How the honor 9 dual camera works. How to set up the camera and take the perfect selfie on a HUAWEI (honor) smartphone? Main and front cameras

Productive, premium and affordable. Is this possible? Yes, if it’s the new Honor 9. We offer a review of a new Chinese smartphone with a claim to flagship characteristics: tests of the processor, display, battery.

Honor, a subsidiary brand of Huawei, has released a new 9th flagship in the line. And although Wylsa speaks very unflatteringly about the brand, Honor 9 turned out to be worthy of competitors even to the top flagship with a huge advantage in a more affordable price. Unlike Honor 8, the ninth reincarnation has become shiny, more powerful and more interesting in terms of filling. GSMArena experts predict that the new Honor will compete with one of the most powerful devices on the market -.

We offer a review of Honor 9 in terms of design, performance, screen and battery life. Traditionally, we start with the main advantages of a smartphone.

Main advantages of Honor 9

In order to create a flagship or simply a powerful smartphone, the Huawei brand does not need to wait for the release of the new Snapdragon. HiSilicon Kirin processors are responsible for the performance of Huawei and Honor smart phones (our comparison with SD). The latest Kirin 960 showed all its power and perfection both in synthetic tests and in practice. At the presentation of Honor 9, the audience was shown comparison test performance of Honor 9 and Samsung Galaxy S8. The Chinese turned out to be more agile in launching applications and responding to user actions.

Honor 9: the main advantages of the smartphone

Frame	Gorilla Glass 3 and aluminum edge backdrop
Screen	LTPS IPS LCD FHD 1920 x 1080 428PPI
Main camera	Double module 12MP color sensor and 20MP black and white sensor (aka Huawei P10) f/2.2 hybrid autofocus without optical stabilization
Front-camera	8MP f/1.9 bokeh effect
operating system	EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.0
Available versions	4GB RAM + 64GB internal memory + expansion slot 6GB RAM + 128GB internal memory + expansion slot
Sound	Huawei Histen 3D Sound
Battery	3200mAh

The main disadvantages of smart:

• The camera is not a Leica
• there is no at least some kind of dust/moisture protection
• no stereo speakers
• no FM radio
• glass - the back cover collects fingerprints, the glass itself is less practical than plastic or aluminum in the case

However, given the cost of the smartphone, the shortcomings seem quite forgivable. After all, the expected cost of Honor 9 (4/64) is only 26,000 rubles or approximately 430USD. This is the price segment Samsung A-series, which is inferior to the new Huawei flagship on all fronts.

Briefly about the design of Honor 9

The Honor 9 kit is simple. Comes in box Charger 18W, USB Type-C cable, transparent plastic case. There are no headphones, and they didn’t even provide a napkin for polishing.

The design of Honor 9, alas, is not new. Gloss and shimmer are inherent in Huawei flagships, and HTC recently released a super-glossy smart phone.

Glass and metal are offered even in the cheapest smartphones. And this is no longer an indicator of premium quality.

The front surface is hidden behind 2.5D glass, the back panel is covered with 3D glass made using Edge technology - with rounded edges. A special feature of the model is the back pattern that imitates vinyl, which undoubtedly makes the smartphone stand out among others. Honor 9 looks much cooler

The assembly is of high quality: there are no creaks, backlashes, or gaps. It feels great in the hand, although the glass sandwich is still a slippery design. It doesn't hurt to be careful.

On top of the front panel there is a standard set of sensors + a speaker (an LED indicator of the latest events is present). At the bottom end there is a touch sensor Home button with support for multitasking and two unmarked control buttons. The backlight turns on only when touched, which is a little inconvenient, although it’s a matter of habit. Control buttons can be disabled by assigning basic navigation functions to the Home button.

On the left side there is a hybrid slot for SIM/memory cards, on the right there are volume and power buttons.

At the top end there is a microphone and an infrared port, at the bottom there is a USB, 3.5mm audio jack, microphone and speaker.

