Huawei P9 Overview
28 | 10 | 7 | ||
I own it | I want it | I had it |
The P9 replaces last year's P8 and is, together with the P9 Plus, the first product coming out of Huawei's collaboration with camera maker Leica. It is powered by a Kirin 955 octa-core chipset and comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal memory. Energy is supplied by a 3000mAh battery. There are also a USB-C connector, microSD slot and fingerprint reader, all wrapped up in an aluminum body that doesn't look too dissimilar to the P8's.
The Huawei comes with a dual-camera. The main module comes with a 12MP sensor, F2.2 aperture and an equivalent focal length of 27mm. There is no OIS but the AF is laser-assisted. The secondary module also has a 12MP resolution but is monochrome. Huawei says it can capture 200% more light than the RGB sensor, overall making the P9 camera 100% more light-sensitive than conventional smartphone cameras by combining images from both camera modules. .
OS | Google Android |
---|---|
OS Version | 6.0 |
Front camera effective pixels | 8 megapixels |
Rear camera effective pixels | 12 megapixels |
Rear camera aperture | 2.2 |
Camera physical shutter release | No |
Camera image stabilization | No |
Video camera recording format | 1080p, 30fps |
LCD size | 5.2″ |
Built in memory | 3GB RAM/32GB storage or 4Gb RAM/64GB storage |
Weight | 144 g (5.08 oz) |
Dimensions | 145 x 71 x 7 mm (5.71 x 2.79 x 0.28″) |
The Huawei P9's Leica-badged dual-camera is not a quantum leap for smartphone imaging but produces decent image quality across the ISO range that can be improved further in Raw processing. A partly unusual imaging feature set and full manual control complete a package that offers plenty of tinkering and experimentation options for mobile photographers.
Good for: Manual control and image optimization in Raw processing
Not so good for: Video capture and shooting with flash