Huawei Mate 9 Big bold and still beautiful nine months later
The Chinese companys flagship smartphone is still a great buy, though the competition has vastly increased in the nine months since its debut.
Plenty can happen in nine months. A human baby gestates over the period of nine months, for example, or you can try to grow over four inches of hair. Nine months is also a good time to check in with a smartphone after its initial launch. Thats plenty of time for a device to effectively gestate within the general consumer populace.
Its been nearly nine months since the Huawei Mate 9 launched globally. The phablet-sized device was Huaweis great big flagship of last year. It was deemed fast, with its homemade system-on-a-chip, and it offered great battery life and solid camera performance by way of its dual-camera system. But how has it aged since its debut? Lets check in with the Chinese companys enormous smartphone and how it fares against the current crop of competition.
Its big
Wide body against the narrow masses
Since the Mate 9s launch, weve seen smartphones effectively shrink in size while still affording plenty of room for the screen. In that sense, the Mate 9 feels like its already aged eons, and while it may be nearly as slim as its rivals, its 5.9-inch 1080p display is big in comparison. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6s elongated, narrow candy bar shape, the Mate 9 is like a mini-sized tablet. Though you might appreciate the extra bezel for holding the device and typing two-handed, thats not the direction flagships are headed these days.
The Mate 9 feels like its already aged eons.
The Mate 9 has other features working in its favor, like a rear fingerprint sensor, which is easy to reach in spite of its larger size. You can customize it to work with a variety of gestures, too, and its still faster to use than the Galaxy S8s fingerprint sensor.
I like the Mate 9s display, even if it is merely an IPS LCD, compared to the Porsche Design variants vibrant AMOLED display. I also like its beefy audio capabilities; the phone has a dual-speaker setup so that you can hear its strength even through Snapchat or Instagram Stories. Its excellent for podcasts, though its still a bit tinny when you playback music at the highest volume. But it broadcasts better than the Pixel.
You might actually appreciate the Mate 9s bezels in this newly bezel-less world.
On the inside, the Mate 9 runs on Huaweis homemade Kirin 960 processor, which you can now also find in the Huawei P10 and Honor 9. At the time of the Mate 9s launch, it was the first mass-market chip to use ARMs new Cortex-A73 design, though now you can find a modified version of it powering the Snapdragon 835. The Kirin 960 is speedy, and with 4GB of RAM, the Mate 9 moves swimmingly through gameplay and processor-intensive apps. I cant believe its not a Snapdragon, and thats the point, isnt it?
As for the Mate 9s 4000mAh battery � it must be the way that Im using it because Ive had to plug in this phone every other day since I switched back to it. But I will say that Ive had some major issues with the Android O developer preview on my Pixel XL, so the Mate 9 has been a surefire Godsend. I can keep the screen on while waiting for my Lyft and watch YouTube TV on the ride home without fear of killing off what little battery I have left. I expected better standby time with the massive pack, but its vastly better than what the Pixels been offering me.
EMUI has never looked better
Not the Android youre typically used to
Youve likely heard us echo it through the Android Central hallways: Huaweis software has long been its Achilles heel, at least until EMUI 5.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat showed up. Its what the Mate 9 is running right now, and it looks good, though some of its features wont be available if you decide to employ another launcher, like App Twin.
Weve since seen EMUI 5.1 hit the market months after the Mate 9s debut, so its weird not to have the software update yet. There are plenty of threads pointing to its existence, but nothing is confirmed for the Mate 9.
Different flavors of Android.
So what kind of Android are you getting with the Mate 9? Youre getting a darker color scheme, default apps like the dialer and messaging app that arent Googles, and Amazon Alexa (it was added on in a software update earlier this year). Youre also getting the option for an application drawer, which wasnt a feature available on Huawei-made phones before, as well as themes and a vastly different notification shade. Its not as clean as the interface youd find on the Google Pixel or even Samsungs revamped Galaxy interface, but it has features youve used before, like a night mode and multi-window mode. You can also use add-on features like the aforementioned App Twin to clone Facebook and WhatsApp and use two accounts at a time.
Fortunately, Android has this way about it that lets you customize things to your liking. I enjoy using the Mate 9 with the Evie Launcher, for instance, which lets me choose my icon pack. There are other methods you can use to get into the nitty gritty of the interface, too, if you abhor it. But I dont mind the experience of using the phone as long as Ive got another launcher to spruce it up.
Powered by Leica
A great set of rear-facing cameras
Huaweis long been a partner with camera maker Leica, and the German company has once again exerted its influence over the Mate 9s rear-facing cameras. This phone comes equipped with dual 20-megapixel and 12-megapixel cameras. The former focuses on monochrome and the latter hones in on color. Together, they have a symbiotic relationship with the goal of getting you the best shot.
Huawei Mate 9 camera samples.
Theres little information on whats happening with software updates.
The dual-lens, dual-sensor setup is efficient at capturing the mood, even if does tend to overexpose bright and sunny shots. I loved tinkering around with the wide-aperture mode turned on, and though the Mate 9s primary camera aperture doesnt go as low as the competition, it makes up for it with the aid of optical image stabilization. OIS still isnt a guarantee for most mobile phones.
The Mate 9s dual cameras also help make it capable of bokeh-like "portrait" effects. Its an impressive shooter in well-lit scenic panorama situations, too, though some scenes will look drowned out when its overcast. You can also choose between three different color modes, including one that helps the colors pop up in an otherwise dull setting. Conversely, it can also overdo the adjustments and contribute to an overly processed photo. Pictures taken at dusk also have a tendency to come out grainy. Still, I love shooting with the Mate 9, though its nothing compared to the shots Ive managed with the Pixel XL.
Nine months later
Mate 9 is a worthy phone with too much competition
Ive received plenty of queries asking about Android-powered smartphones that are under $500. If youre on a network like AT&T or T-Mobile and youre looking for an unlocked, global device thats different than the status quo, the Mate 9 is a great deal. In addition to its giant 4000mAh battery � which, hey, will get you through a day and a half of average use without a charge � it has an impressive dual-camera setup and a beautiful 5.9-inch screen. I like its wider body, too, as its easier to handle and multitask with than some of the newer, all-glass devices hitting the market.
Perhaps the only caveat to the Mate 9 is that theres little information on whats happening with software updates. Were still wondering: when is EMUI 5.1 making its way over to the device? I should also note that the Mate 9 in my possession is stuck on the Android security patch from April 5, 2017. And Im not alone, as I discovered in our forums.
Nine months on and there is already a host of smartphones worth the cash over the Huawei Mate 9. With the deals going on right now for Samsung and LGs flagship devices, you may wonder whether its worth grabbing one of these at its current price of $450. The answer is yes, particularly if youre looking for a wide-bodied, unlocked phone to last you several trips around the earth. But theres no reason to choose this particular device over any other. If you can spare the extra cash, about $150 will net you one of the latest flagships on sale or you can nab a year-old device like the Google Pixel at a much cheaper price. Or if youd rather stick with the Huawei family, dont forget the Honor 9 is now available at Amazon.
See at Amazon
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