Honor 9 display

The Honor 9 display is not at all impressive at first glance. Standard format (no 18:9), normal resolution, IPS, 5.15′ diagonal. Until you look at the test and comparison:

Honor 9: display tests

	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast
Honor 9	0.353	522	1479
Honor 8	0.37	460	1243
Honor 8 Pro	0.399	560	1404
Huawei P10	0.416	592	1423
Huawei P9	0.46	500	1094
OnePlus 3T	0	447	∞
LG G6	0.228	468	2053
OnePlus 5	0	435	∞
Galaxy S8	0.00	440	~
Galaxy S8 max auto	0.00	618	~
iPhone 7 Plus	0.41	573	1398
iPhone 7 Plus (max auto)	0.50	681	1362
iPhone 7	0.35	561	1603
Xiaomi Mi 6	0.462	603	1305
Xperia XZs	0.461	564	1223

Honor 9 demonstrates deep blacks, excellent image contrast (1479:1) and an unprecedented maximum brightness of 522 nits.

As for color reproduction, Honor 9 provides natural color with a slight fall into a cool undertone; color adjustment is available in the settings.

The screen contrast of Honor 9 in the sun is also not satisfactory. The Smart shows a decent result for an LCD in the test, and even in bright sunshine the screen will remain highly readable.

Honor 9 sun contrast ratio

Autonomy Honor 9

The autonomy of the smartphone is ensured by a 3200 mAh battery that supports fast charging technology. The charger replenishes 33% charge in 30 minutes, for fully charged the smartphone takes just under 2 hours.

As we indicated at the beginning of the review, Honor 9 is positioned as a worthy competitor to the Huawei P10, so most of the comparisons will be made with this smartphone:

Honor 9 operating time on a single charge. Comparison of autonomy with Huawei P10

	Honor 9	Huawei P10
Battery capacity	3200 mAh	3200 mAh
Fast charging	Yes up to 33% in 30 minutes	Yes up to 55% in 30 minutes
Autonomy rating	77 hours	75 hours
3G calls	21:03	18:36
Internet	11:28	11:47
Video	9:37	12:27

Honor 9 performance

First, let's take a look under the hood of the smartphone:

Honor 9 is equipped with the top-end proprietary processor Kirin 960, installed in the latest flagships of the brand - Huawei P10 and Mate 9. As we can see from the table above, there are no differences in the processors.

Today this is one of the most powerful and productive chipsets.

Cortex A73 provides a 30% performance increase over the previous Cortex A72 core.

GeekBench single-core tests show that the Cortex A73 performs on par with the new SD 835 cores in the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Honor 9 in GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Honor 9 in GeekBench 4 (single-core)

No less interesting is the GeekBench multi-core test. Assessing the results, let us recall that this is a smartphone in the mid-price segment.

Honor 9 in GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Honor 9 in GeekBench 4 (multi-core)

The new Mali-G71MP8 GPU has significantly improved graphics, bringing Honor 9 closer to the flagship segment.

Huawei Honor 9 is a beautiful and elegant smartphone announced in June 2017. Also, this is the top model in this line. The device not only has an attractive design, but also very powerful hardware.

Appearance and ergonomics

Huawei Honor 9 looks truly impressive. This is a huge merit of tempered glass, which is used everywhere here. The body consists of two glass sides connected by a metal frame. The device shimmers with a very beautiful pattern, especially on the back. At the back there is not only a flash, but also a dual camera, as well as a corporate logo. Below the screen on the front side there is a fingerprint scanner, and above the display there is a front camera and a speaker. The shape of the body is rounded and slim, so holding the gadget in your hand is quite comfortable. But the smartphone can still be called slippery, which can be corrected by purchasing a case. Colours: blue, gold and grey. Dimensions: height - 147.3 mm, thickness - 7.45 mm, width - 70.9 mm, weight - 155 g.

