Huawei P9 Plus, we have tested it

The Huawei P9 Plus is the new high-end star of the Chinese brand Huawei. Between their strengths is the dual 12 megapixel camera (co - developed with the company Lay) and RAM of 4 GB . The 3400 mAh battery lives up to the needs of the phone and guarantees about a day and a half of battery life with normal use of the device .

In other aspects, the Huawei P9 Plus is a terminal that does not give great surprises: for example, the Chinese brand has opted to maintain a FullHD resolution for the screen instead of finally jumping to 2K, as we are already seeing in other smartphones of high-end.

Considering all the features as a whole, however, we can assure you that the Huawei P9 Plus is an excellent competitor for the best smartphones of the different brands, and it also offers a fairly competitive price for its range: about 750 euros .

A quick look at the design

The  Huawei P9 Plus  measures 152.3 millimeters long x 75.3 millimeters wide x 7 millimeters thick . We are therefore facing a fairly thin terminal that is easy to handle and grip (although it must be borne in mind that the screen is not inconsiderable in size: 5.5 inches ). The phone weighs 162 grams .

The metallic design gives the phone a very elegant air, and there are several colors available : gold, silver, dark gray and "rose gold" (the one you see in our photos).

As you can see, the 5.5-inch screen occupies almost the entire surface of the phone in the front: there are hardly any side edges and only a strip is reserved at the top for the front camera "" 8 megapixels "", in addition of a strip at the bottom where we can see the Huawei logo .

In the upper part of the left side we find the tray for the nanoSIM card and the microSD memory card. It is important to note that, although Huawei has manufactured DualSIM models  of the Huawei P9 Plus , so far it seems that this version will not reach the European market.

The most striking part of the design is, of course, the back of the smartphone, where we find the same metallic design but with three important details: the fingerprint reader , the 12-megapixel dual-lens camera, and the flash (if we look closely , we can verify that it is a double LED flash and two tones ).

Finally, at the bottom we find the connection for the USB type C cable , the minijack connection for audio (such as headphones, for example) and the speaker.

Few novelties on the screen

If we consider the characteristics of the  Huawei P8 Max , which we could consider the predecessor of the  Huawei P9 Plus , we can see that  Huawei has not introduced great news. While other brands are betting little by little on higher resolution screens, in this case we found no progress and the Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) was maintained .

The big change in the screen with respect to the Huawei P8 Max is found in the screen, which goes from 6.8 inches to a much more reasonable one and with a greater reception among the public: 5.5 inches . The density has improved quite a bit: from 326 to 401 pixels per inch .

The screen of the Huawei P9 Plus is capacitive, Super AMOLED and with hardly any borders. Corning Gorilla Glass 4 glass protection .

It should also be noted that the screen incorporates 3D Touch technology , a system that we are already used to, for example, in iPhone devices , and that detects the intensity with which the screen is pressed.

Processor and power

This smartphone comes equipped with a HiSilicon Kirin 955 eight-core processor , with four Cortex-A72 cores running at 2.5 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8 GHz . The phone runs very smoothly thanks also to its 4 GB RAM memory (undoubtedly one of the strengths of the Huawei P9 Plus ).

The operating system that comes standard is Android 6.0 Marshmallow , on which Huawei's user interface "" Emotion UI "" is supported , in version 4.1 .

Below we show you the results of the Geekbench 3 power test , where we can see that the  Huawei P9 Plus occupies an enviable position in the ranks: considering the performance of the cores separately, it is in second place behind the HTC Nexus 9 , but If we consider the performance of the whole processor, it is unrivaled and the clear winner, with more than 2000 points of difference with respect to the Samsung Galaxy S6 (in second place). As you can see from the images, Geekbench 3 gives a score of 1791 for Single-Core and 6695 for Multi-Core to the  Huawei P9 Plus .

Regarding the power tests carried out with the AnTuTu Benchmark application  , we have obtained the following score in the ranking: tenth place (with a score of 96750), behind models such as the LG G5 , the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or the Meizu Pro 6 .

Camera

The main camera of the  Huawei P9 Plus , located on the back of the phone and very close to the upper edge, has been developed together with the Leica company  and is a 12 megapixel dual camera. One lens captures the image in full color and the other in monochrome , and then collects the information into a single, higher quality photograph. Although this system improves the entry of light, a stabilization system is missing (especially in night captures or in case you have a bad pulse).

The camera also features a dual-tone dual LED flash , an f / 2.2 aperture, and a phase-detection focusing system. For video, you can record in FullHD (1080p) quality.

As for the front lens, the sensor is 8 megapixels, with autofocus and f / 1.9 aperture. For video, it also records in FullHD quality .

