Honor X9d 5G 256GB Review
Summary: For the everyday user, traveler, or busy professional who wants a stylish phone that can survive a 2.5-meter drop and go three days without a charge, the Honor X9d 5G is an exceptional value proposition that is genuinely hard to beat.
4.3
Unique
The Honor X9d 5G is one of the latest phones to arrive in Australia that combines durability with premium styling at a mid-range price of $699 AUD (May 2026). Its headline features include the “Ultra-Bounce” drop-resistant display, a huge 8300mAh silicon-carbon battery plus a 108MP main camera; all wrapped in a slim, stylish body. It comes in three different colours: Sunrise Gold, Midnight Black and Reddish Brown (reviewed). The latter comes with gold accents and looks far more expensive than it is.
Under the hood, it runs on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM (expandable to 20GB via RAM Turbo) and 256GB of storage, giving it plenty of power and space for everyday use. Even with a slight camera bump on the rear, the weight distribution (193 grams in total) feels balanced and comfortable in your hand with dimensions measuring at 161.9mm x 76.1mm x 7.76mm that makes it a good size.
As mentioned, Honor equips the X9d with a 108MP main camera capable of capturing crisp, detailed shots, especially in good lighting. The sensor supports 10× digital zoom that is functional, however, upon further investigation, it does become a little “watercolour” like but the Lossless Digital Zoom (3x) works well. Also supporting the overall camera system is the 5MP wide-angle for broader scenes. For a mid-range smartphone, the Honor X9d 5G delivers an impressive camera system for this price range.
Then you have the 6.79-inch AMOLED panel that offers a sharp 1.5K resolution (1200 × 2640), delivering richer detail than standard 1080p screens. A 120Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling smooth (ideal for videos and to some extent gaming) and the 3840Hz risk-free dimming helps reduce eye strain in low-light conditions. It also has specialised screen tech that adds rainproof touch control and is glove-friendly for those colder months.
Further, it comes with a high nit (luminous intensity) rating of 6000 which makes it easy to read even on the brightest of days outside, however, the standard High Brightness Mode (HBM) sits at 1800 nits. Combined with the Ultra-Bounce anti-drop protection of up to 2.5 metres and its 5-star SGS certification, this screen is built to survive real-world mishaps without compromising on visual quality. Honor even adds IP66 / IP68 / IP69K, which are the highest ratings in its class. This covers high-pressure jets, deep submersion and dust plus one-tap water and dust ejection.
Unboxing
Audio lovers will be pleased to know that the Honor X9d 5G is equipped with dual stereo speakers that produce clear and relatively loud audio. The 8300mAh battery is truly exceptional and easily provides up to three days of moderate use. Because the capacity is so large, Honor incorporated their 66W SuperCharge technology to recharge; additionally, it offers reverse charging, allowing the device to act as a power bank for other devices.
Setup
Setting up the device is quick and straightforward as the wizard guides you through each step, including transferring data from your old phone — a process that’s smooth and beginner-friendly. Once you’re in, the OS feels fast, apps open quickly and navigation stays fluid thanks to the efficient chipset and generous RAM.
Running on Android 16 with the MagicOS 10.0 interface, the Honor X9d 5G delivers a more fluid user experience through refined system animations and sophisticated AI-driven power management that intelligently optimises battery life based on your usage patterns. This software ecosystem also introduces a suite of AI-enhanced productivity tools, including real-time translation, context-aware smart folders and proactive system optimisations that keep the device responsive during power-hungry apps and/or multitasking.
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Benchmark
Geekbench provides a clear picture of where the Honor X9d 5G sits; although it is a capable mid-range device that delivers respectable day‑to‑day performance, it is lacking compared to the raw power of current Snapdragon 8 Elite flagships. While the single-core and multi-core scores are on the lower end of the spectrum, everyday tasks are fine but anyone expecting flagship‑class speed or heavy gaming performance will quickly hit their limits.
As a gaming device, you will need to reduce the detail for titles such as Diablo or Call of Duty, so the smartphone is more of a casual device. Confirming this was the 3DMark benchmark that highlights the device is built for efficiency rather than brute force, delivering cool, stable performance but sitting firmly in the entry‑level GPU tier. In 3DMark’s Wild Life tests it posts modest scores, with the standard run hitting 3,814 (22.84 FPS) and the Extreme variant dropping to 989 (5.93 FPS), placing it below modern mid‑range and flagship hardware. Sling Shot Extreme fares better thanks to its older OpenGL workload, returning a 5,074 overall score with solid physics numbers and no signs of thermal strain but it still trails far behind premium devices. Across all tests the phone barely warms up, holds its battery level and avoids throttling, making it a reliable everyday performer that handles lighter 3D tasks comfortably, though it’s not built for demanding games or heavy graphical workloads.
For photography, the Honor X9d 5G captures excellent images in good lighting with vibrant colours and sharp details. The 108MP sensor is definitely the highlight of the camera system, however, for lowlight or dark environments, it will struggle (at times) to capture those images but all in all, the X9d 5G offers some impressive photographic capabilities.
Photo Gallery
Final Thoughts
The Honor X9d 5G offers mid-range phone users with two very unique features: extreme durability and unrivalled battery life. While its gaming performance reflects its mid-range roots, the combination of the industry-leading 8300mAh battery and a nearly indestructible “Ultra-Bounce” display makes it one of the most reliable smartphones on the market, wrapped in premium aesthetics. For the everyday user, traveller, or busy professional who wants a stylish phone that can survive a 2.5-metre drop and go three days without a charge, the Honor X9d 5G is an exceptional value proposition that is genuinely hard to beat.
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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