The idea behind the HONOR X9c Smart is very simple - it is, in essence, , but cheaper. As a compromise, a simpler hardware platform is offered, a camera without optical stabilization, an LCD screen instead of AMOLED. But at the same time, the case is also protected from dust and moisture according to the IP65M standard and is very strong. Well, and at least very close in design.
Let's see how critical the compromises were in this case and whether HONOR managed to simply transfer the advantages of a more expensive smartphone to a cheaper one this time - with minimal losses.
Technical specifications
| HONOR X9c Smart | |||||
| Display | 6,8 inches, IPS, 2412 × 1080 pixels, 389 ppi; 120 Hz | 6,78 inches, AMOLED, 2700 × 1224 pixels, 437 ppi; 120 Hz | 6,67 inches, AMOLED, 2400 × 1080 pixels, 395 ppi; 120 Hz | 6,78 inches, AMOLED, 2436 × 1080 pixels, 393 ppi; 120 Hz | 6,78 inches, AMOLED, 2436 × 1080 pixels, 393 ppi; 144 Hz |
| Protective glass | No information | No information | No information | No information | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra: eight cores (2×ARM Cortex-A78, 2,5 GHz and 6×ARM Cortex-A55, 2,0 GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1: eight cores (4×ARM Cortex-A78, 2,2 GHz + 6×ARM Cortex-A55, 1,8 GHz) | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy: eight cores (4×ARM Cortex-A78, 2,5 GHz and 4×ARM Cortex-A55, 2,0 GHz) | Mediatek Helio G100: eight cores (2×Cortex-A76, 2,2GHz + 6×Cortex-A55, 2,0GHz) | MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate: Octa-core (1×ARM Cortex-A78 @ 3,2GHz + 3×ARM Cortex-A78 @ 3,0GHz + 4×ARM Cortex-A55 @ 2,0GHz) |
| Graphics controller | IMG BXM-8-256 | Adreno 710 | Mali-G615 MC2 | ARM Mali-G57 MC2 | ARM Mali-G610 MC6 |
| RAM | 8/12 GB | 8/12 GB | 8/12 GB | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| Flash memory | 256 GB | 256/512 GB | 128/256 GB | 256 GB | 256/512 GB |
| Разъемы | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | USB Type-C, mini-jack (3,5 mm) | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Memory card slot | No | No | Yes (hybrid slot for microSD/nano-SIM) | No | No |
| SIM cards | 2 x nano-SIM | 2 x nano-SIM | 2 x nano-SIM | 2 x nano-SIM | 2 x nano-SIM |
| Cellular 2G | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| Cellular 3G | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz | HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz | WDCMA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 МГц | HSDPA 850/900/2100 MHz | HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 МГц |
| Cellular 4G | LTE, no band information | LTE, no band information | LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 | LTE: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 | LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 42, 66 |
| Cellular 5G | SA/NSA, no band information | SA/NSA, no band information | SA/NSA: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 | No | SA/NSA: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/6 | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 | 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / 6e |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| NFC | There is | There is | There is | There is | There is |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo |
| SENSORS | Light, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR port | Illuminance, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR port | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR port |
| The fingerprint scanner | Yes, on the side button | Yes, on screen | Yes, on screen | Yes, on screen | Yes, on screen |
| Main camera | Dual module, 108 + 5 MP, ƒ/1,8 + ƒ/2,2 (wide angle + standard viewing angle), phase autofocus with the main module, single LED flash | Dual module, 108 + 5 MP, ƒ/1,8 + ƒ/2,2 (wide angle + standard viewing angle), phase autofocus with the main module, single LED flash | Triple module: 50 + 2 MP + flicker sensor, ƒ / 1,8 + ƒ / 2,4 (standard viewing angle + auxiliary module), phase autofocus and optical stabilizer, ring LED flash | Triple module: 50 MP, ƒ/1,8 + 2 MP, (standard viewing angle + auxiliary camera), phase autofocus, optical stabilizer, dual LED flash | Triple module: 108 + 50 + 2 MP, ƒ/1,8 + ƒ/2,0 + ƒ/2,4 (extended angle + standard viewing angle + auxiliary module), phase autofocus on two cameras, optical stabilizer on the main camera, two single LED flashes |
| Front-camera | 16 MP, ƒ/2,5, no autofocus, no flash | 16 MP, ƒ/2,5, no autofocus, no flash | 16 MP, ƒ/2,4, no autofocus, no flash | 50 MP, ƒ/2,5, with autofocus, with flash | 50 MP, ƒ/2,5, with autofocus, with flash |
