TL;DR: HONOR X9d 5G is the unbreakable mid-range champion of 2025. It may not wow with its cameras, but it nails what matters: durability, display, battery life, and real-world usability.

There’s a certain satisfaction in using tech that doesn’t flinch when life throws chaos at it. For years, I’ve watched smartphones get faster, thinner, and somehow more fragile. It’s like buying a supercar made of glass — great until gravity decides to say hello. The HONOR X9d 5G, on the other hand, feels like a glorious middle finger to that fragile era. Honor calls it “unbreakable,” and for once, that isn’t just marketing poetry. This phone genuinely feels like it could survive a few rounds with reality — all for AED 1,299.

What’s impressive is that this isn’t a one-trick pony built only for endurance. The X9d has a 108MP main camera, a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor, a 6.79-inch 120Hz OLED display with an absurd 6000 nits of peak brightness, and an 8,300mAh silicon-carbon battery that could probably power a small drone. It’s wrapped in MagicOS 9.0 — Honor’s Android 15-based skin — loaded with AI features that actually feel useful instead of gimmicky.

It’s not perfect — this isn’t your glossy flagship competitor. The design tries a bit too hard to look luxurious, the UI occasionally stutters, and the camera is more “fine” than “fantastic.” But after a week of daily abuse, drops, binge-watching, and casual neglect, I can confidently say: this phone is the tank of the mid-range world.

Design and Build: Faux Leather, Real Strength

Let’s start with the part that makes the HONOR X9d 5G truly special — its build. In an age where smartphones are basically glass sandwiches wrapped in anxiety, the X9d feels like a proper throwback to when durability was a selling point, not a forgotten afterthought.

The Reddish Brown variant I tested immediately stands out, blending its gold trimmings, circular camera ring, and faux-leather back into something that’s… intriguing. I won’t lie: it’s got a bit of that “trying too hard to look premium” vibe, like it’s cosplaying as a flagship. But at this price point, you forgive the theatrics. Because under that surface lies serious engineering.

The faux-leather texture actually helps grip the phone better — and it hides fingerprints beautifully, unlike the smudge magnets we’re used to. The absence of a camera bump is another refreshing touch. You can place it flat on a table without it wobbling like a see-saw. And while that might sound trivial, it’s one of those subtle details that makes the phone feel designed for real life.

Then there’s what’s beneath the skin: the X9d uses a 6-layer drop-resistant structure with Ultra Bounce Anti-Drop Technology 3.0 — which sounds like a superhero gadget, but it’s no gimmick. HONOR claims it’s 112% stronger than the previous generation, thanks to its shock-absorbing frame and reinforced back shell. The glass itself is ultra-deep tempered, distributing impact force rather than absorbing it, reducing the chance of shattering.

I decided to test these claims the only way a geek reviewer can: pure, unscientific chaos. Over the course of a week, I dropped it from waist height, shoulder height, even onto ceramic tiles. I “accidentally” (read: intentionally) let it slip off a counter, smacked it against a wall, and even tossed it across my living room while it was still playing a YouTube video. The results? Astonishing. The HONOR X9d walked away from every incident functional and alive. Sure, there were a couple of faint dents on the frame and a tiny scuff near one corner, but considering the amount of physical abuse it endured, the fact that it didn’t shatter or deform is nothing short of impressive.

HONOR isn’t exaggerating about its resilience — this phone even holds a Guinness World Record for surviving a fall from 6.133 meters without cracking. That’s higher than most basketball hoops. And no, I didn’t recreate that test (I value my balcony), but I can confirm that this device laughs in the face of daily clumsiness. Dropping it on asphalt or tile isn’t a heart-stopping moment anymore; it’s just a quick glance to check the floor instead.

What I love most about this design philosophy is that it doesn’t make you compromise comfort for toughness. At 7.76mm thick and 193 grams, it’s surprisingly lightweight for something that could probably survive a toddler’s tantrum or a construction site fall. It doesn’t feel chunky or awkward — just solid. HONOR somehow found that sweet spot where sleek aesthetics and rugged engineering coexist.

Is it perfect? No. The gold accents and faux-leather mix might not be to everyone’s taste, and it doesn’t exactly scream minimalism. But it’s functional beauty. A kind of industrial chic that says: “I may not be the prettiest at the party, but I’ll be the last one standing when things get wild.”

Display: 6000 Nits of OLED Glory

If you’re reading this outdoors under blinding sunlight, the X9d’s screen will make you smile. That 6.79-inch OLED panel is one of the brightest displays in its class, boasting 2640×1200 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage. But the number that truly stands out is 6000 nits of peak HDR brightness. That’s brighter than some flagship TVs — it’s borderline absurd.

It’s not just bright for the sake of it; the display remains impressively color-accurate. Blacks are inky, whites are crisp, and the contrast levels make streaming, gaming, and reading feel immersive even under the UAE’s brutal midday sun. The dynamic dimming feature adjusts the lighting intelligently, reducing eye strain without compromising visibility.

The panel supports HONOR’s eye protection features like Circadian Night Display, Dynamic Dimming, and 2160Hz PWM dimming, which actually help if you’re the kind who doomscrolls till 2 a.m. The touch response is excellent too — it reacts instantly, even with gloves on or when the screen’s slightly wet, which is perfect for hot days or gym sessions.

This display doesn’t just compete in its price range — it punches way above it. It’s smooth, vivid, and genuinely makes every other mid-range phone look dim and lifeless by comparison.