Camera camera modes and effects

In applying  Chamber  of the  Huawei P9 Plus we find many different modes and effects to get the best possible quality in every environment or for each type of image you want to achieve. First of all, there are quite a few filters available :

We can also find a special option to take photos with a shallow depth of field (you can select it by clicking on the lens-shaped icon in the top bar). This mode is perfect for taking pictures of people and objects that are less than 2 meters away from the camera.

Within the Camera application , if you slide your finger from left to right, you will display the complete menu with all the modes (the ones you see in this screenshot and also the Document Scan option and the  Audio Note option  ). If instead you slide your finger from right to left, you will be able to see the Settings menu  to activate or deactivate some parameters such as the  GPS location  of the images, the display of the reference camera Grid , the sound of the application when taking photos ( on the Mute switch  ),  smile detection , etc.

• The Photo  mode  allows us to capture images with automatic settings, applying filters and selecting the flash option that suits us best (without flash, with flash or with automatic flash). You can apply filters or activate the shallow depth of field option.
• Monochrome mode  allows you to take photos directly in black and white.

• With the Beauty option   activated, the phone will apply a series of corrections to the faces to compensate for areas that are brighter than others, enlarge the size of the eyes, etc. This mode is sometimes activated by default when you use the front camera (for selfies), so be sure to adjust the parameter on a scale of 0 to 10 "" 0 if you don't want any enhancement applied "" before taking the picture .
• You can also select the  VCR for recording quality  Full HD  (1080p), and if you select mode Video with function , the camera of the  Huawei P9 Plus  apply corrections beauty also in the video.
• In Fast  Motion mode,  you can capture multiple fragments of video in a few seconds, and then the camera merges all the clips into a single video file that goes into fast motion.
• Similarly, if you select the Slow motion mode  , the video clip you record will be processed later by the terminal to play at a higher speed.
• As is increasingly common in high-end smartphones, you can also manually activate the  HDR mode , especially designed to take good quality pictures in situations where some areas are very bright and others are too dark.
• In the photographs captured with the Night Shot mode you will be able to appreciate the good results of the double lens of the camera, but it is always recommended that you use a tripod so that the images are not blurred (especially if you do not have a very good pulse when holding the phone ).

• The  Painting with light is one of the most curious features of the camera of the  Huawei P9 Plus . You can use it to capture trails of light or the movement of waterfalls in an especially sharp way. As you can see in this image, you get quite curious pictures of night scenes with traffic.

• With the Watermark option  you can directly apply a text on the image. The camera uses the Internet connection to add geolocation, date and temperature to your images.

• The Panoramic mode  is ideal for taking pictures of landscapes or especially large scenes: you just have to place the camera at the beginning of the shot and move it on the horizontal or vertical line "" respecting the reference line and arrow shown on the screen " “Until you finish covering all the space.

Finally, it is worth highlighting the Document Scan function  , specifically designed to capture and save fragments of text or various documents that you can later manually adjust so that they are not distorted. And let's not forget the Audio Note function  , with which you can record small pieces of sound and use them as reminders, for example.

With the secondary camera (for selfies) enabled, you can also use functions  Photo , Beauty, Video "" records in quality FullHD 1080p " , " Video with function "" with beauty effects " , "  camera quick  and photography Panoramic . In addition, you can use geolocation with the Watermark effect  or create an  Audio Note .

And the professional mode?

You can manually adjust many parameters of the photo, such as ISO or exposure . You just have to enter their corresponding sections within  the Camera Settings  (remember that to access them you have to slide your finger from the right to the left of the screen when you are inside the application).

Photo gallery

Standard applications on the Huawei P9 Plus

In its factory version, the Huawei P9 Plus comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and Huawei's own user interface , Emotion UI , in version 4.1 . These are the applications that you will find installed as standard:

• As in all terminals  Android will have access to applications  Google : the search engine,  Google Drive ,  Google Hangouts ,  Gmail ,  Google Maps ,  YouTube ,  Google Play Music ,  Photos ,  Google Plus ,  Google Play Movies ,  Google Play Books ,  Google Play Newsstand ,  Google Play Games , the Google Chrome browser  and "" of course "" the Google Play application store  .
• Also find useful basic phone applications, such as  Music ,  Videos (to directly access these files), a  gallery  of photos, messages for SMS, a manager of files,  Calculator ,  Calendar , application  Mail to configure Access to email,  Compass ,  Recorder , direct access to  Downloads , Flashlight ,  Clock ,  Notepad and a weather forecast app ( Weather ). And if you have a user account registered in Huawei , you can access your backups in the cloud and manage them from the Backup access  .
• One of the most curious apps that you can find in the Huawei P9 Plus is the  Smart Controller , which allows you to turn your smartphone into a universal remote control to control other devices (such as the TV or the DVD or Blu Ray player ) more easy and coordinated. You just need to have your phone close at hand and forget about the long list of remote controls!