| Food | Non-removable battery: 22,04 Wh (5800 mAh, 3,8 V); charging up to 35 W | Non-removable battery: 25,08 Wh (6600 mAh, 3,8 V); charging up to 66 W | Non-removable battery: 19 Wh (5000 mAh, 3,8 V); charging up to 80 W | Non-removable battery: 19 Wh (5000 mAh, 3,8 V); charging up to 45 W | Non-removable battery: 19 Wh (5000 mAh, 3,8 V); charging up to 45 W |
| Size | 166 × 75,8 × 7,9 mm | 162,8 × 75,5 × 8 mm | 161,7 × 74,7 × 7,6 mm | 164,6 × 74,6 × 7,7 mm | 164,3 × 74,8 × 7,9 mm |
| Weight | 193 grams | 189 grams | 185 grams | 180 grams | 195 grams |
| Water and dust resistant | IP65M | IP65M | IP65K | IP54K | IP54K |
| Operating system | Android 14, MagicOS 8 shell | Android 14, MagicOS 8 shell | Android 14, Realme UI 5.0 shell | Android 14, HiOS 14 shell | Android 14, HiOS 14 shell |
| Actual price | From 27 990 rubles | From 34 990 rubles | From 24 999 rubles | From 24 999 rubles | From 29 990 rubles |
Design
Externally, the HONOR X9c and HONOR X9c Smart are very similar, but not identical. The appearance of the Smart version is reminiscent of last year's – at least the camera block is exactly the same, just a little simpler, without the chrome trim.
And this “we take familiar solutions, but make them simpler” applies to many things in the appearance of the smartphone. Instead of artificial leather on the back (like the X9b) - plastic, but with an interesting texture, a marble pattern.
The edges on the back are chamfered, making it quite comfortable to hold a large smartphone in your hand. At the same time, the edges on the front side are normal, not curved, like on the X9c or X9b - this is just a simplification not only in relation to last year's smartphone of the series, but also to this year's older brother. There is an advantage in comparison with it, by the way - the front camera here is alone, without additional sensors, and, as a result, it is located in an individual round hole and takes up less space.
The third point against the general homogeneous background, which distinguishes Smart as a cheaper device, is the side power button. It has a built-in fingerprint sensor, while on the X9b and X9c we saw on-screen sensors. However, considering that mid-range smartphones are not equipped with the best on-screen sensors (optical, slow, located too close to the lower edge of the screen), this can also be considered a plus, despite the traditionally small area of such a sensor.
The dimensions of the HONOR X9c Smart are quite impressive. At the same time, it turned out to be even slightly (vanishingly “slightly”) thinner than its older brother — 7,9 mm versus 8 mm. But it is heavier — 193 grams versus 189. The screen is even larger — 6,8 inches. The body protection is identical. Water and dust protection according to the IP65M standard provides the gadget with resistance to jets of water under pressure (but it does not withstand immersion to depth). The tempered glass of the screen and the protective coating of the back panel, according to the manufacturer, can withstand falls from a height of up to 2 meters (I checked, the smartphone did not break when dropped from my height); it should not be excessively scratched either. But in terms of resistance to temperature effects, the Smart is inferior to its older brother — the achievements of the latter were explained by the use of a silicon-carbon battery, while a traditional lithium-polymer battery is installed here.
The HONOR X9c Smart comes in three color variations: Moonlight White, Midnight Black, and Ocean Blue. We had the latter version.
The functional elements are standard: there is no mini-jack, I have already mentioned the power button with a fingerprint sensor. On top we see an IR sensor, but there is no speaker output grille on the upper edge - the speaker here is generally monophonic.
The HONOR X9c Smart comes with a power adapter and a case, which in this case is made of transparent silicone.
Software
HONOR X9c Smart is powered by Android 14 with MagicOS 8.0 shell. It would be surprising that it uses last year's version of the interface, while even the younger model () – already MagicOS 9, but here we must take into account that in China the X9c Smart was presented back in December 2024, at the same time as the “regular” X9c.
Of course, the shell is very familiar to us, but it has variations - usually related to the number of built-in AI functions. There are still fewer of them here than in the HONOR X9c - there is a system of smart application recommendations based on your preferences, a service for quickly transferring information between applications via the side panel (Magic Portal) and the ability to erase objects from photos using the "AI eraser" (the smartphone does not do this perfectly, but for a device in the price category of up to 30 thousand rubles, in any case, it is a very interesting option).
Source: 3dnews.ru
