HONOR X9c 5G answer the Internet’s Toughest Questions

HONOR’s toughest phone, the HONOR X9c 5G, has gone through some of the industry’s toughest challenges these past few weeks. We dropped it, boiled it, and had the phone thrown off a helicopter by the good people at HONOR Philippines and it survived it all. Heck, the phone even nabbed a Guinness World Record for surviving a simultaneous drop test with 264 people participating. But after all that, the internet was abuzz with the tough mid-range device from positive sentiments to quite scathing comments.

So, true to form with the HONOR X9c 5G’s Toughest Phone monicker, we decided to compile the internet’s burning questions and see if the phone can survive what could be their toughest challenge yet: Questions from the Internet.

We asked HONOR Philippines a couple of Q’s that we kept on seeing in various comment sections and posts regarding the unit. Top 1 among these would be the decision to use a processor with some history already – the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 on a 2025 phone.

UNGEEK: Why did HONOR opt to use the same chipset from HONOR X9b 5G — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1? Some people may have the notion that since it’s relatively old chipset, it’s subpar. Can you comment on this?

HONOR PHILIPPINES: “We believe that the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is an underrated midrange chipset. It can offer great 5G connectivity, a wide range of performance boosts for mainstream games and apps, and support for high megapixel camera sensors. It is power efficient, having a 4nm process and technology node. This will open more opportunities to upgrade the other aspects of our newest HONOR X9 device.”

Given that the chipset isn’t necessarily new, HONOR has had time to tweak and optimize it so it can run as efficiently and as well-intended as it can be. And this is true with the HONOR X9c 5G. In our review, we found the chipset to be more than adequate to run all the necessary functions that the phone needs to. From daily productivity task to gaming, the HONOR X9c 5G was able to withstand most of what we threw at it. Plus, and we suspect this is one of the factors for choosing the processor, it didn’t bloat the price of the unit. Consider that the HONOR X9c 5G costs exactly the same as its predecessor with the tougher chassis and other upgrades it has, it’s a win-win in our book.

On to the next question.

UNGEEK: Some people are saying that the HONOR X9c 5G’s claim of toughness can easily be solved by fitting the phone with a third-party case. Is fitting the phone with a sturdy third-party case the same as the engineering improvements made on the HONOR X9c 5G?

HONOR PHILIPPINES: “While an extra layer of protection, such as a phone case, can let your phone endure more damage, it cannot provide the same level of durability compared to a device with advancements (placed) internally in terms of tech and materials. Certifications also add more credibility that the X9c can handle different kinds of physical and water damages.”

Prior to the launch of the device, HONOR Philippines invited us to a tech seminar where they dismantled a live unit for us to see all the new improvements and protection fitted on the HONOR X9c 5G. It’s not just adding an almost shatter-proof backplate, the engineering guys at HONOR had to re-arrange and meticulously pad the internals as well so it can withstand dust, water, and heat. The device cannot pass TÜV Rheinland’s certification or get an IP-rating of IP65 if they didn’t do this.

UNGEEK: Is the toughness marketing working for the X9 series? How’s the overall response of the target audience?

HONOR PHILIPPINES: “It is definitely working. The pre-order number says it all, getting up to 400% growth compared to last year. (According to our data) More and more fans are considering getting a device that will last longer physically while still getting a balanced performance. To add, the big upgrade on its batteries made our fans more excited.”

While controversial, the marketing stunts on the X9 series seem to be working as HONOR Philippines pointed out, they see incremental sales growth year-on-year with the series. I guess if it ain’t broke, right? The question, probably is how long can HONOR Philippines sustain this gimmick? That they didn’t readily answer and all they said was we just have to wait and see.

But according to the data that HONOR Philippines shared during the official launch of the unit, the HONOR X9c 5G got tremendous buzz online when they started their campaign. In fact, if you check Google Trends over the past 90 days, HONOR was able to sustain search and conversation on the HONOR X9c 5G from when they launch until today. Hence the controversial marketing, at least for HONOR Philippines, seem to be working. Speaking of controversial marketing…

UNGEEK: Also, just to clarify, the warranty encompasses accidental drops and water damage, correct? It gets void if people deliberately try to destroy the unit.

HONOR PHILIPPINES: “Yes, it is a widely used warranty term. We don’t advise our audience to do the same demonstrations or deliberately try to destroy their phones. There are cases where the external won’t get damaged, yet the internal get affected. To make our fans more informed about issues, our (repair) center provides comprehensive diagnosis and tests.”

So, there you have it, do not try to replicate the drop tests or boil tests from your favorite content creators – us included. We test it so you don’t have to.

UNGEEK: Lastly, did HONOR sacrifice performance over protection when it comes to the HONOR X9c 5G? What do you say to people that parrot this inaccuracy?

HONOR PHILIPPINES: “A lot of people undermine the HONOR X9c 5G’s overall performance. Nothing was sacrificed, but balance was achieved. The HONOR X9c 5G is the culmination of optimized hardware, powered by optimized software.”

Balance. That’s the key word there. For Php 16,999 SRP you get a highly optimized mid-range device that can run your favorite apps, take more than decent photos and videos, and withstand the rigors of daily life all in a nice shiny package.

The HONOR X9c 5G is now available at HONOR Experience Centers, partner retailers, and official online shops like Lazada, Shopee, and TikTok.

For more on the HONOR X9c 5G, read our full review here.