Display

Honor 9 uses a 5.15-inch screen with Full HD resolution. Thanks to the high-quality IPS matrix, the picture remains readable from any angle. The display is protected by glass, and its side bezels are minimal. The image is distinguished by increased clarity, colors are as close as possible to natural shades.

Hardware and performance

Honor 9 is equipped with a Kirin 960 processor. This chip consists of eight cores (4 - Cortex-A53 + 4 - Cortex-A73). The maximum frequency of such a processor reaches 2400 MHz. The Mali G71 GPU is used as a graphics accelerator. The amount of internal memory is limited to 64 or 128 GB depending on the selected version of the smartphone. The amount of RAM can also vary - 4 or 6 GB. There is no support for memory cards here. The device runs Android 7.0 OS along with the proprietary EMUI 5.1 interface. The device demonstrates excellent performance. This model is perfect not only for everyday tasks, but is also capable of running many games at maximum graphics settings.

Communication and sound

Thanks to a powerful multimedia speaker and a progressive chip, the sound in Huawei Honor 9 is rich and clear. The maximum volume is above average. The speaker for conversations behaves adequately, the interlocutor can be heard well. There is support for LTE and NFC.

Camera

The Huawei Honor 9 smartphone has a dual camera. If the color module is 12-megapixel, then the monochrome module is 20-megapixel. This combination demonstrates excellent results in any conditions. The dynamic range becomes higher, and the user has a great opportunity to take photos with additional depth. It is worth highlighting the availability huge amount functions and settings, but there is still no optical stabilization here. But there is a double flash and laser focusing. There is also a front 8-megapixel camera.

conclusions

The Honor 9 smartphone can easily be called an inexpensive flagship. For 20-25 thousand rubles, the buyer receives an incredibly stylish mobile device with many top-end characteristics. As for the equipment, it is standard for this manufacturer.

Pros:

• Great appearance.
• Very high performance.
• A large amount of memory.
• Advanced dual camera.
• High quality software.

Minuses:

• A little slippery when held in hand.
• There is no optical stabilization.

Technical characteristics of Huawei Honor 9

General characteristics
Model	Huawei Honor 9, Huawei Honor 9 Premium STF-L09, STF-AL00, STF-AL10, STF-TL10
Date of announcement/start of sales	June 2017 / July 2017
Dimensions	147.3 x 70.9 x 7.5 mm.
Weight	155 g.
Case color range	Gold, gray and blue
Number and type of SIM cards	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
operating system	Android 7.0 (Nougat)
Communication standard in 2G networks	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
Communication standard in 3G networks	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
Communication standard in 4G networks	LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), 38(2600), 40(2300), 41(2500)
Display
Screen type	LTPS IPS LCD capacitive, 16 million colors
Screen size	5.15 inches
Screen resolution	1080 x 1920, 428 ppi
Multitouch	There is
Screen protection	Strained glass
Sound
3.5mm jack	There is
FM radio	No
Additionally	Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones
Data transfer
USB	Type-C 1.0, On-The-Go
Satellite navigation	GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS, BDS
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth	4.2, A2DP, LE
Internet connection	LTE, HSPA, EDGE, GPRS
NFC	There is
Platform
CPU	Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU	Mali-G71 MP8
RAM	4GB/6GB
Inner memory	64 GB / 128 GB
Supported memory cards	microSD
Camera
Camera	Dual 20MP + 12 MP, f/2.2
Camera functions	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
Video recording	2160@30fps
Front-camera	8 MP, f/2.0
Battery
Battery type and capacity	Li-Po 3200 mAh
Additionally
Sensors	Proximity, ambient light, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, fingerprint scanner
Browser	HTML, HTML5, CSS3
Email	IMAP, POP3, SMTP
Other	— Fast battery charging: 40% in half an hour - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player — MP4/H.264 player — Photo/video editor — Document viewer
Equipment
Standard equipment	Honor 9:1 USB cable: 1 SIM tray eject clip: 1 Transparent protective bumper: 1 User manual: 1 Warranty card: 1 Charger 9V/2A: 1

Prices

Video reviews

Read the article: 3 192

The Honor 9 is one of the most affordable smartphones out there with the look, feel and functionality of more expensive devices. When it launched in 2017, it was cheaper than the OnePlus 5. It was also half the price of the Pixel 2 XL.

