HONOR Philippines has a new smartphone for the country called the HONOR X9b 5G. Just like many of the smartphone brands in the market, it knows how to mix flagship features in a mid-range package, giving users a good smartphone experience without breaking the bank. But how is it this time around? Read our thoughts below.

When I first received the HONOR X9b 5G, I didn’t bother researching the specs to intentionally remove any expectations and purely experience what the device can offer. Out of the box, things we’re already interesting as it has a premium design. We have the Sunrise Orange model in Vegan leather. It’s also available in Midnight Black and Emerald Green but I prefer the orange one.

Another thing about the design is the metal frame and the curved glass. All in all, it only measures 7.98mm thick. Even with the camera bump and case, the HONOR X9b 5G feels thin. And it doesn’t just look good, it’s also tough, boasting an SGS 5-star Whole-device Drop Resistance Certification. HONOR PH even challenged us to do a drop test and true enough, it passed with flying colors. There are dents and scratches on the frame but the screen didn’t receive any cracks and the device still works well. Watch the video below.

The X9b 5G is also a great device to watch movies or play games to, thanks to its 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with 2652 x 1200 resolution and 120Hz smooth refresh rate. The curved screen also makes the experience more immersive.

The device is also a capable daily shooter with its 108MP main camera, 5MP ultra & depth camera, and 2MP macro. For the front camera, we have a 16MP shooter.

These can take decent images even in low light. However, taking foodie shots or any subjects up close can be inconsistent, and sometimes loses focus. The colors could also use a boost. It looks punchy on the AMOLED screen but lacks saturation when viewed from an IPS monitor. Post-processing could also be improved to make the resulting images more punchy as well as the beautify feature as it feels like it’s not effective in improving skin tone and removing blemishes.

Powering the X9b 5G is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 4nm chipset announced in 2022 (released to devices in 2023). It has 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and runs on MagicOS 7.2 (Android 13) which works well with the HONOR and HUAWEI ecosystem. Performance is good when it comes to ordinary tasks like taking photos and videos and running social media apps. Genshin Impact gaming, on the other hand, defaults its graphics to Low. We managed to bump it up to High at 60fps, while playable, there were hiccups in busy scenes. It can game but not a powerhouse mobile gaming device.

Another feature that makes the X9b 5G stand out is its battery. It has a whopping 5,800mAh battery that can easily last you two days of heavy use. Wired charging is at 35W, though. It would have been nice if it was at least 65W.

To conclude, the HONOR X9b 5G is looking good. It has a beautiful design, a great screen, good mid-range performance, and a big battery. All of that for PHP 16,999. You can order it from Shopee here — https://shope.ee/8f3GG2MnLs