The HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News 

MANILA — The HONOR X9c has been dropped, stepped on, used as a chopping board and even tossed into boiling water, and from the accounts of the vloggers who did this, the phone just kept going.

While I don’t think a smartphone can substitute for a proper chopping board or make soup tastier, the videos demonstrate the standout toughness of the X9c.

'Boiled, dropped' - HONOR launches 'toughest' midrange phone

As such, if you are into outdoor activities like cycling, mountain biking or hiking, this could be a great phone for you.

HONOR has made a name for itself in the Philippine market by introducing the drop-resistant X9b and the water-resistant X7c last year. The X9c combines the best of these two models.

The HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

The phone has an IP65M, which means it’s dustproof and protected against low-pressure water jets from any direction. HONOR says the phone has an ‘ultra-tempered glass’ as well as a ‘Cushioning Airbag Protective Case and a Fully Wrapped Curved Screen Protection Layer’ which help to reduce damage from impacts and scratches.

I’ve been using the X9c for several weeks now and have been quite impressed with this uniquely marketed midranger. Yes, it looks tough–though I’m hesitant to put it through the kind of tests other people have. Yes, it’s water resistant, and I think it's even better in this regard than the X7c. But what I like most about it is its long battery life.

With a 6,600 mAh battery, the thing is practically immortal. I’ve been unable to kill this beast going through a normal day’s smartphone use–which is great if you want to use it for something other than social media browsing and gaming. 

Dirt road going to Mt. Oro in Rodriguez, Rizal. Photo taken with the HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

In the weeks I was testing it, the X9c became my favorite phone because its battery just kept going. I would even use it as a wifi hotspot, and it could get me through a whole work day without needing to be charged.

If you’re out in the wilds and need to whip out Google Maps to get directions, this thing won’t die on you before you figure out how to reach your destination. During a solo mountain biking trip to the mountains of Montalban, I used the phone as a Google Maps/GPS wayfinder (even though I was quite familiar with the area), and it performed flawlessly.

Navigating with Google Maps on the HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

During a particularly difficult climb, with the 10:30 a.m. March sun beating down on my masochistic head, my Galaxy S22 daily driver, overheated and the camera app just died. It got so hot that I had to shut down the phone itself to let it cool down.  The X9c meanwhile, just shrugged off the heat and kept going. What a champ!

Mountain bike on the view deck of Mt. Oro in Rodriguez, Rizal. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

Bike trail in UP Diliman with the HONOR X9c 5G used as a bike computer. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

The HONOR X9c 5G fitted with a case and bike mount. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

I also liked the big 6.78 OLED screen. When you’re navigating trails and roads, having a big screen to read map details is always welcome. I wished the X9c had a brighter screen though to make it easier to read under the noontime sun–but that’s just me. No one in his right mind goes biking up a mountain during high noon.

Another plus for the X9c is its “AI Super Power Saving Mode” which HONOR says allows calls to be made even when the battery level drops to 2 percent. In the outdoors, if you ever meet an emergency, it’s good to know that you can still make that call even with a phone whose battery is nearly dead.

Selfie taken with the HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

Photo taken with HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

Night shot of Maginhawa St. taken with the HONOR X9c 5G. Arthur Fuentes, ABS-CBN News

And of course, no outdoor trip is ever really complete without photos to prove you were there. The X9c has a 108 megapixel main camera with a bright f/1.75 lens with optical image stabilization, plus a 5MP wide camera. The phone’s focal range goes from 0.6x zoom to 3x zoom, although the latter’s likely not optical as it has no dedicated telephoto lens.

Still, it takes decent photos for something in this price range. Colors and details are good. Even low-light and night shots were surprisingly good. Selfies can sometimes be overbright, but that’s something you kinda expect for phones at this segment. 

People who want to shoot video on a budget will also be glad to know that this can shoot 4K at 30fps, which is good enough for budget users.

Of course, it’s not HONOR Magic6 Pro-level imaging, but if you’re not expecting flagship-level photography on a sub-20k device, then you won’t be disappointed.

Other important specs: it's powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset, has 12 GB of memory, 256 GB storage, a 2700 x 1224 OLED display with a dynamic refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz, and uses the MagicOS 8.0 (Android 14) that has several built-in AI features. 

All in all, this is a very capable, very tough device for something that costs just P16,599.