The Honor Earbuds X9 use an in-ear fit and are fully wireless, with no cables or neckband involved. They weigh just 10.6 g and carry an IP54 rating, which means they can handle sweat without issue, though they do not include wingtips for extra stability. Each earbud houses a stereo speaker, while features like RGB lighting, a UV light, and an onboard display are absent from the design.
The Honor Earbuds X9 are equipped with 12.4 mm drivers that cover a frequency range of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and they support both active noise cancellation and passive noise reduction to help block out unwanted sound. Spatial audio is also supported, adding a wider sense of depth to playback. Dolby Atmos, Dirac Virtuo, and a neodymium magnet are not part of the specification set for these earbuds.
The Honor Earbuds X9 carry a 45 mAh rechargeable battery per earbud, delivering up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge, while the 500 mAh charging case extends the total available playback to 34 hours. A full charge takes 1.5 hours, and a battery level indicator is on hand to keep track of remaining power. Wireless charging and solar power are not supported by this model.
The Honor Earbuds X9 connect wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.3 with a maximum range of 10 m, and the charging case uses USB Type-C. Neither fast pairing nor NFC pairing is available, and on the codec side, the earbuds do not support LDAC, LDHC, AAC, Auracast, Bluetooth LE Audio, or any variant of aptX, including aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, aptX Lossless, and aptX Voice.
The Honor Earbuds X9 include an ambient sound mode alongside in/on-ear detection that can automatically pause playback when the earbuds are removed. They support fast charging, feature a mute function, and can be used as a headset for calls, with controls handled through a device-side control panel and voice prompts available for audio feedback. A travel bag is included in the box. On the other hand, there is no in-line control panel, no notification reading capability, no temperature sensor, and no built-in camera remote shutter function.
The Honor Earbuds X9 feature a quad-microphone setup with noise cancellation built in, helping to reduce background interference during calls and voice interactions.