▷Honor 9X review: a mid-range with few surprises 🥇

The Chinese company Honor, rib of Huawei, after the negative impact caused by Trump's ban and the consequent problem with Google, tries to make up for it by hooking the mid-range with Honor 9X, a new smartphone with an intriguing design. It was officially presented only yesterday, November 19th, in Italy. We tried it a month ago, so here's our review.

Honor 9X review: the technical sheet

It's always nice to start with some data, they give us a way to understand right away what we're dealing with.

Dimensions: 163.1 x 77.2 x 8.8 mm
Weight: 206 g
Display: 6.59 ”1080 x 2340 FHD + IPS LCD with 391 ppi density
CPU: Kirin 710F
GPU: Mali-G52 MP6
RAM: 4 GB
Memory: 128 GB expandable with Micro SD Up to 512 GB
Network: 4G LTE – Dual SIM
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 con A2DP/LE, USB Type-C 2.0, jack 3.5mm, A-GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou
Battery: 4000 mAh
Rear camera: 48 MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 + 2MP f/2.4
Front Camera: 16 MP f / 2.2
Videos: posteriore 4K (30fps), anteriore Full HD (30fps)
Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie EMUI 9.1

Honor 9X: packaging and design

In the packaging of our smartphone we find a fast charging charger from 10 watts, a pair of earphones with 3.5mm jack output, a transparent silicone cover and all the manuals.

Honor 9X it is presented frontally with a panel IPS LCD full screen, no notch and the like: there is in fact a small pop-up camera in black plastic. The back is in gorilla glass, with a detail effect holographic which creates an X. In the center we find the physical unlock sensor with fingerprint. The edges, in steel, recall the color of the back. On the right side we find the classic volume rocker and the on / off button. At the top the trolley to insert sim / micro SD and the pop-up camera, at the bottom the speaker, the USB type C port and our beloved 3.5mm inlet jack.

Looking at it closely, I have a feeling of deja vu. And in fact, with a local mind, it reminds me a lot of Huawei P Smart Z, of which we brought you the review a few months ago, smartphone of which it seems to be the upgrade, if we consider the improvements in the battery and cameras field.

Why medium range?

What makes us classify this device in the mid-range?
Let's start with the front camera. The pop-up comes totally in matte black plastic, a no-nonsense and no-praise design that clashes with the 9X's intriguing rear. It could almost appear a bit cheap when compared to that of Oneplus 7 / T Pro or Xiaomi Mi9 T / Pro. Personally I would have used the camera to give it a further distinctive touch compared to Huawei's “cousin” and its competitors.

On the back, however, we have the only way to unlock the device: the physical fingerprint sensor, perhaps a little anachronistic at the end of 2019.

Audio is mono only. Quality, but mono: as soon as you grab it for gaming sessions or a few videos on youtube, you will miss a second audio source. It's really a shame, because with the full screen that the smartphone finds itself, it would have been a great addition.

I also emphasize the absence of NFC, wireless charging and a notification LED.

Performance and autonomy

Il Kirin 710F it's a slight upgrade over the 710, less energy-intensive and does its job. It doesn't make the 9X a splinter, but in daily use it doesn't slow down too much. The 4000 mAh battery makes our days easier, not forcing us to an afternoon recharge; in fact, we arrive safely in the evening with a good 30% residual even after days of medium-intense use. Vibration is convincing, even at the keyboard feed.

Honor 9X review: undertone photos

The photos of 9X convinced me in part: the only camera to give some noteworthy shots is the main 48 megapixel camera, especially during the day. In the evening the hesitation begins, you have to have a very steady hand and despite this the plot is a bit mixed. The focal aperture of the wide angle, which we remember being 120 °, does not allow a good point and shoot, the result is always slightly overexposed. The 16 MP selfie-cam, on the other hand, seems to me to be really left behind, at the levels of an entry level: the shots are unnatural and with low details.

Watch out for videos: it is not possible to record in wide-angle mode and stabilization occurs only at 30 fps.

Here are some shots:

Honor 9X Review: buy it or not?

Initially offered in the European market at € 300, in Italy it comes for only 249 €, resulting competitive. The range in which it arises has a lot of competition, especially from Xiaomi and Samsung. Undoubtedly a beautiful design and a 'excellent autonomy, maybe a little heavy, but the rest does not scream "wow". If he had left at the beginning of the year he would have undoubtedly had his reason, but now he suffers too much from the comparison with his similar ones. However, fans of the EMUI and the Honor / Huawei ecosystem who have a limited budget, will find in 9X a valid opportunity.