How one software update saved the Honor X9b's camera
At launch, the Honor X9b's 108MP camera was a story of unmet potential. While the hardware specifications seemed pretty solid at the time, its real-world performance was often disappointing.
For example, in the bright South African sunlight, images appeared flat, with highlights often being blown out and shadows lacking proper definition. Colors were often cool and muted, while aggressive processing, common in early mid-range devices, would smudge fine details in subjects like animal fur or grass.
My early photos, taken in 2023 at the Cradle Moon Lakeside Game Lodge in Gauteng, South Africa, illustrate this perfectly. I managed to capture the zebra's - walking through the accommodation area - on the Honor X9b under a clear sky... unfortunately, the images looked lifeless; the stripes bled into a washed-out coat, and the bright sky behind them was reduced to a flat, overexposed white, showing the camera's limited dynamic range.
The transformation
Close to two years later, a major software update completely changed the Honor X9b. So I decided to test it out by taking a trip to the Lion and Safari Park, in similar lighting conditions. The surprising part... the Honor X9b delivered far more impressive results.
The improvement in the camera's dynamic range was immediately obvious. The sky retained its vibrant blue hues without crushing the shadow detail in the foreground. Colors were now true-to-life, capturing the natural greens of the bushveld (abundant, shrubby, and often thorny vegetation) and the warm, earthy tones of the animal photographed. Most impressively, fine details... the distinct texture of an animal's coat, the coarse patterns on a rock—were rendered with more clarity.
The giraffe photo tells a similar story. My pre-update shots captured the zebra but lost the scene, with an overexposed sky and blurry background foliage. After the update, the camera's improved exposure control produced a well-balanced image, with rich, accurate colors, and a clear separation between the giraffe and its environment.
A genuinely good shooter
This evolution wasn't just about aesthetics; it transformed the Honor X9b into a far more practical and reliable camera. Where the original software demanded manual exposure adjustments or post-processing in different editing apps, the updated firmware handles challenging light rather nicely now.
Backlit scenes are now managed effectively, and the AI scene detection balances tones without over-saturating now. This raises the Honor X9b's standing in the competitive mid-range market, where software optimization is often the true measure of a smartphone camera's worth.
Conclusion
The Honor X9b is a powerful showcase of how software can truly redefine the life and relevance of a smartphone and its camera. What started as an average shooter, and a tank of a device, has evolved into a genuinely capable companion for everyday photography.
The stark difference in results from both locations and time periods locations seriously show how far the device has come, reminding us that a phone's value can grow meaningfully long after it leaves the box and receives regular updates.
Source(s)
Personal experience with the Honor X9b
Honor MagicOS 9.0 - Preview version 9.0.0.169 (C185E8R3P1)
Image source: Darryl Linington - Notebookcheck
