We all are familiar with the massive 5800mAh battery of HONOR X9b that claims a backup of up to 3 days. But is it worth the hype? Let's test it out in real life with an in-depth battery review. I'll drain it in various scenarios to get insights into different use cases, aiding you in assessing its performance across various real-life situations.
We know that the battery backup depends on both the hardware and the software optimization. On the hardware side, it has a massive 5800 mAh battery and is also equipped with the Snapdragon 6 Gen1 Soc based on a 4nm Fabrication Process that makes the Soc highly power efficient. So on the hardware side, it seems a beast. But what about software optimization? Let's check it out with the draining test.
Roadmap of different scenarios I used in the whole process:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Voice Call
- Gaming (BGMI)
- Recording 1080p 60fps Video
- Social Media (Instagram)
- YouTube
- Standby Drain with AOD
- Web Browsing (Chrome)
- Music
- YouTube on 5G Network
- Video Export
- BGMI at HDR Extreme
A few important points before starting the drain:
- The phone is connected over Wi-Fi throughout the process
- The screen refresh rate is set to Dynamic (up to 120Hz) throughout the process
- The dark mode is OFF
- Smart Resolution is turned ON
- Brightness is set to 50-55% throughout the process
- Performance mode and Power Saving mode are turned OFF throughout the process
Important Note- The default battery settings on HONOR devices, along with Digital Wellbeing, track and display Screen On Time (SOT) daily, instead of resetting after a full charge. This means the SOT got reset every midnight. The draining test started on March 5th at 11:20 PM after a full charge and continued until March 6th at 12:56 PM. To accurately calculate the Screen On Time (SOT) after a full charge, we need to add the 40 minutes of SOT from March 5th to the SOT on March 6th. So let's start!
Amazon Prime Video
- Drain Type - OTT Video Playback
- Start time and Battery - 5th March 11:20 PM with 100% Battery
- End time and Battery - 6th March 02:00 AM with 90% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 10% Drop in 2hrs and 40mins
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 30% Volume
Watching a full movie of 2 hours and 40 minutes with 1080p (FHD) quality on Amazon Prime Video drained 10% of the battery after a full charge. This suggests 0.0625% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can watch videos on OTT platforms for approximately 1600 minutes or 26 hours nonstop.
Voice Call
- Drain Type - Voice Call
- Start time and Battery - 02:06 AM with 89% Battery
- End time and Battery - 02:36 AM with 88% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 1.5% Drain in 30 minutes
A 30-minute voice call on the earpiece drained 1.5% of the battery, which means 3% drain per hour. This suggests 0.05% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can do voice calling for approximately 2000 minutes or 33 hours nonstop.
Gaming (BGMI)
- Drain Type - BGMI Gameplay
- Start time and Battery - 02:40 AM with 87% Battery
- End time and Battery - 03:40 AM with 74% Battery:
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 13% Drop in 1 Hour
- Start and End Soc Temperature - 33°C - 43°C
- Graphics - Smooth and Extreme
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
Playing the BGMI game for 1 hour at Smooth-Extreme graphic and frame rate settings (60fps) drained 13% of the battery. This suggests 0.21% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can play such heavy games for approximately 461 minutes or 7.6 hours nonstop.In terms of thermals, the device reaches 43°C after gaining 10°C, which is considered acceptable during a heavy gaming session. The device still feels comfortable to hold, and there is no noticeable decrease in performance, indicating no throttling occurring.
Recording 1080p 60fps Video
- Drain Type - Video Recording
- Start time and Battery - 03:45 AM with 73% Battery
- End time and Battery - 04:15 AM with 64% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 9% Drain in 30 minutes
- Start and End Soc Temperature - 40°C - 47°C
During this continuous drain test, I found that the battery drained by 9% in just 30 minutes of recording, which means 18% drain per hour. "Here's the catch!" As this seems doubtful, I tried to test this specific drain again the next day and found that while recording video at 1080p 60fps the battery draining is 7% per 30 minutes, which means 14% per hour. This suggests 0.23% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can record such videos for approximately 428 minutes or 7 hours nonstop.- This issue likely occurs due to the heat gain by the device during extensive BGMI gaming and as we know video recording itself is a heavy task for Soc.
