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It has been a long time coming, but the X series smartphones from Honor have finally got an identity. Following on from the cool V-shape pattern that made the Honor View 20 so eye-catching, the back of the forthcoming Honor 9X is emblazoned with a massive X-shape, and rather than being too gaudy, it’s surprisingly subtle.
This is our first look at the Honor 9X, or at least the back of the phone, and it’s worth taking a moment to drink it in. Unlike the ocean-deep V-shape on the View 20, the Honor 9X’s X is closer in style to pixel art. Made up of tiny, reflective squares, the X catches the light very attractively, but it doesn’t jump off the phone as you may expect. It took time to capture the unique look in our photographs, due to the Honor 9X being a little shy when not in direct light. See the photo taken indoors below for evidence.
There will be two colors available, a midnight black and sapphire blue, but it’s only the blue version that has the X shape pattern on the back. What else does the back of the phone reveal? A rear fingerprint sensor for a start, which is unusual even at the Honor 9X’s midrange level. The newly announced Oppo Reno 2 has an in-display fingerprint sensor, for example. There are three camera lenses on the back too, although we don’t know the specification yet.
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The name confirms this is Honor’s sequel to the Honor 8X. Released in October 2018, the 8X had a 6.5-inch screen with a notch at the top, the Kirin 710 processor, a 3,750mAh battery, and a dual-lens camera on the back. We can already see the Honor 9X will beat the 8X in the camera lens department, but we’ll have to wait for the rest of the specification details.
Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends
There’s not long to wait until Honor stops being coy and tells us all about the Honor 9X. The phone will launch in Russia and the Netherlands first on October 24, and we’d expect a wider launch to follow very soon afterward, including in the U.K. A U.S. launch is obviously not expected, and there are question marks over whether the Honor 9X will come with Google Services on board, due to Honor being part of Huawei, and having to deal with the same restrictions.
Look out for more on the Honor 9X very soon.