Honor 9X Pro review

Design

Both Honor and Huawei are keen on making flashy designs, that's for sure. Their back panels are attractive and immediately draw attention. The Honor 9X Pro is no different - its back makes a loud statement.

Honor really knows how to make a flashy paintjob

It is one of those phones you'd recognize on the spot. There is a notch-free large screen at the front and an enthralling rear panel with four different shades that melt into an incredible X - like 9X, get it?

Leavin the topic about the captivating back design aside, it's time to light up the screen. It's quite the view, too, as there are no cutouts here even if we are living in a smartphone world dominated by such. The 6.59" IPS LCD screen is of 1080p+ resolution and features trendy rounded corners, and none of it is wasted to a selfie camera cutout.

The 16MP selfie camera hides on a motorized pop-up module at the top of the Honor 9X Pro, while the earpiece was thoughtfully placed in-between the frame and the screen panel.

The pop-up camera goes up and down quite slowly and that's an area we hoped was improved since the regular Honor 9X. At least it has smart fall detection, and if a free fall is detected, the camera retracts immediately (yet slowly).

The front is protected by some sort of durable glass, but Honor, just like Huawei has been doing lately, does not mention the glass origin. On top of it is a very thin and cheap protector that was pre-applied in the factory, but it is a massive smudge magnet, and we recommend buying a good quality aftermarket one instead.

There is no fingerprint scanner under that screen, nor is there one on the back as was the case with the regular Honor 9X. Instead, the Pro model puts the biometric reader on the side, on the surface of the power key. It's a rather convenient placement, and we experienced no hiccups with the scanner whatsoever - it's always on, fast, and reliable.

The Phantom Purple model has one dazzling curved back. Four different hues clash in the middle, and the result is one flashy X among even flashier colors. The triple camera is the only eyesore on the back, but given the most current four- and five- camera trends, the one on the Honor 9X Pro looks pretty nice all things considered.

In case you've missed our specs sheet, the setup packs a 48MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor.

There is an aluminum frame between the front and rear glasses. It is sprayed in purple for the Phantom Purple, but if these catchy colors are too much for you, the Honor 9X Pro is also sold in the eye-friendly Midnight Black.

There is a lot going on around the frame - you will find the USB-C port, the 3.5mm jack, and the speaker at the bottom, the hybrid dual-SIM tray on top, and the volume control and power keys - on the right.

The Honor 9X and 9X Pro have identical footprints, but the Pro model is about 10g heavier at 206g.

It's a pleasure to look at the Honor 9X Pro, but it's also nice to handle it. The phone surely feels like a flagship in hand - with all the modern bells and whistles, materials, and shapes. And it's as slippery as any other glass phone, but that's the world we live in.