Difference Between Huawei P9 and P9 Plus

The key difference between Huawei P9 and P9 Plus is that the Huawei P9 Plus comes with Force touch, which means the display can take advantage of pressure sensitivity, and has a large super AMOLED powered display, a front facing camera with laser autofocus for  crisp selfies, larger battery capacity,  more memory, and more built-in storage. The Huawei P9, the smaller sibling of the two, comes with a sharper display and smaller dimensions , its weight making it more portable. Let us take a closer look at both, P9 and P9 Plus, and see what they have to offer in detail.

Huawei P9 Review – Features and Specifications

The latest addition to the Huawei Family is the P9. The device comes with a dual camera which is a welcome addition but fails to topple Apple and Samsung in regard to the other smartphone specifications. The smartphone comes with powerful cameras, is designed for premium quality and also comes with an innovative refocus mode. As for the interface, it is still not up to mark.

Design

Huawei P9 is the latest device produced by this Chinese firm. This is an improved handset when compared with the previous versions and Huawei is improving its handsets with every launch. From a looks point of view, this is undoubtedly the best-looking phone yet. When compared with its predecessor, the Huawei P8, this device does not come with any notable selling points. The design of the device looks very similar to the iPhone range of devices. This smartphone comes with an aluminum unibody that has been brushed,  and has rounded corners and antenna bands on the rear, which makes it look very much similar to Apple iPhone. Although the device looks premium it does not stand out as much as its competitors.

The volume control button and the power button have been placed on the right of the device and can be easily accessed. The thickness of the device is just 6.95 mm, which is thinner than the iPhone 6S. Huawei is in the process of producing the slimmest smart device and with the advent of the Huawei P9, it is getting even closer to achieving its goal.

One handed use of the device is also very comfortable. On the back of the device, you will be able to find the dual cameras, flash, and fingerprint scanner, which is better than the one found on the M8. The fingerprint scanner is very responsive and accurate at the same time.

Display

The Display is full HD and the size of it is 5.2 inches. The smartphone comes with thin bezels making it an ease to handle. The technology which powers the display is IPS LCD. Although it is not as vibrant as the super AMOLED, it is still one of the most color accurate displays around. The size of the display ensures that there are many pixels to show the relevant information to the user. But  it is disappointing that it does not support QHD resolution despite being a Huawei flagship device.

Processor

The smart device gets its power from the Huawei’s own octa- core Kirin 955 processor. Navigating between the apps and performance of the device is fast and responsive. This processor has been developed by Huawei itself which help the price of the device to be lower. The hardware which comes with the device is powerful enough. It may not be as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor found on some of the latest flagship devices but Previous Kirin processors have not disappointed us with the Mate 8 and Mate S. So the performance on the Huawei P9 will be fast and responsive.

Storage

The storage can be expanded with the help of a microSD card to up to 128 GB. The internal storage of the device is 32 GB. The device which was released for Asia can support two SIMs simultaneously.

Camera

Huawei has joined hands with a company called Lecia, a photography giant. This venture has mainly come to being to improve the two cameras that are present with the device. The LG and HTC have also produced a similar dual camera design, but there is something unique about this camera. The 12 MP cameras found with the device are Lecia certified. The camera’s hardware and software have been designed by both the companies mainly in the pursuit to optimize the process. Both cameras come with 12 megapixels but one of the two cameras is monochrome, meaning black and white. There are many filters that can be used with the color camera which can turn the colored image into a black and white one.

According to claims made by Huawei, using an additional black and white camera  will enable more data to be collected by the camera. This information will be used to boost brightness, contrast, and RGB in return, producing a quality and accurate image.

This Huawei P9 camera is powered by laser autofocus. It does not come with an Optical Image Stabilization feature as with many mainline flagship devices. This has been dropped as the Huawei P9 comes with fast shutter speeds and fast focus. So the OIS feature will not be required. The camera on the device is also able to capture detailed pictures in low light conditions. The camera also comes with Refocus which lets the user set the focus of an image after it has been taken. HTC has also used two cameras to implement a similar effect as mentioned above with the HTC One M8. This feature is simple and very easy to be used. The background can be blurred and turned to black and white while keeping the focused area colored providing for an impressive effect. The camera app is also impressive which lets the user take charge of many controls like the shutter speed and white balance.   To conclude, the camera is one of the key features of the device and turns out to be one of the key selling points.

