HONOR has announced a rather unusual launch event for its upcoming X9b 5G smartphone – public drop tests to showcase the handset’s “industry-leading” screen durability.
Dubbed the #HONORBeyondLimitsExperience, the event takes place on 27 January at exclusive venues in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Attendees will get to witness the X9b 5G being dropped repeatedly to demonstrate the toughness of HONOR’s new Ultra-Bounce Anti Drop Display technology.
HONOR claims Ultra-Bounce increases shock absorption by 1.2 times compared to traditional displays, thanks to advanced cushioning materials. The company says the X9b’s screen can survive drops from up to 1.5 metres onto flat surfaces.
100 tickets were up for grabs for the drop test sessions. To enter, South Africans had to post stories and media on social media showcasing how they “#X9bBeyondLimits” in their own lives. Winners gain VIP access to the launch event and be entered into prize draws worth up to R150,000.
In tandem with the durability demos, HONOR is teasing some key details about the X9b 5G’s other specs:
- Triple camera array with huge 108MP main sensor
- Massive 5800mAh battery for up to 3 days runtime
- Flagship-rivaling Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor
- 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with 1500 x 1080 resolution
The phone will ship with HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13, complete with Google Mobile Services. It lands in South Africa this February in Sunrise Orange and Midnight Black colours, price TBD.
Tech brands frequently put their hardware through extreme testing in ads. But inviting fans to actively try and break an unreleased product is a pretty gutsy move by HONOR. Presumably, the company has high confidence in the Ultra Bounce display technology’s durability credentials. We look forward to going hands-on with the X9b soon to see if can survive real-world abuse as well as HONOR claims.