This is a very solid Android smartphone in all areas. It is not surprising that those who want to get an uncompromising device at a low price often choose it. The popularity of Honor 9 is also visible from the statistics of search queries in Yandex, the number of which is about 350,000 per month. There are smartphones with more quality cameras for shooting in the dark and big time work without recharging. However, Honor 9, in terms of the sum of its capabilities, is among the best smartphones of the past year. In addition, the model also turned out to be successful.

Specifications

• Dimensions and weight: 147.3 x 70.9 x 7.45 mm, 155 g
• Materials: glass, aluminum
• Biometrics: fingerprint scanner
• Colors: black, gold, blue
• OS: Android 8.0, EMUI
• Screen: 5.2 inches IPS LCD, 1080 x 1920, 428 ppi, 70.03%
• Cameras: rear 12 MP, f/2.2, focal length 27 mm, dual LED flash, second camera 20 MP, phase detection autofocus, 4K 30 fps video. Front 8 MP
• Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 960 8-core 64 bit, ARM Cortex-A73 and Cortex-A53 2400 MHz, 16 nm, Mali-G71 MP8
• Memory: 4 GB, storage 64 GB, microSD up to 256 GB
• Battery: 3200 mAh

Design

In appearance, Honor 9 is largely reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy A5. This is a very good smartphone, many would even call it excellent. His appearance is quite simple, which for some is a plus. It has a multilayer structure and the body reflects the light falling on it. Under the rays of the sun, this play of light attracts attention.

The back surface is glass with curved edges that smoothly blend into the frame. In comparison, the Galaxy A5 has sharper features.

The blue version of the smartphone is the most attractive. There are also silver, gray and gold color options.

Gorilla Glass 3 is used on the front and back, and the aluminum frame matches the colors of the rest of the body elements. This may not be the latest generation of Gorilla Glass, but for the sake of low cost, something has to be sacrificed.

One of the main advantages of the device is the ease of working with it. The case fits very comfortably in the hand. If you're not one of those people who complain about slippery glass smartphones, there shouldn't be a problem. The screen is not particularly large, the body thickness is 7.5 mm.

Honor 9 was released for those who Samsung prices The Galaxy S8 or iPhone 7 Plus were unaffordable. The look, feel and specs of Honor 9 are top notch. The developers clearly tried to surpass their competitor in OnePlus.

Compromises are not easy to spot. Below the screen there is a fast fingerprint scanner. Storage capacity is 64 GB, there is support for memory cards. Build quality is generally comparable to the best Samsung models. The fingerprint scanner can also be used to navigate the interface using gestures.

There is even an infrared sensor at the top of the case. It was a surprise to see it here; it allows you to use your smartphone as a remote control remote control for several devices at once. For this purpose, a special program is preinstalled in the system.

Screen

Honor 9 has a 5.15-inch screen. It is similar in size to the Samsung Galaxy S7. It can be said that Honor is using acceptable technology instead of the best. As a result, the device offers 90% of the capabilities of the most expensive flagships for 50% of the cost.

This is an IPS LCD panel with a diagonal of 1920 x 1080 pixels. At this size, it's hard to see the difference between 1080p and 1440p on the Galaxy S8 or LG G6. The image looks quite clear.

The viewing angles did not disappoint, the contrast was very good. Cheaper LCD screens usually appear darkened at an angle. Sometimes it seems as if the image is recessed into the screen. No such problems were found on Honor 9.

The colors are slightly oversaturated, in this regard there are similarities with the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. There is no way to make them paler. This is not to say that they are frankly unrealistic; modern manufacturers tend to offer just such rich colors.