Memory

The memory that is available with the device is 3GB which ensures that the device runs in a smooth fashion.

Operating System

The smartphone is powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The user interface is the Emotion UI 4.1. The app drawer has been removed and the notifications bar and the app icon designs have been changed as well. When compared with Android itself, the interface as a  whole isn’t polished enough and has a childish look.

Battery Life

The battery that comes with the device has a capacity of 3000 mAh. Huawei claims that the device will be able to survive throughout the day with a single charge without any issues.

Huawei P9 Plus Review – Features and Specifications

The Huawei P9 Plus was released together with the Huawei P9 and b0th are the new additions to the Huawei family. The Huawei P9 is the regular model of the two while the Huawei P9 is the enhanced version of its sibling.

Design

Both devices come with the same design blueprint. The body is an aluminum unibody design and is solid and slick at the same time. The edges have been curved while it comes with a 2.5D display. The back of the device is flat and a camera bump will not be felt when holding the device. The device is very comfortable to hold as well. The finish on the device is also immaculately done to give the device a premium look. The colors that the device is available are silver and gold. Huawei has also said that the Huawei P9 also comes with a ceramic version which is smoother than the premium models. As a whole, the device is good looking but lacks some of the design queues which are found in leading flagship devices.

The dimensions of the device are 152.3 x 75.3 x 6.98mm while it weighs around 162g. The bezels are very small and  are almost on the edge of the device. A unique feature of the device is the availability of a dual camera.

Display

The display size on the Huawei P9 Plus is 5.5 inches and the resolution on the display is 1920 × 1080 pixels which also has a pixel density of 401 ppi. The display is only able to support HD rather than QHD, which is a disappointment. For day to day usage, this display resolution will be more than enough but, when using it with Google Cardboard VR, a higher resolution will enhance the user experience.

The display is also pressure sensitive. This feature is known as press touch. This is very much similar to the force touch found on Apple iPhone 6S. The Huawei P9 is able to support up to 18 native apps with this feature. This works in a similar fashion to the iPhones Force touch, which gives the user instant shortcut details and quick access to applications in the camera.

Processor

The processor that powers the device is the HiSilicon Kirin 855 octa-core processor. As this processor has been made in house the device is able to be sold at a low cost than some of its competitors. Although this processor is not as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, the device can be expected to run fast and without lag as with the Mate 8 and the Mate S.

Storage

The internal storage on the device is 64 GB. The device can be expanded with the help of a microSD card as well. The microSD card is not able to take advantage of adaptable storage that comes with the new operating system.

Camera

The camera on the device is made by a joint venture. Leica and Huawei have partnered in order to improve the camera even further. The dual cameras on the device come with a unique feature. In recent times, there have been many companies producing dual camera smartphone devices like the LG G5 and the HTC One M8.

The dual cameras on this device come with a resolution of 12 MP. The camera sensors are made by Sony where one is an RGB sensor and the other being a Monochrome sensor. The main aim of this couple is to improve low light photography and to increase the information capture on the scene. This will be useful in post focusing and adding other effects as well. The camera is also assisted by laser autofocus and contrast autofocus as well. The front-facing camera on the device also provides autofocus and comes with a resolution of 8 MP. This will ensure that the front facing camera will capture sharper selfies when compared with its many competitors. This will be great when using a selfie stick to get the perfect and focused shot.

Memory

The memory that comes with the device is 4GB of RAM.

Operating System

The OS which powers the device is the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is overlayered by the EMUI 4.1 on top. The EMUI is distinct when compared with other interfaces on other smartphones. The icons that comes with the interface are a bit childish. The device can use Now on Tap and control can be done on how the apps behave.

Battery Life

The battery capacity of the device is 3400mAh. The device also comes with fast charging with the help of the USB Type C port. With all of these features combined, we can expect good performance on the device.

Additional/ Special Features

The device also comes with enhanced speaker, which is expected to provide the user with a great audio experience.

