Hands on: Honor 9X Pro review

Honor's latest 9X Pro camera phone could be just what you always wanted... if you hate Google apps

Honor 9X Pro
(Image: © Basil Kronfli/Digital Camera World)

Early Verdict

Would we recommend picking up the Honor 9X Pro? Not just yet - wait to see how the lack of Google apps affects western reviewers and users. Having said that, if the price is right, and you want a bit less Google in your life, then it could be a great shout for anyone who can't stump up the £899 for the Mate 30 Pro, which just launched in the UK.

Pros

  • +

    Quad-lens rear camera

  • +

    16MP selfie camera

  • +

    256GB of storage

Cons

  • -

    No Google apps

  • -

    No time of flight camera

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Despite the cancellation of the smartphone trade show, Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020, smartphone launches from the likes of Sony, Huawei, and now, Honor, have gone ahead as planned. 

The Chinese brand's would-be MWC smartphone announcement is the all-screen Honor 9X Pro. While it was announced in China in 2019, it's now destined for other markets, making it the phone maker's first Android device to launch outside China with no Google Mobile Services. Promising Honor's trademark great value and premium midrange hardware, can you really get excited about a phone that doesn't come loaded up with staples like Drive, Gmail, and YouTube? If you want a value for money and a Google-free life - yes you can.

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Basil Kronfli

Basil Kronfli is a freelance technology journalist and content creator with a number of specialisms. He started his career at Canon Europe, before joining Phone Arena and Recombu as a tech writer and editor. From there, he headed up and runs Tech[edit], a technology YouTube channel, and has worked alongside this role at Future as a Senior Producer, sharpening his considerable video production skills. 


His technical expertise has been called on numerous times by mainstream media, with appearances and interviews on outlets like Sky News, and he provides Digital Camera World with insight and reviews on camera phones, video editing software and laptops, on-camera monitors, camera sliders, microphones and much more.