Today, Huawei’s Honor brand unveiled the Honor 9X and Honor 9X Pro in China as the latest offering in their “premium mid-range” category.
These devices don’t pack the same punch as Honor’s high-end phones, but they still offer a compelling package for a much more affordable price tag.
The new smartphone pair, which are incredibly similar in design, are sequels to the Honor 8X launched in September 2018, and they feature bezel-less displays and pop-up selfie cameras.
These are Honor’s first smartphones to offer a pop-up selfie camera. They also feature OLED displays and are powered by the Kirin 810 chipset, which is the company’s second 7nm-based processor after the flagship Kirin 980.
Apart from a few minor differences, you may not be able to tell them apart. They both feature colorful models with an X-shaped gradient effect, very slim bezels, pop-up cameras, vertical camera arrangements, buttons in the same location, and plain “HONOR” branding on the back.
The standard Honor 9X comes with 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, while the Pro model houses 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB internal storage. The Pro model also has a triple rear camera on the back with a 48MP main sensor, 8MP wide-angle lens, and 2MP depth sensor, compared to a dual 48MP+2MP camera on the regular model.
The Honor 9X and Honor 9X Pro both feature an octa-core Kirin 810 chipset, which is built on 7nm process technology and was first seen on the Huawei Nova 5. Although thanks to additional liquid cooling, the Honor 9X Pro chip shouldn’t run as hot as its sibling.
The smartphones also come with bezel-less, 6.6-inch, LCD displays at Full-HD+ resolution, 16MP front cameras, MicroSD card support, and GPU Turbo 3.0 support.
Both are powered by 4,000mAh batteries with USB-C connectivity charging at 5V/2A (support fast charging).
An external feature that mainly differentiates the Honor 9X from the 9X Pro is the camera arrangement. The Honor 9X Pro has three cameras in a stack with the flash underneath; while the Honor 9X has only two cameras. The same vertical arrangement, but the third camera spot is occupied by the flash.
| Specifications | Honor 9X | Honor 9X Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions and Weight | 163.1 x 77.2 x 8.8 mm206g | 163.1 x 77.2 x 8.8 mm206g |
| Display | 6.59-inches LCD 2340 x 1080 resolution 19.5:9 aspect ratio |
6.59-inches LCD 2340 x 1080 resolution 19.5:9 aspect ratio |
| SoC | HiSilicon Kirin 810: 2x ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2.27GHz+ 6x ARM Cortex-A55 @1.55GHz; 7nm fabrication process Mali-G52 MP6 GPU |
HiSilicon Kirin 810: 2x ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2.27GHz+ 6x ARM Cortex-A55 @1.55GHz; 7nm fabrication process Mali-G52 MP6 GPU |
| RAM and Storage | 4GB + 64GB 6GB + 64GB 6GB + 128GB |
8GB + 128GB 8GB + 256GB |
| Expandability | Up to 512GB via microSD | Up to 512GB via microSD |
| Battery | 4000 mAh, USB-C | 4000mAh, USB-C |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, side mounted | Yes, side mounted |
| Rear Camera | 48MP primary sensor, f/1.8 2MP, depth sensor |
48MP primary sensor, f/1.8 8MP, ultrawide2MP, depth sensor |
| Front Camera | 16MP, f/2.2, pop-up | 16MP, f/2.2, pop-up |
| Connectivity | Dual 4G VoLTE Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Bluetooth 5.0 LE GPS + GLONASS USB Type-C 3.5mm Headphone Jack |
Dual 4G VoLTE Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Bluetooth 5.0 LE GPS + GLONASS USB Type-C 3.5mm Headphone Jack |
| Android Version | Android 9 Pie underneath EMUI 9 | Android 9 Pie underneath EMUI 9 |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Red | Black, Purple |
The regular Honor 9X will go on sale from July 30 in China with pre-orders now open, while the Honor 9X Pro will go on sale starting August 9 with pre-orders beginning on July 30.