What is the difference between Huawei P9 and P9 Plus?

Difference in Specifications of Huawei P9 and P9 Plus:

Design:

Huawei P9: The dimensions of the device stand at 145 x 70.9 x 6.95 mm while the weight of the device is 144g. The body is made up of aluminum while the device is secured with the help of touch-powered finger print scanner.

Huawei P9 Plus: The dimensions of the device stand at 152.3 x 75.3 x 6.98 mm while the weight of the device is 162g. The body is made up of aluminum while the device is secured with the help of touch-powered finger print scanner.

Both the devices come with a full metal body. Both the devices also come with a fingerprint scanner, which sits on the rear of the device. If we take a closer look at the dimensions, the thickness of both the devices are almost the same but the Huawei P9 Plus is slightly bigger.

Display:

Huawei P9: The Huawei P9 comes with a display sized at 5.2 inches and the resolution of the same is 1080 × 1920 pixels. The pixel density of the display is 424ppi while the display technology which powers it is IPS LCD. The Screen to body ratio of the device is 72.53%

Huawei P9 Plus: The Huawei P9 Plus comes with a display sized at 5.5 inches and the resolution of the same is 1080 × 1920 pixels. The pixel density of the display is 401ppi while the display technology which powers it is Super AMOLED. The Screen to body ratio of the device is 72.78%. The device also comes with force touch which is useful on the pressure sensitive screen.

The Huawei P9 comes with a larger display at 5.5 inches when compared with the smaller sibling coming with a 5.2-inch display. The pixel density on the smaller model is higher, which means images will be crispier and detailed. The Huawei P9 is powered by a Super AMOLED display, which means the colors will be saturated and richer than the IPS LCD on the smaller sibling. The Huawei P9 Plus comes with force touch, which can take advantage of 18 native apps that are available with the device.

Camera:

Huawei P9: The Huawei P9 comes with dual cameras having a resolution of 12 MP. The cameras are assisted by a Dual LED flash. The aperture of the lens is f 2.2. The pixel size of the display is 1.25 microns. The camera also comes with laser autofocus.

Huawei P9 Plus: The Huawei P9 Plus comes with dual cameras having a resolution of 12 MP. The cameras are assisted by a Dual LED flash. The aperture of the lens is f 2.2. The pixel size of the display is 1.25 microns. The camera also comes with laser autofocus. The front facing camera comes with a resolution of 8MP and comes with autofocus as well.

Both the cameras come with almost identical features. Both comes with two 12 MP resolution cameras where one is RGB and the other monochrome. The camera is assisted by laser auto focus and Leica technology. The only difference between Huawei P9 and P9 Plus camera feature is the front facing camera. The Huawei P9 Plus comes with an 8MP front-facing camera, which also comes with laser autofocus. This feature is not available with the smaller sibling.

Hardware:

Huawei P9: The Huawei P9 is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 955 SoC, which comes with octa-core processors. They are capable of clocking a speed of 2.5 GHz. Graphics are powered by ARM Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. The memory that comes with the device is 3GB while the built-in storage is 32 GB. This can be expanded with the help of a microSD card.

Huawei P9 Plus: The Huawei P9 Plus is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 955 SoC, which comes with octa-core processors. They are capable of clocking a speed of 2.5 GHz. Graphics is powered by ARM Mali-T880 MP4 GPU. The memory that comes with the device is 4GB while the built-in storage is 64 GB. This can be expanded with the help of a microSD card.

Both devices come with the Kirin 955 chipset that holds octa core processor with 64-bit architecture. This processor has been built by Huawei in the house, which is noteworthy. The Huawei P9 comes with a 32 GB internal storage with 3GB RAM while the Huawei P9 Plus comes with a built-in storage of 64 GB and 4GB of memory. Both the storages can be expanded with the help of a microSD card.

Battery Capacity:

Huawei P9: The Huawei P9 comes with a battery capacity of 3000 mAh. The batteries are not user replaceable.

Huawei P9 Plus: The Huawei P9 Plus comes with a battery capacity of 3400 mAh. The batteries are not user replaceable.

Huawei P9 vs P9 Plus – Summary