Can a Smartphone Survive a Plane Drop?

Starting the year with a total bang! Leading global AI smart devices provider HONOR Philippines unveils its most explosive release yet—the HONOR X9d 5G. Positioned as the toughest mid-range smartphone of the year, the latest addition to the X Series is built to withstand extreme challenges while delivering powerful everyday performance.  

 
Since the launch of the X9 Series in the Philippines in 2023, HONOR has built a reputation as an innovative technology brand known for putting smartphone durability to the ultimate test. From the debut of the HONOR X9a 5G—famously dropped under five feet and featured in viral smash tests—the ultra-tough HONOR X9b 5G, which endured an intense 50-foot drop, each generation has pushed the boundaries of what mid-range smartphones can withstand.  

This legacy continued with the launch of the HONOR X9c 5G in January 2025, which quickly became the most anticipated device in the X Series, thanks to its Triple-Defense mechanism and headline-making helicopter drop test and Guinness World Records for “The Most People Performing a Mobile Phone Drop Test Simultaneously.  
 
Now, HONOR raises the bar even higher. To prove the next evolution of toughness, the all-new HONOR X9d 5G was subjected to its most extreme challenge yet—an ultra-intense high-altitude drop test.  

“Year after year, HONOR fans and consumers push us to go beyond expectations, and that inspires everything we do,” said Stephen Cheng, Vice President of HONOR Philippines. “The HONOR X9d 5G was designed with Filipino users in mind—combining toughness, innovation, especially value. Our extreme durability tests reflect our confidence in delivering a device that can keep up with real life challenges.”  

 
And now the ultimate question remains—can the HONOR X9d 5G survive an extreme high-altitude drop from the plane? Let’s find out!  
 

The Ultimate Phone Drop Challenge: Gian Viterbo VS HONOR X9d 5G 

To ensure credibility and transparency, HONOR Philippines invited one of its trusted media partners, Gadget Pilipinas’ Editor-in-Chief Gian Viterbo, to take part in the ultimate phone drop challenge, releasing the device from an ultralight plane at a speed of 60 km/hr.  
 
“I said YES to the ultimate phone drop test challenge as a consumer, because I was genuinely curious about the result. I knew the risks and factors at hand, and I really wanted to know if the HONOR X9d would really survive,” expressed by Gian Viterbo, EIC of Gadget Pilipinas.  

 
Viterbo even said that experience was ultra exhilarating. It was not just a history for him but also for the tech industry to have a phone dropped from a plane to test its durability. And when asked about the result of the durability test, “I expected its screen and body to be rendered useless, I was honestly more interested in whether I would still be able to recover my files. With this expectation, I was surprised that durability meant two things for HONOR X9d – it is durable enough to withstand the hardest conditions, and if it ever gets scratched or damaged, it is durable enough to keep my files intact. And that is the true durability,” added by Gian Viterbo.  

Here is the full video to witness and see the ultimate durability phone drop test:https://bit.ly/HONORX9d5G_PlaneChallenge   

 
Watch the Launch and Win HONOR X9d 5G 
 
Interested to know more about the toughest phone, HONOR X9d 5G? Don’t dare to miss the big news, revelations, and updates. Catch its grand launch, live on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/share/17fq2PZZUZ/ on January 9, Friday, 6 PM, and have the chance to win the latest HONOR X9d 5G.   

And is really HONOR giving away a Tesla Cybertruck? The answer will be coming your way very soon.