Like other Honor smartphones, this one allows you to control the color temperature. You can make the screen warm or cool, the blue filter gives a yellowish tint and reduces eye strain. This is necessary when viewing in the dark or in the evening before going to bed.

Software

Honor 9 was released on the Android 7.0 operating system with Huawei EMUI shell. Reviewers often criticize this shell more than versions from other smartphone manufacturers. IN latest versions Huawei has tried to eliminate the most pressing problems. First of all, we are talking about the structure of the system.

Until recently, EMUI showed all application shortcuts on home screen. There is no button with a list of applications, like on the iPhone. Honor 9 lets you choose between old style and close to pure Android version. It offers a vertical application menu, thanks to which you can clear the home screen.

You can customize the appearance of your device using graphic themes inside the Themes application. True, in the hands of an inept user, the device may begin to look worse, not better. Those who wish can also change the appearance of the icons.

Unfortunately, there is too much on a smartphone pre-installed applications. There are basic Huawei utilities, there are whole folder games produced by Gameloft, which the vast majority of buyers do not need. There are recommended apps like TripAdvisor and eBay.

If you turn on the application list, this is especially noticeable because it appears crowded. However, there is no need to complain. These apps generate revenue for Honor, which is why it was able to offer this device at such a low price.

Let us also note Huawei app Health, which can be used as a step counter.

Performance

Honor 9 has a very responsive system. Applications load quickly, there are no strange bugs. The fingerprint scanner quickly responds to user actions.

IN last years Motorola Moto G smartphones stand out for their high-quality Android interface at a low price. Honor 9 reminds you that there is a difference in everyday work between truly powerful smartphone and just normal.

It uses the same processor as the Huawei P10. This is HiSilicon 960, a powerful 8-core chip. It consists of four Cortex-A73 and Cortex-A53 computing cores. Cheap smartphones usually have eight Cortex-A53 cores. Cortex-A73 is at a higher level and provides significantly greater speed in those tasks where it is necessary.

Snapdragon processors use their own Kryo cores instead of standard ARM Cortex-A73. There is a difference, but Kryo are based on pure ARM cores. You could say they are in the same league.

This can be seen from the results of testing Honor 9 in Geekbench 4. In multi-core testing, the result was 6160 points. This is just a few hundred points less than the OnePlus 5, which scored 6,719 points. Xperia XZ received a score of 6492 points. These are smartphones powered by Snapdragon 835 and 820, respectively. Thus, the HiSilicon processor is not too inferior on its pure cores.

Of course, it can't compete on equal terms with the best mobile processors. It uses an 8-core Mali-G71 graphics chip, which is inferior to the Adreno 540 in the Snapdragon 835. In the Galaxy S8 on the Exynos processor, the graphics chip is generally 20-core.

Honor 9 has an average screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Thus, it has a weaker GPU, but it also puts less load on it. As a result, frame rates in games should be about the same as those of more expensive smartphones. However, if you want to keep a smartphone for several years, the OnePlus 5 will remain playable for longer due to its greater processing power.

Honor 9 has volume random access memory DDR4 4 GB, which will be enough for everyday work for a long time.

Cameras

Honor 9 has a dual rear camera. There is only one camera in front. Dual rear cameras are now standard. It seems that in the future their number will only grow and the appearance of numerous smartphones with triple cameras is on the way.

There are three reasons for the existence of a dual camera. Smartphones can create a three-dimensional map of the scene and highlight the foreground from the background. There is a wide aperture simulation mode where you can blur areas of the image for an artistic look.

A few years ago, the Bokeh effect on mobile devices didn't work very well. Since then, a lot of work has been done and even modest devices can produce good portrait photographs.

The second use case for a dual camera is to enlarge the image without losing quality. This happens differently here than on the iPhone 7 Plus. On Honor 9, both cameras have the same focal length.