In terms of thermals, the device reaches 47°C after a gain of 7°C, and this is because of the back-to-back heavy sessions such as playing BGMI and recording videos. Most phones stopped video recording by giving an overheating warning at this temperature, but that's not the case for X9b. This device will not interrupt your important shots even on heating.
Social Media (Instagram)
- Drain Type - Social Media Scrolling
- Start time and Battery - 04:23 AM with 64% Battery
- End time and Battery - 04:53 AM with 55% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 9% Drain in 30 minutes
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
Again during this continuous drain test, I found that the battery drained by 9% in just 30 minutes of recording, which means 18% drain per hour. This is likely again due to the just-ended back-to-back heavy sessions such as playing BGMI and recording videos, which heated the device and forced it to drain more battery. So again "Here's the catch!" As this seems doubtful again, I tried to test this specific drain again the next day and found that the battery draining is 6% per 30 minutes, which means 12% per hour. This suggests 0.2% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can scroll social media for approximately 500 minutes or 8 hours nonstop.
YouTube
1) YouTube with Normal Display Settings:
- Drain Type - YouTube Video Playback
- Start time and Battery - 05:00 AM with 54% Battery
- End time and Battery - 05:30 AM with 50% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 4% Drop in 30 minutes
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
- Resolution - 4K (2160p)
Streaming online video on YouTube for 30 minutes at 4K (2160p) resolution when connected over wifi, draining 4% of the battery, which means 8% drain per hour. This suggests 0.13% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can watch 4K videos for approximately 750 minutes or 12.5 hours nonstop. Here we can see that on just 50% of the drain, we got a whopping SOT of 6 hours and 5 minutes, i.e. 5hrs 25mins + 40mins of the earlier day as explained above. This is amazing! Also, my challenge to drain the battery fully is getting harder with increasing time.
2) YouTube with "Video Enhancer" Setting ON:
- Drain Type - YouTube Video Playback with "Video Enhancer" ON
- Start time and Battery - 05:31 AM with 50% Battery
- End time and Battery - 06:01 AM with 45% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 5% Drop in 30 minutes
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
- Resolution - 4K (2160p)
Streaming online video on YouTube with the "Video Enhancer" feature ON for 30 minutes at 4K (2160p) resolution when connected over wifi, draining 5% of the battery, which means 10% drain per hour. This suggests 0.16% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can watch 4K videos with Video Enhancer on for approximately 600 minutes or 10 hours nonstop. The lower the video resolution, the higher the battery backup you will get. 4K is the highest resolution supported by this device.
Standby Drain with AOD
- Drain Type - Standby drain with Always-On-Display (AOD) ON
- Start time and Battery - 06:06 AM with 45% Battery
- End time and Battery - 10:11 AM with 40% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 5% Drop in 4hrs 5min
- AOD (Always On Display) is turned ON
With Always-On-Display (AOD) ON, on standby, it drained 5% of the battery in 4 hours, which means 1.25% drain per hour. This suggests 0.02% drain per minute, hence 100% battery lasts for approximately 4800 minutes or 80 hours nonstop on Standby. Without AOD, the battery on standby will last a whey longer.
Web Browsing (Chrome)
- Drain Type - Web Browsing
- Start time and Battery - 10:18 AM with 39% Battery
- End time and Battery - 10:48 AM with 34% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 5% Drop in 30 minutes
Browsing Google Chrome for 30 minutes drained 5% of the battery, which means 10% drain per hour. This suggests 0.16% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can browse it for approximately 600 minutes or 10 hours nonstop.