• The Mirror application  is quite a fun addition to your  Huawei P9 Plus . It works with the front camera so you can see your reflection on the screen, and you can add effects such as special frames before taking the photo and saving or sharing it. A curiosity: as with real mirrors, you can fog the screen if you blow directly into the phone's microphone, and you can remove the “virtual fog” or leave messages on it by running your fingers across the screen.
• From  Themes you can change the general appearance of the phone or customize the backgrounds with your own images.
• Huawei also has its own health monitoring application, which you will find under the name  Health on your Huawei P9 Plus device  . From its main panel you can control, for example, the number of steps you have taken in the day, the equivalent in calories burned and the approximate distance traveled. From the Weight section  you will be able to record the data from your scale to keep track of the evolution of your weight over days, weeks and months. You can also click on Start exercise to carry out a specific training outdoors, with the GPS activated, to control the distance, the time taken and the calories burned. You can choose to run, walk or ride a bike.

• The  Manager of the phone  you can control at a glance RAM usage and remaining battery level. From here you can also control the use of your mobile data, lock applications containing sensitive information with a password, and delete cache files stored on your smartphone, among other things.

• Social networks : in the factory version you will find applications such as Facebook and  Twitter already installed  . You just have to log in with your profiles and everything will be ready for you to navigate.
• HiCare is Huawei's application  specially designed for customer service: here you will find instruction manuals, service policies, information on the warranty of your device, etc. In addition, from this application you can contact a company agent, activate and manage your Huawei account  and access the list of official technical and customer service centers.
• In addition to all these applications, in the  Huawei P9 Plus you will find others that come standard but that you can uninstall if they are not useful and you do not want them to take up storage space. For example, you have at your disposal  Todoist (an application to manage to-do lists),  EyeEm (a photography social network that allows you to earn money with your images),  NewsRepublic  (an aggregator of news and content from blogs and pages website of your interest) and  Booking , the official application of the hotel reservation portal and other tourist accommodation.
• In the section of  Games you will find DragonManía (free, with integrated shopping),  Spider-Man: Ultimate Power  (also free and integrated shopping) and a trial version of  Asphalt Nitro . After the trial is over, you can pay to download the full game.
• Finally, on the phone you will find an office automation application called  WPS Office , which allows you to open all kinds of text or PDF documents, both from the device and from your cloud services. As a curiosity, it is worth noting that new Dropbox users  who link their account with  WPS Office can enjoy a special promotion: 10 GB of storage for 3 months.

Battery Results

The Huawei P9 Plus  smartphone  has a 3400 mAh battery , capable of offering very good results in autonomy despite the large 5.5-inch screen . The AnTuTu Tester results place the device in a very good position in the ranking: with a score of 9,375 points , it is placed in first position, well ahead of the 8000 points reached by the  Lenovo S920 in second place.

Like many other terminals on the market, the phone has a fast charge function to speed up the battery recharging process.

Recapping

Taking into account all the features mentioned so far, it is clear that the  Huawei P9 Plus is a very good option if we are looking for a high-end terminal. People used to 5-inch screens will hardly notice the difference in size, and the phone is also quite slim and very easy to grip and hold .

We did not find big surprises in the resolution of the screen (as we have commented, there has been no jump beyond  Full HD ), but on the other hand that means less battery consumption and greater autonomy if you have to spend many hours away from home or without access to a power source. The 3400 mAh battery does its job perfectly.

Performance and fluidity are fully satisfactory thanks to the powerful processor, 4 GB of RAM and the Phone Manager application  , which allows you to keep your phone's resources under control and clear the cache to avoid the accumulation of junk files.

In terms of storage, there is little to say: 64 GB of internal memory goes a long way (it will not be necessary to uninstall applications to install others), especially if you can add a microSD card to expand up to 128 GB more . That is, adding both, we would be talking about a total of 192 GB .

And the 12-megapixel dual camera is another plus, improving quality by using one lens for monochrome capture and another for full-color capture. The "downside" is, once again, in a matter of resolution: the  Huawei P9 Plus  records video in FullHD quality  , and not in  2K or 4K as we are already beginning to see in other high-end terminals.

Huawei P9 Plus strengths

Sleek and attractive design

3 year warranty

3-month display warranty

3400 mAh battery and a lot of guaranteed autonomy

Dual 12 megapixel main camera with Leica technology

""

Could improve ”¦

Higher resolution (for example, 2K) is missing at a time when many high-end terminals have already left Full HD behind

Record video in FullHD quality and not in 2K or 4K

At the moment it is not planned that the DualSIM model will be marketed in Europe

HUAWEI P9 PLUS

screen

Design

Camera

Multimedia

software

Power 

Memory

Connections

Autonomy

+ info

Price 750 euros