The main sensor is 12 MP, while the secondary sensor is 20 MP. In any case, when shooting, a 12 megapixel photo is obtained. When zooming in on an image, the camera with more high resolution, so as not to rely on standard digital zoom with its cropping, expanding and smoothing.

How effective is it? Doesn't match the iPhone 7 in terms of detail when zooming in. However, small improvements make digital zoom not so bad.

The third reason for the existence of dual cameras is to improve the overall quality of pictures. The device can use information from both sensors to create a single image. True, this does not have a big effect on the result. The photos are not too different from single cameras with 12 MP sensors.

Dynamic range and detail are quite good, and colors look natural. There is no shame in using this smartphone to take pictures at holidays and parties.

Honor 9 is a worthy device even among more expensive devices. It stands out against the Sony Xperia XZ, but the LG G6, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8 have the upper hand.

Close-range shooting could be sharper, but low-light performance is ok at best. Primarily because there is no optical image stabilization and the aperture is only f/2.2.

Galaxy S7 and S8 give out more high quality images in low light due to the use of stabilization. The automatic mode does not please with the detail of the shadows, but this can be corrected during editing.

Considering the difference in price, these are all minimal disadvantages. Focus quality and a variety of shooting modes compensate for the disadvantages found and allow you to be creative when photographing. There is a black and white shooting mode if you like that. It offers images with high contrast. There is a manual shooting mode.

Video recording is supported at resolutions up to 4K. This is not the best camera among modern smartphones, but for its price category it is among the best. The front camera is also good, providing good detail indoors. In selfies, people appear with normal skin color; there are several additional shooting modes. Portrait mode tries to blur the background, just like on rear camera. There is a beautification slider that smoothes the skin and corrects various facial imperfections. Dating sites may not be too happy about this treatment.

Autonomy

Honor 9 has a non-removable 3200 mAh battery. This is 200 mAh more than the Honor 8 and more than the Galaxy S8.

Unplugged battery life is good but not outstanding. When analyzing autonomy, audio was streamed, podcasts and the Spotify service were listened to. This drains the battery quite quickly. When headphones are connected for a significant part of the day, the device often does not last until the evening. If energy consumption is modest, there will be no such problems. In any case, the device will not last a day and a half.

Duration of work

Charging time

Charging occurs quite quickly; in 40 minutes you can charge the device almost to maximum. However, this is not the fastest standard with a 9 V/2 A adapter. It can be better.

Audio

The same can be said about the speaker. He is here alone and is located in the lower part of the body. Some modern smartphones also use the phone shell. The sound quality is decent, the volume is quite high. The sound distribution is not the best, so the quality in games and movies is not maximum. If you're watching or listening to something for more than a couple of minutes, it's best to plug in headphones.

Conclusion

Honor 9 is an interesting device. The smartphone is based on the previous Honor 8 from 2016, which was sold at the same price. It was a great buy at the time.

Since then, the appearance of the smartphone has changed. Devices are gradually becoming more expensive. The main competitor to Honor 9 is OnePlus 5.

Honor 9 has a more attractive design compared to its predecessor, an improved camera and twice the larger volume storage facilities. The changes in the user interface are not that big, but the shell is still more similar to the standard version of Android.

As a result, we can conclude that even at the end of 2018, the device remains an excellent purchase. Especially at a price of 21,000 rubles.

pros

• Excellent value for money and quality
• Great design
• Large storage capacity and lots of functionality

Minuses

• Low-light performance is average
• Not impressive battery life

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Buyers Chinese smartphones can be roughly divided into two categories. Some prefer flagship devices as iPhone replacement or Samsung, others are interested in the most productive options for affordable prices. You can look and compare. Honor 9, which we have reviewed, is a smartphone that meets the needs of both groups.

Honor 9 takes first place in the mid-price category in almost all respects. But let's figure out whether Huawei managed to set an adequate price tag for its new product without any damage to its quality.

