HONOR X9d - A Lot of Tough for Not Many Bucks

Compromise.

Not everyone has $2000+ to drop on a phone. 

So if you've just dropped yours. Or drowned it. Or cracked it. Or just lost it... What features are you prepared to give up in order to keep the price down?

Bearing in mind, if your new phone isn't dust or waterproof or particularly robust, it might only be a matter of time before you're having to replace it again. So you won't have saved any money at all.

However, if you work or play in demanding environments - building sites, outdoors - or you're just a bit of a klutz, destroying your phone might just be an unfortunate inevitability.

But it doesn't have to be.

The HONOR X9d is built to take a knock. Or two. Or all of them. And it'll cost you less than eight-hundred bucks.

Let's talk what this phone doesn't do shortly but first; its strengths. Which are mostly about its strength.

These days, most flagship phones carry an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Essentially, that means you can submerge the device in question down to a metre or so for up to half-an-hour.

The X9d can do that too.

Some other devices carry an IP69 rating. This means they can resist high-pressure, high-temperature jets of water. Why you would want to steam-clean your phone is a bit of a mystery, but...

Yes, the X9d can do that too. In fact, throw in IP66 and IP69K too. What the hell?

Okay then. How about the SGS rating that proves triple resistance against drops, water and dust? Has it passed the IEC 62262 impact resistance test?

Apparently. And I haven't even heard of some of those before.

The X9d isn't just built to keep water, dust and extreme temperatures out, it'll definitely take a knock or two. The display is covered by "ultra tough tempered glass" - and also a factory-fitted TPU screen protector which HONOR insists on putting on these devices, even though the aluminosilicate glass underneath is probably more scratch-resistant and much harder to crack.

There are six layers of cushioning built into the handset which has earnt it a 2.5m drop-resistance rating.

Remember, this isn't just HONOR talking. These are highly-regarded, independent tests.

It's indisputably one of the most durable phones I've ever reviewed.

To capitalise on the amphibious abilities of such a device, you'll even find an underwater mode in the camera app, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below. While in this mode, you can use the physical buttons on the side of the phone to take still pictures or videos - complete with sound.

The camera setup is where we start to see a little of the trade-off in order to bring the price down. The dual array on the rear module consists of a 108MP main shooter and a 5MP wide lens - perfectly respectable and still capable of 10X digital zoom and 4K video. But you're not quite achieving the masterful low-light performance, or consistency of colour and contrast between lenses that you would expect from a much more expensive flagship like the HONOR Magic8 Pro I reviewed earlier in the week.

In saying that, regardless of whether you're using the rear-shooter or the 16MP selfie-cam, you still have access to a mind-bending array of effects, filters and post-shooting AI editing tools. As a quick example I just clicked off a shot from my desk of a badly lit picture on the wall, about 3 metres away from where I'm typing right now. In this first shot, there's a lot of reflection in the glass, essentially obscuring that part of the picture completely.

Using HONOR's on-board AI eraser, I was quickly able to remove almost all the reflection, as if by magic, in a matter of seconds.

So I certainly have no issue with the performance of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 CPU, or the Adreno A810 graphics chip, both supported by a healthy 12GB of RAM.

Just like the Magic8 Pro, the X9d sports both an in-screen fingerprint sensor and face unlock - and just like its flashy cousin, I've found these to be quick and reliable. Meanwhile, this phone costs $1600 less.

In fact, as I go about my day using the X9d as my primary handset, I find myself not really missing that previous flagship at all.

Okay, it doesn't charge wirelessly and there's no eSIM capability - which I'd usually find pretty frustrating. But with its enormous 8300mAh li-ion polymer power cell, the X9d actually outperforms the Magic8 Pro in terms of battery life. I really only need to plug it in to charge every third day or so.

Finally, the X9d looks a lot more premium than its price-tag would suggest. My review device is Sunrise Gold, which features a fetching coral-coloured cloud effect on the matte back panel, brushed gold-coloured side rails and a classy gold ring around a rear camera module that doesn't protrude very far at all.

It's also available in Midnight Black - yawn - or you can go for Reddish Brown, which is gutting for me because that's undoubtedly the option I would have gone for if I was given the choice - because after all, who doesn't want a red phone?

I'm aware there are other phones out there that claim to be extra tough - perfect for the pocket of a tradie on a building site or clamped to the handlebars of a mountain bike in the weekend. Trouble is, most of those look like a brick... and operate just about as smoothly as a brick does too.

The HONOR X9d isn't that.

It looks like an expensive phone. Runs like an expensive phone. Has more battery life than most expensive phones and has been independently tested to be straight out tougher than most other phones. 

If eight-hundred bucks is all you have to spend (or all you WANT to spend) you're not cutting too many corners here to get a phone that'll go the distance.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the HONOR X9d.