We put the Honor X9a through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 5100 mAh
- 40W charger (included)
- 6.67-inch, 1080 x 2400, 120 Hz, OLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (6 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 128 GB + 6 GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Honor X9A
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
Pros
- Excellent autonomy in moderate use
- Excellent autonomy in almost all our use cases (calling, video and music streaming, gaming)
- Excellent autonomy on the go
- Decent autonomy recovered after a 5-minute charge
- Low discharge currents overall
Cons
- Slightly longer than average charging time
- Poor charger efficiency
- Inaccurate battery gauge
The Honor X9a’s outstanding global battery score earned it a place in the top 5 of our database to date.
Even though the device’s charging time was slightly longer than average, the Honor X9a offered excellent overall autonomy and efficiency, bringing 3 full days of battery life in moderate use.
Excellent autonomy was particularly measured in individual usages such as gaming, calling, video and music streaming, but also for all on-the-go usages. This was confirmed by our discharge efficiency measurements, with the Honor X9a draining very low discharge currents overall, a sign of well-optimized software.
The drawback to the device’s performance was that the battery gauge was inaccurate. When the screen displayed 20% capacity, the true capacity measured was only 16%. At a displayed 1% capacity, the device shut down automatically. Moreover, battery readings at various stages of the battery gauge (precisely at 12%, 17%, 43%, 50%, 65%, and 83%) only lasted only a few seconds, affecting the user experience.
Overall, the Honor X9a displays a strong battery performance, particularly when compared with other devices in the Advanced segment.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Battery | Charger | Wireless | Display | Processor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Honor X9a | 5100mAh | 40W (included) |
- | OLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 |
Honor Magic4 Lite 5G | 4800mAh | 66W (included) |
- | LCD 1080 x 2388 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G |
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G | 5000mAh | 67W (included) |
- | AMOLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G |
Autonomy
Honor X9A
188
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Battery Life (moderate)
Battery Life (moderate)
Home/Office
Honor X9A
213
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
On the go
Honor X9A
195
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
Honor X9A
198
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Charging
Honor X9A
181
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
Honor X9A
184
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
Charging Time 0-80%
Charging Time 0-80%
Quick boost
Honor X9A
182
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Efficiency
Honor X9A
154
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge up
Honor X9A
205
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
Honor X9A
194
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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