The Honor X9b just launched in India at a price of Rs 25,999, where it competes with a lot of mid-range devices from other brands that offer a similar set of specifications, along with their own standout features. The Honor X9b packs with it a premium design, a substantial 5,800mAh battery, and some big claims when it comes to its durability. Today, we will compare the smartphone with another recently launched mid-range smartphone, the Realme 12 Pro, which comes at a similar price point and shares some specifications with the Honor X9b. So let’s get started.
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Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: specs at a glance
SMARTPHONES | Honor X9b 5G | REALME 12 PRO 5G |
Display | 6.78-inch 120Hz 1.5K curved AMOLED display | 6.7-inch 120Hz FHD+ curved AMOLED display |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 |
Cameras | 108MP+5MP+2MP rear cameras | 50MP+32MP+8MP rear cameras |
Front Camera | 16MP front camera | 16MP front camera |
Battery | 5,800mAh | 5,000mAh |
Charging | 35W fast charging | 67W fast charging |
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: price in India
Honor X9b 5G | REALME 12 PRO 5G |
Rs 25,999 – 8GB+256GB | Rs 25,999 – 8GB+128GB |
Rs 26,999 – 8GB+256GB |
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: design
The Honor X9b takes a page from the design book of Realme, with a device that resembles the Realme Narzo 60 Pro launched last year. The rear panel houses a luxury watch-style camera module with a vegan leather back in the Sunrise Orange colour variant. The device is quite sleek at 7.98mm thick with good weight distribution at just 185g, despite packing a big 5,800mAh battery. The curved display comes with a centre punch-hole for the selfie camera along with thin bezels, which provide good viewing angles.
One of the standout features of the smartphone is its sturdiness. The handset comes with Switzerland SGS-certified five-star drop resistance. With the use of a shock-absorbing material, the device claims to be damage-resistant from falls up to 1.5m. Interestingly, the device comes with only IP53 water and dust resistance. The phone comes in Midnight Black and Sunrise Orange colour options.
The Realme 12 Pro 5G also flaunts a luxury watch-style camera deco, which was designed in partnership with luxury watch designer Ollivier Savéo. The smartphone comes with a large circular camera module with triple sensors and an LED flash. The module has a chic gold coating along its borders. A similar golden vertical line runs towards the bottom of the panel and extends to the bezels surrounding the smartphone, creating a distinctive and captivating design.
The smartphone measures 8.75mm in thickness and weighs 190g. This makes the smartphone one of the best looking devices in the segment. The device comes with IP65 water and dust resistance and is available in Submarine Blue and Navigator Beige colours.
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: display
The Honor X9b flaunts a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with 1.5k resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1920Hz PWM dimming, and 1,200 nits peak brightness. There is a centre punch-hole for the selfie camera, which does not impede the visual experience, and the thin bezels allow for an immersive visual experience. The display exhibits vibrant colours, has good visibility outdoors, and remains smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate.
The Realme 12 Pro 5G equips a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,412×1,080 (FHD+) pixels, a refresh rate of 120Hz, 2160Hz PWM dimming, and up to 950 nits brightness. The panel has a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut and comes with HDR10+ support for HD content streaming on OTT platforms. The display, however, struggles outdoors, as the brightness levels are insufficient to allow for a comfortable viewing experience.
Takeaways: In terms of display, the Honor X9b takes the lead with its higher resolution display panel and better outdoor visibility. The Realme 12 Pro, on the other hand, offers better PWM dimming, which is essentially more comfortable for eyes under low light, and HDR10+ support for HD content streaming.
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: cameras
The Honor X9b comes with a 108MP primary camera, a 5MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. The rear camera supports up to 8x digital zoom. There’s a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calling. The rear camera can shoot 4K videos, while the front camera can capture up to 1080p videos.
The Realme 12 Pro, on the other hand, features a 50MP Sony IMX882 primary camera with OIS, a 32MP Sony IMX709 telephoto sensor with OIS and 2x optical zoom support, and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens. The device comes with a 16MP selfie camera at the front. The smartphone is also capable of 4K videography from the rear cameras, while the front camera can capture up to 1080p videos.
Takeaways: On paper, the Realme 12 Pro offers a more comprehensive camera system, with a dedicated telephoto lens, which is a standout feature in the segment. You can take a more detailed look at the camera performance of the smartphones in our comprehensive reviews. Here’s a quick link: Honor X9b (review), Realme 12 Pro (review).
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: performance and software
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC powers both smartphones, which should lead to a comparable performance output. The differences lie in the overall configurations the smartphones come in. The Honor X9b, for instance, only offers a variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Realme 12 Pro starts with an 8GB+128GB variant. Both smartphones also offer 8GB of virtual RAM support.
For software, the Honor X9b operates on MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13 out of the box, while the Realme 12 Pro comes with Realme UI 5.0 based on Android 14. Both smartphones are likely to receive two major OS updates and 3 years of software updates.
Takeaways: In terms of performance, smartphones are likely to boast comparable output. The Realme 12 Pro does beat the Honor X9b in terms of software, as it features the latest Android 14.
Honor X9b 5G vs Realme 12 Pro 5G: battery and charging
The Honor X9b features a 5,800mAh battery with 35W fast charging support, while a 5,000mAh battery with 67W charging support powers the Realme 12 Pro.
Takeaways: As per our reviews, the Realme 12 Pro emerges as a superior choice when it comes to the battery, based on benchmark scores and fast charging speeds. The Honor X9b, despite its larger battery, registers a lower PCMark score at 13 hours and 34 minutes compared to the Realme 12 Pro at 15 hours and 13 minutes. The charging speeds are also better on the Realme 12 Pro, which takes roughly 50 minutes to go from 0 to 100 percent, while the Honor X9b takes around two and a half hours to recharge fully.
