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REVIEW HUAWEI P9 2016

Highs:

Amazing camera
Beautiful design
Compact metal frame
Strong battery life
High performance processor
Smooth software

The P9 is compact, comfortable to hold, and it’s a visual masterpiece. The P8 was pretty, but this phone is stunning. However, there’s a problem. For some, the P9 is going to feel a bit small. It’s not tiny, obviously, and the screen is a reasonable size, but the whole thing is just so well put together and designed, that there’s no excess to grab on to. It’s all very familiar, just on a smaller scale. Many will love it, but others will want something chunkier.
Related: Huawei Watch review
Huawei offers a solution in the shape of the P9 Plus. Yes, for the P9 Huawei’s dropped the previously used Max name in favor of Plus, and we simply can’t imagine why (ahem! iPhone 6S Plus). The P9 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen with force touch technology, but it only works in a selection of native apps, a slightly bigger battery, and the same camera setup. Surprisingly, the P9 plus isn’t much larger than the regular P9, but it’s got a screen that’s big enough to keep those of us used to larger displays happy.

Powerful

If the rest of the P9 is an utter disaster, then not even a good camera can save it. We’re pleased to say that this isn’t the case. The P9 is an impressive and powerful phone. Huawei doesn’t use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that LG and Samsung use in their phones. The Chinese company relies on its own Kirin 955 processor. General use, music, streaming video, and messing around with the camera didn’t phase the processor at all, and playing a selection of games showed it’s powerful enough to keep pace with Qualcomm chips. There’s 3GB of RAM, which is slightly less than we’d expect these days. The lower amount of RAM did initially cause concern, but our preliminary tests didn’t reveal any weaknesses. The frantic shooter Danmaku Unlimited usually exposes performance issues, but there was no slowdown on hard mode with HD graphics activated.

This year, the P9 is ready to take on the LG G5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S7.

We tested it with a few benchmarks, in case you’re curious. Huawei’s P9 scored 98,261 on the Antutu benchmark. In comparison, the Galaxy S7 Edge scored 134,704, the LG G5 hit 133,054, the Nexus 6P got 60,007, and the Moto X Style managed 53,692. The P9 ranks lower than the Galaxy S7 and LG G5 in this benchmark, but it’s still leagues above the Nexus 6P or the Moto X Style, both of which are similarly priced.
The Kirin 955 has a co-processor that drives a fitness-tracking mode, and step count appears on the lock screen and in the notification shade. Huawei’s Health app is relatively basic, but does provide a step goal and the chance to track specific activities such as cycling, walking, and running.
On the rear of the phone is a square fingerprint sensor, which is an evolution of the sensor used on the Mate 8. This time, it offers a new layer of security. It’s very fast, and rarely misread our print, but even though it’s better with damp digits than the iPhone 6S, it still won’t react if there’s more than just a hint of moisture on your finger. The speed of the sensor makes up for the moisture problem, and the P9 goes from black lock screen to home screen in the blink of an eye. It’s up there with the OnePlus 2 for reaction time, which is to say, it’s very, very fast.

EmotionUI and software updates

The P9 runs Android 6.0 with Huawei’s EMUI 4.1 user interface over the top, and it’s a fast, fluid experience. Huawei has continued to refine the UI, and the latest version is less intrusive than older ones. No, it’s not stock Android, there are too many pre-installed (but easily deleted) demos, and there’s no app drawer. However, we do like the enhanced notifications when you pull down the shade at the top of the phone. There, you can interact with notifications without having to jump into an app. You can also choose different themes if you want to personalize your phone even more.

The main downside to having a unique user interface is that it slows down the speed at which a company can update their devices to the latest version of Android. Although Samsung, LG, HTC, and others aren’t any better about issuing timely updates, Huawei’s skin will likely ensure that updates to the P9 aren’t nearly as quick to arrive, as they would be on a Nexus device. Software updates are important because they often serve to close security holes and protect your smartphone from dangerous malware and other exploits like Stagefright and Heartbleed. It’s a shame that Android manufacturers don’t take updates as seriously as they should.

Leica’s camera tech is a winner

Huawei isn’t the only one with plenty invested in the P9’s success. Leica didn’t just pop its name on the back of the phone and put a few filters in the camera app. The famous camera maker is deeply involved in the creation, engineering, and tuning of the P9’s dual-camera setup. How deep does Leica’s involvement go? Open the camera interface on the P9, and the icons, fonts, and even the shutter sound are all from Leica. It may not sound like much, but that’s a confident move. Leica wants camera aficionados to feel right at home using the P9.

The monochrome lens is a revelation, producing deep, true blacks and stark, beautifully sharp whites and greys.

Both six-lens, wide-angle cameras on the back of the phone were co-developed with Leica, and Sony makes the 12-megapixel camera sensors. One camera shoots in color, and the other captures detail in monochrome (black and white). Meanwhile, the wide-angle lenses provide post-shot depth-of-field adjustment.
Huawei proved it could make a good camera with the Huawei P8, but Leica’s technology elevates the camera quality on the P9. Last year, the P8’s camera wasn’t as good as the one on the LG G4 or the LG V10; but this year, the P9 is ready to take on the LG G5 and Samsung’s Galaxy S7.
Let’s start with the camera interface on the P9. Huawei made big improvements to the camera app on the P9. It’s much easier to use than the camera app on the P8, the Mate S, and the Mate 8. Every feature is accessible, but the interface isn’t cluttered, either.
Related: Huawei Honor 7 review
Swipe right, and a selection of modes appear, ranging from HDR and video, to time-lapse and night shot settings. Swipe left, and less often used features come up, such as a timer, camera grid settings, and GPS tagging. The manual mode, called Pro, appears when you drag up a small menu on the main screen. When it’s hidden, the phone is in auto mode. It’s easy, convenient, and intuitive to use the manual mode on the P9. It’s not without fault, though. Annoyingly, the Pro mode menu doesn’t rotate when the phone is in landscape mode, so the settings are not easy to read. Luckily, things like that can be solved with a software update.

A camera that inspires creativity

We like a camera that encourages us to use it. A smartphone camera should be like a friend who’s always suggesting fun things to do. Although having a simple camera user interface is important, the camera’s performance is even more important. The camera’s hardware, features, and special modes need to produce extraordinary photos, too.