HONOR has built a strong reputation in Malaysia’s mid-range smartphone segment, particularly with its X Series. The company says its X9 Series has been the best-selling mid-range smartphone for four generations, earning the title of “Pilihan Utama Rakyat Malaysia”. From the HONOR X9a achieving a 33% market share to the HONOR X9d reaching a peak market share of 77%, the X Series has clearly become an important part of HONOR’s smartphone portfolio. Globally, the series has also surpassed 130 million users.
Now, the company is taking things further with the HONOR X9e Pro. HONOR says the latest model comes with five leading No.1 upgrades, covering durability, display brightness, battery capacity and other key areas.
After spending some time with the device, the HONOR X9e Pro feels like a smartphone built around three main priorities: durability, battery life and outdoor usability. It is not trying to be the most powerful smartphone in its price range, nor does it have the most versatile camera system. Instead, it focuses heavily on making the phone reliable for everyday use.
Design
Durability has always been one of the biggest selling points of the HONOR X9 Series, and the HONOR X9e Pro takes this even further.
HONOR claims the phone offers NO.1 EXTREME Armor-Tough Durability, with the device designed to survive drops from up to three metres onto multiple complex surfaces. It also carries an SGS 5-Star Comprehensive Reliability Certification.
A major part of this durability comes from HONOR Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Technology 4.0. Inspired by the Halo safety system used to protect Formula 1 drivers, the technology uses an impact-management architecture consisting of arch-shaped structures, high-strength metal reinforcement and full-area adhesive bonding.
The arch-shaped structures around the corners and perimeter of the phone help disperse impact energy, while the metal reinforcements redirect force through the frame instead of allowing it to concentrate around critical components such as the display and mainboard.
HONOR has also used shear-resistant PUR adhesive, which offers approximately 10 times greater shear resistance than conventional backing adhesive. Combined with full-area and edge bonding, this helps keep the display securely in place during impacts while spreading the force over a wider area.
The phone is also designed to handle water and dust exposure, carrying IP68, IP69 and IP69K ratings. Rather than relying on a single protective barrier, HONOR says the phone uses a compartmentalised, submarine-inspired internal architecture.
The HONOR X9e Pro can withstand water depths of up to 10 metres, compared with 1.5 metres for the X9d. HONOR also claims it can survive up to 100,000 repeated submersion cycles and has undergone a 24-hour continuous salt-spray test to simulate corrosive coastal conditions.
In practical terms, this is probably one of the biggest reasons to consider the X9e Pro. It feels like HONOR has taken the “tough phone” concept seriously without turning the device into a bulky rugged smartphone.
Display
The HONOR X9e Pro features a 6.8-inch HONOR FullView Display with a 2,788 x 1,280 resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
The headline feature here is its 10,000-nit peak brightness. HONOR describes this as a NO.1 EXTREME Ultra-Bright Display, with peak brightness 67% higher than the 6,000 nits offered by the X9d.
On paper, that is a significant upgrade, although peak brightness figures do not necessarily translate directly into what you will see during normal use. Most users are unlikely to notice a dramatic difference in everyday indoor usage. However, the extra brightness is useful when using the phone outdoors, particularly under strong Malaysian sunlight.
The display also supports 3,840Hz PWM Dimming, alongside HONOR’s Eye Comfort Technology, which is designed to make prolonged viewing more comfortable.
There are also Wet-Hand Touch and Glove Touch features, allowing the screen to remain usable when your fingers are wet or when wearing gloves. These are small additions, but they can be surprisingly useful in real-world situations.
Performance
Powering the HONOR X9e Pro is the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 processor, paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 16GB of HONOR RAM Turbo.
For everyday tasks such as messaging, social media, web browsing, navigation, photography and video streaming, the performance is responsive enough. Benchmark results are alright, although this is not a performance-focused smartphone.
Some competitors around the same price point do offer more powerful chipsets, so the X9e Pro is not necessarily the phone to choose if gaming performance or raw processing power is your priority.
HONOR also uses its Hummingbird Architecture 2.0, which is designed to maintain smooth and fluid performance over a longer period, with the company claiming up to 72 months of smooth use.
Software
The HONOR X9e Pro runs MagicOS 10 based on Android 16 and includes several AI-powered features.
AI Enhanced Night optimises night photographs when using Night Mode, while AI Enhanced Zoom uses AI processing beyond 3x zoom to improve image clarity. AI Enhanced Portrait similarly optimises portrait photographs automatically.
There are also new AI Moving Photos features, including Motion Trail, Motion Clone and Slow Motion.