Performance and Software: Snapdragon Meets MagicOS 9.0

Under the hood, the X9d packs a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It’s not a flagship processor, but it handles daily life like a pro. Apps launch quickly, multitasking feels smooth, and the device rarely gets hot, even when pushing it with long gaming sessions.

Benchmarks confirm the middleweight nature of this phone: 3DMark Wild Life scored 3802, Geekbench 6 single-core hit 1092, and multi-core reached 2094. These aren’t record-breaking, but they’re respectable — especially when balanced with stability and efficiency.

MagicOS 9.0, based on Android 15, is the most mature iteration of Honor’s software yet. It’s loaded with AI features that actually make sense. AI Suggestions learns your app patterns; AI Subtitles and Translation handle real-time language interpretation; AI Writing and Call Translation sound futuristic but genuinely improve usability. The best feature, though, is Magic Portal — Honor’s underrated innovation that lets you grab images or text from one app and instantly drag them into another. It’s like Apple’s drag-and-drop, but faster and more intuitive.

There are still occasional UI stutters, especially when juggling several heavy apps, but nothing that breaks the experience. The interface is fluid, responsive, and visually clean — a pleasant surprise for anyone used to bloated Android skins.

Camera: Decent, Not Dazzling

Here’s where things get nuanced. On paper, the HONOR X9d 5G’s camera setup looks like a big win — a 108MP main sensor with a 1/1.67-inch size, optical and electronic stabilization, and pixel-binning tech that promises bright, detailed shots even in challenging light. Add a 5MP ultrawide and a 16MP front camera, and you might think this is a hidden photography gem. In practice, though, it’s a bit more grounded — good, sometimes great, but never groundbreaking.

Let’s start with the main camera. Under daylight, the X9d captures images that are vibrant without leaning into over-saturation — a common sin for mid-rangers. Greens look natural, skies are rich, and faces retain a nice skin tone balance. Dynamic range is well-controlled too, with only occasional blowouts in extreme lighting. However, the oversharpening creeps in when you zoom in — a telltale sign of aggressive post-processing. It’s not deal-breaking, but you’ll notice it if you’re picky about fine textures like hair or fabric.

Low light is where the X9d surprises. The dedicated Night Mode brightens scenes significantly, pulling in enough detail to make city lights and indoor settings usable without too much noise. But there’s a tradeoff: shadow detail often takes a hit, and light sources can bloom more than desired. The AI Night Mode does its best to balance exposure, but it sometimes flattens the image, losing contrast in the process.

The 5MP ultrawide is, unfortunately, the weakest part of the system. It’s fun for wide landscapes or architecture shots, but distortion at the edges is noticeable, and detail retention suffers even in good light. It’s great for casual snaps, less so for anything you’d print or edit.

The 3x digital zoom holds up surprisingly well — at least up to 2x. Beyond that, detail fades fast, and you’re looking at algorithmic sharpening to keep things visually crisp. Still, for social media use, it’s perfectly serviceable. The AI scene detection system helps a lot here, automatically tweaking color tones and sharpness depending on what you’re shooting. Point it at food, and it’ll boost saturation; point it at the skyline, and it’ll prioritize clarity.

Video recording caps at 4K 30fps, which is decent for the segment. Footage is smooth, thanks to OIS and EIS working in tandem, though color grading tends to shift toward cooler tones. Audio capture is respectable, and stabilization is strong enough to make handheld vlogging possible without a gimbal.

The front 16MP selfie camera is refreshingly natural. It doesn’t go overboard with beautification filters unless you let it. Portrait selfies come out crisp, background blur looks convincing, and HDR does an excellent job in backlit situations. Even in dim rooms, it pulls enough light to produce usable photos without turning faces into clay.

In day-to-day use, the camera feels reliable — and that’s the key word. It’s not a creative powerhouse, but it’s consistent. You won’t get photos that blow minds, but you won’t get unusable ones either. For AED 1,299, that’s a trade I’m perfectly happy with. After all, this is a phone that was designed to survive gravity, not win photography awards.

Photo Gallery

Battery Life: Two Days of Freedom

Let’s talk power. The X9d’s 8,300mAh silicon-carbon battery is, frankly, ridiculous. It’s one of the largest ever fitted into a phone this slim. Honor promises two days of battery life — and it delivers. Even with heavy use (streaming, navigation, and endless doomscrolling), I ended the second day with around 25% left.

Thermal management is stellar. The phone barely gets warm, thanks to Honor’s multi-point temperature monitoring. It also includes an anti-aging algorithm designed to preserve 80% battery health even after six years — which, in smartphone terms, is eternity.

Charging is equally impressive. The included 66W wired charger can juice the phone from 0 to 100% in under 50 minutes. No wireless charging, but the X9d supports 7.5W reverse wired charging — perfect for topping up earbuds or another phone. It’s the rare device that doesn’t just last longer but feels like it’s built to endure.

Verdict: The Tough Guy With a Gentle Soul

The HONOR X9d 5G isn’t a flagship killer — and it doesn’t try to be. It’s a different breed entirely: a mid-ranger that focuses on endurance, practicality, and everyday usefulness. At AED 1,299, it’s a rare combination of rugged design, massive battery life, and smooth performance wrapped in an OLED display bright enough to double as a flashlight during a blackout.

Sure, the camera could be sharper, and MagicOS still occasionally forgets to breathe. But as a daily driver — especially for those who want a phone that can take a beating, last forever, and still look sleek — the X9d delivers.