Music
- Drain Type - Music Playback
- Start time and Battery - 10:50 AM with 34% Battery
- End time and Battery - 11:20 AM with 31% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 3% Drop in 30 minutes
- AOD (Always On Display) is turned ON
- Audio Output from Phone Speaker at 100% Volume
Playing music with the phone speaker at 100% volume and AOD ON for 30 minutes drained 3% of the battery, which means 6% drain per hour. This suggests 0.1% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can play music with AOD on for approximately 1000 minutes or 16.6 hours nonstop. And with AOD OFF, this will give a longer playback.
YouTube on 5G Network
- Drain Type - YouTube Video Playback on 5G Cellular Network (Without Video Enhancer)
- Start time and Battery - 10:25 AM with 30% Battery
- End time and Battery - 10:55 AM with 25% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 5% Drain in 30 minutes
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
- Resolution - 4K (2160p)
- Important Note - Only for this test Data is switched over the Cellular 5G network from Wi-Fi
Streaming online video on YouTube over the "5G Cellular Network" for 30 minutes at 4K (2160p) resolution, drained 5% of the battery, which means 10% drain per hour. This suggests 0.16% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can watch 4K videos on a 5G network for approximately 600 minutes or 10 hours nonstop.
Video Export
- Drain Type - Video Export
- Start time and Battery - 12:04 PM with 24% Battery
- End time and Battery - 12:21 PM with 21% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 3% Drop in 17 minutes
As we can see exporting Video at 4K 60fps drained 3% of the battery in 17 minutes and still we have 21% battery left with a total Screen On Time of 8 hours and 22 minutes.
BGMI at HDR Extreme
- Drain Type - BGMI Gameplay at HDR-Extreme
- Start time and Battery - 12:25 PM with 20% Battery
- End time and Battery - 12:56 PM with 12% Battery
- Battery Drop and Time Spent - 8% Drop in 30 minutes
- Graphics - HDR and Extreme
- Audio Over Bluetooth Neckband at approx 40% Volume
Let's end our battery drain test with this BGMI gameplay on HDR graphics and Extreme frame rate. Playing the BGMI game for 30 minutes at HDR-Extreme graphic and frame rate settings (60fps) drained 8% of the battery, which means 16% drain per hour. This suggests 0.26% drain per minute, hence with a 100% battery, we can play such heavy games on such heavy graphics for approximately 375 minutes or 6 hours nonstop. At the end of the drain test, we got a whopping screen on time of 8 hours and 55 minutes, and still 12% battery left. 8 hours 55 minutes means 8 hours and 15 minutes of today and 40 minutes of the last day when this test started after a full charge as explained in starting. Please note that Digital Wellbeing shows slightly less SOT because it measures the time spent only on any application. On the other hand, default battery settings measure SOT across all activities, including usage on the home screen and other areas.
I am genuinely impressed with the software optimization of this device. Coupled with the massive 5800 mAh battery, the software optimization brings the battery backup to a whole new level. Without any doubt, I can say that, YES, it is worth the hype!MY VERDICT
I am a moderate user, which means my regular phone usage includes Calls, Social media (mainly Telegram, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Twitter), sometimes video streaming, and listening to music. I rarely play games. And with these scenarios, HONOR X9b's battery lasts for 1.5 - 2 days for me. For comparison, before this, I was using a phone with a 5000 mAh battery of the same budget segment, which lasted for a whole day (1 day) with the same use cases. This device is aiding my daily usage with a better battery backup.
If you are a moderate user like me, backup will be the same for you. For a very normal user, it can last for up to 3 days, and extremely heavy users who play lots of games and do graphic-intensive tasks will also get a full-day battery backup instead of their current device which got dead in the middle of the day.
That's all for today from my side. I hope you liked this info on the battery part and hope is going to help you with your purchasing decision. Don't forget to share your feedback or anything you want in the comment section. Also, if you have any queries/questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the comment section below, the comment section is all yours. We will meet again in the next thread soon, till then take care of yourself and you're loved ones.
Thanks for taking your precious time to engage on this thread.
Signing off
