The Huawei P9 is officially official. After all the leaks and rumors, the company finally released the handset, and a P9 Plus model at a recent event.
Huawei took wraps off the P9 and a larger display P9 Plus at an event in London recently. These devices have been in the crosshair of several consumers from a long time. It’s the successor to last years Huawei P8, and the new model takes things to another level.
Google also released the Nexus 6P last year, which was manufactured by Huawei. The new P9 and P9 plus are this years flagship smartphones and will take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and the upcoming HTC 10.
The device looks like a combination between the Nexus 6P and the Huawei P8, but has the latest hardware and a few unique features. It features an all metal body and has curved edges for better grip. The new P9 is only 6.95mm thick, with side bezels that are only 1.7mm. Overall, the Huawei P9 looks very premium and high end, which it is.
Huawei P9 Specs and Features
The only difference the P9 and the P9 Plus, is the screen size. The P9 features a 5.2 inch 1080p LCD display, whereas the P9 Plus comes with a slightly larger 5.5 inch AMOLED display. Both the devices also feature the ‘Press Touch’ feature, which is similar to Apple’s 3D Touch.
Almost everything else, except the battery capacity, is the same. Here are the complete specifications for the P9 and the P9 Plus;
- HiSilicon Octa-core Kirin 955 SoC
- Mali-T880 MP4 GPU
- 3/4GB RAM for P9 and 4GB RAM for P9 Plus
- 32/64GB of storage for P9 and 64GB for P9 Plus
- Dual 12 megapixel Leica SUMMARIT lenses at the back with Laser autofocus and dual-tone LED flash
- 8 megapixel front camera
- Expandable storage via microSD slot
- 3000mAh battery on P9, and 3400mAh battery on P9 Plus
- Rear placed improved fingerprint scanner
- USB Type-C, Infrared and Stereo speakers
Now, lets talk about the Leica made dual-camera setup on the P9 and P9 Plus. Huawei says that this system will change smartphone photography.
There are dual 12 megapixel cameras at the back which feature 1.25-micron pixels and an aperture of f/2.2. One of the two cameras only takes photos in monochrome, while the other takes color shots. The phone uses the monochrome sensor to capture 300 percent more light and 50 percent more contrast. This is later blended with the color picture from the other sensor to produce awesome looking images.
A dedicated depth sensor further performs some magic to allow users to refocus photos after they’re taken. The camera interface allows for full manual control including ISO, shutter speed and exposure. Image output in RAW format is also present.
Huawei P9 Price and Availability
Huawei has priced the P9 and P9 plus aggressively, but they’re not really cheap. The 32GB Huawei P9 will be sold for €599, whereas the 64GB variant will be €649. The larger P9 Plus will be sold for €749.
That’s not really very cheap, but it’s still better than the Galaxy S7. Both the P9 and P9 Plus will be sold in Ceramic White, Mystic Silver, Titanium Grey, Haze Gold, Prestige Gold, and Rose Gold. The sales for the device will start on April 16th. And yes, the Huawei P9 and the P9 Plus will be sold in the United States.