One feature I found interesting is AI Free Grip. When receiving a call, the answer button can appear on either the left or right side of the screen, making it easier to answer the phone with one hand. This is particularly useful when walking or riding, as you do not need to adjust your grip just to reach the button.
The phone also supports Instant NFC Access for functions such as building door access cards.
Camera
The HONOR X9e Pro comes with a 108MP OIS AI main camera featuring a 1/1.67-inch image sensor, 0.64μm pixel size and f/1.75 aperture. It is accompanied by a 5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and a 16MP f/2.45 front camera.
The main camera also features CIPA 6.0 stabilisation, which is the same level of stabilisation found on the HONOR 600 Pro and is an upgrade over the X9d.
The benefit is particularly noticeable in low-light photography, where the camera may need to use a longer exposure. Even small movements can otherwise result in softer images.
HONOR also uses cloud-assisted AI imaging for portraits, night scenes and digital zoom composition, allowing cloud processing to refine detail, colour and clarity.
There is even an Underwater Colour Tuning mode, which attempts to reduce the blue and green colour casts commonly found in underwater photographs.
In actual use, the main camera produces decent results during daylight and is the camera you will want to rely on most. Low-light photography is alright as well, particularly with the main sensor and OIS.
However, the ultra-wide camera is a different story. Its 5MP sensor is relatively basic, and I would avoid relying on it when image quality matters. If photography is an important consideration, it is worth keeping in mind that most of the X9e Pro’s usable camera experience comes from its main camera.
Battery Life
The biggest upgrade is arguably the battery. The HONOR X9e Pro packs an enormous 11,000mAh battery, making it HONOR’s largest smartphone battery yet. For comparison, the X9d had an already-large 8,300mAh battery.
The phone uses HONOR Silicon Carbon Battery 4.0, with a claimed health expectancy of up to six years. HONOR rates it for up to 66.8 hours of video playback, 164.5 hours of music playback and 35.6 hours of TikTok short-video playback.
In fact, the 11,000mAh capacity is larger than the capacity of many power banks, which gives you an idea of just how much battery HONOR has packed into this phone.
It also supports 80W HONOR SuperCharge and 27W reverse charging, allowing the X9e Pro to act as a power source for other devices. HONOR says it can charge an iPhone Air to 80% in 30 minutes.
The battery is also designed to operate in extreme temperatures. At -20°C, HONOR claims up to 52.87 hours of calls or 18.3 hours of navigation, while at 50°C, it can provide up to 77.7 hours of calls or 25.7 hours of navigation.
For Malaysian users, the latter is particularly relevant given how hot the weather can get.
Final Words
The HONOR X9e Pro is priced at RM1,899 for the 256GB model and RM2,399 for the 512GB version. HONOR is also adding considerable value through its Rakyat Care+ Warranty. This includes 730-day front and back crack protection covering the display and rear camera glass, compared with 365 days on the X9d. There is also 730-day liquid damage protection, with one free repair at an authorised service centre if liquid damage occurs within the two-year period. A one-year extended warranty is included at no additional cost. Pre-order now will also receive a free HONOR Pad X7.
What stands out most is how focused the phone is. Rather than trying to compete solely through specifications, HONOR has built the HONOR X9e Pro around durability, battery life and outdoor usability.
The toughness is arguably its strongest selling point, with the combination of drop protection, IP68/IP69/IP69K ratings and reinforced internal construction making the X9e Pro considerably more reassuring for users who are hard on their phones.
The 6.8-inch display is bright, smooth and packed with eye-care features, although the 10,000-nit peak brightness is more of a specification highlight than something most users will notice every day.
The 11,000mAh battery, meanwhile, is genuinely impressive. Combined with 80W charging and 27W reverse charging, it makes the HONOR X9e Pro particularly suitable for users who spend long hours away from a charger.
The main compromises are the cameras and performance. The 108MP main camera is decent, but the ultra-wide camera is best avoided when image quality matters. Performance is also perfectly adequate for everyday use, although some similarly priced smartphones offer more powerful chipsets.
Ultimately, the HONOR X9e Pro is not trying to be everything to everyone. It is a smartphone designed for users who value durability and exceptional battery life above all else. If you frequently work outdoors, travel extensively, spend long periods away from a charger, or simply want a phone that can take more punishment than the average mid-range device, the X9e Pro’s combination of an 11,000mAh battery and extreme durability makes it a particularly distinctive offering in its segment.
Yay
- Durable phone
- Great display
- Impressive battery life
Nay
- Ultra-wide camera is “meh”
- Competitors at the price range offer a more powerful chipset
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