get a chance to win a Tesla Cybertruck worth PHP 17,000,000 when you pre-order it during the said period.
