Huawei P9 Specs Pricing Pros & Cons Unveiled

Overview

The Huawei P9, announced and released in April 2016, is a once flag-bearing smartphone from Huawei that aimed to merge exceptional design with innovative technology. Although it has been discontinued, it remains a noteworthy device in the history of smartphones, offering users a blend of high-end features and stylish aesthetics at the time of its release.

Design and Build

The Huawei P9 sports a premium design with a glass front protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, and an aluminum back and frame, reflecting Huawei's commitment to high-quality materials and craftsmanship. The device is sleek and slim with dimensions measuring 145 x 70.9 x 7 mm, and it weighs just 144 grams, making it both comfortable and manageable for one-handed use.

The P9 is available in a variety of classy colors, such as Ceramic White, Haze Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Grey, Mystic Silver, Prestige Gold, Red, and Blue, allowing users to choose a finish that best suits their personal style.

Display

Huawei equipped the P9 with a 5.2-inch IPS-NEO LCD display, offering a full HD resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of approximately 423 ppi. This results in sharp visuals and vibrant color reproduction. The screen-to-body ratio stands at around 72.9%, providing ample viewing area while maintaining compact dimensions.

Performance and Software

Under the hood, the Huawei P9 is powered by the Kirin 955 chipset, featuring an octa-core CPU with four Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8 GHz. The Mali-T880 MP4 GPU handles graphics processing, ensuring a smooth experience for both casual use and gaming.

The P9 originally ran on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and was later upgradeable to Android 7.0 (Nougat), topped with Huawei's EMUI 4.1 skin. This combination provided a fluid user experience with enough customization options to tailor to individual preferences.

Camera

One of the standout features of the Huawei P9 is its dual-camera system developed in partnership with Leica. It features two 12 MP sensors - one capturing RGB and the other monochrome information. This setup enhanced detail capture and low-light performance, offering professional-grade photography capabilities at the time.

The main camera supports phase detection and laser autofocus, and comes equipped with a dual-LED dual-tone flash. It can record videos at 1080p@60fps. As for the front-facing camera, it houses an 8 MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, suitable for high-quality selfies and video calls.

Memory and Storage

The Huawei P9 was offered in multiple configurations: 32GB of internal storage paired with 3GB of RAM, and a 64GB variant coupled with 4GB of RAM. Additionally, there is support for microSDXC cards through a hybrid slot, which allows users to expand storage as needed, albeit at the expense of the second SIM slot in dual-SIM models.

Battery Life

Packing a 3000 mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery, the Huawei P9 supported 18W fast charging, capable of charging the device to 44% in just 30 minutes as advertised. Despite its high-end performance, the battery was designed to offer solid endurance, with a rating of around 75 hours on a single charge, covering moderate daily usage comfortably.

Connectivity and Other Features

The Huawei P9 provides comprehensive connectivity options including dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct support, Bluetooth 4.2, and USB Type-C connectivity. It also includes GPS, GLONASS, and BDS for positioning, and select models support NFC for mobile payments.

The device comes equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for enhanced security and convenience. Other included sensors are an accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, and compass, providing a full suite of tools for monitoring and interacting with environments.

Network Capabilities

The Huawei P9 supports a wide range of network bands across GSM, HSPA, and LTE technologies, ensuring robust connectivity options for users worldwide. The device is capable of delivering speeds up to 42.2/5.76 Mbps on HSPA and LTE Cat6 speeds up to 300/50 Mbps, sufficient for high-speed internet access and streaming.

Conclusion

While the Huawei P9 is no longer in production, its impact on the smartphone market was significant. It demonstrated Huawei's ability to combine hardware excellence with software innovation, establishing a strong footing in the flagship smartphone segment. The P9's legacy lies in its pioneering camera capabilities and solid performance, both of which continued to influence Huawei's subsequent smartphone offerings.