Price and main characteristics

The price of the younger version of the smartphone with 4 GB of RAM is set at $450. The older model with 6 GB of RAM will cost Russian buyers at least $510.

Specifications:

Display: 5.15”, IPS FHD 1920*1080 px (428 ppi);
processor: HiSilicon Kirin 960 (2.4 GHz) + ARM Mali-G71 video accelerator;
RAM: 4/6 GB;
internal memory: 64/128 GB + micro SDXC flash cards up to 256 GB;
camera: main – dual module 12 MP + 20 MP, front – 8 MP;
communication: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, IR port, GSM, UMTS, LTE, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS;
battery: 3200 mAh.
Dimensions: 147.3 x 70.9 x 7.5 mm;
Weight: 155 g.

The new product runs on the Android 7 Nougat operating system.

Equipment and appearance

The style of Honor 9 is taken into account even in the box of the device. The smartphone comes in a white oblong package with the number 9 on the front side. The device itself, a charging unit, a USB Type-C cable, documentation and a silicone bumper are hidden inside.

The latter will be especially useful in everyday use, since the shiny body of the Honor 9 quickly loses its original appearance after a couple of scratches. The surface will also make its owner nervous more than once; the glass of the rear panel often tries to slip out of hands. Nevertheless, the smartphone cannot be called inconvenient - on the contrary, since the matte metal on the rounded edges “clings” well.

In general, Honor 9 definitely succeeded in everything related to tactile sensations. The front 2.5D glass of the device has an oleophobic coating that does not accumulate stains and fingerprints. Externally, the smartphone also leaves behind most of its competitors. The shine of the back cover will definitely attract the attention of others in bright light. The device is available in grey, black and blue color options. The silver version can only be found in the Chinese market.

A fingerprint scanner is located under the 5.15-inch display. This model also got rid of the keys on the screen; now they are replaced by two touch pads on the sides of the scanner. Their functions can be set in the smartphone settings.

At the top of the front panel there is a front-facing 8-megapixel camera, an earpiece and a set of sensors. The Honor 9 does not have an LED notification indicator.

On the right is the volume key and the smartphone activation button. A thin plastic antenna insert is visible just above.

A small section of the left side is reserved for a compartment with two SIM cards. One of them can be replaced with microSD up to 256 GB. A multimedia speaker is hidden under the perforation on the bottom end of the smartphone. To the right of it is a USB Type-C connector and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

There are two small holes at the top. Under one of them there is a built-in microphone, the second is intended for an infrared port, with which you can control digital equipment.

At the back is a dual main camera module. To the right of the lenses you can see a small protrusion with a dual LED flash. The back panel reflects light according to the principle of ray scattering, so that in bright light the smartphone shimmers in different shades of its color.

Overall, Honor 9 has the potential to be one of the most beautiful mobile devices on the market. It doesn't have a metal unibody body, but the tempered glass on both sides gives it that same premium smartphone feel. The device is also equipped with a screen with a very convenient diagonal for one-handed use. However, if you want to preserve the appearance of the device longer, it is still recommended to “dress” it with a silicone bumper.

Screen

For such a low price, the manufacturer definitely had to make some compromises. One of them is screen resolution. The IPS matrix of Honor 9 has FullHD resolution with a pixel density of 428 units per inch. Some may consider this an outdated solution, since many top gadgets are already moving to a higher level. However, 1080p looks very good on a 5.15-inch display. In addition, abandoning QHD greatly saves battery power.

The color balance of the screen is very reminiscent of OLED matrices. Here it is just as bright and sharp, but with the correct rendition of each color. For those who are especially demanding, you can adjust the color balance indicators or turn on the eye protection mode. The multi-touch display handles up to 10 simultaneous presses.

Honor 9 also copes well with all kinds of distortion in direct sunlight. The screen does not invert even at maximum viewing angles. In general, the smartphone is quite up to the level of expensive flagships in terms of the quality of the displayed image. If you like compact displays, Honor 9 is just for you.

Performance

The performance level of the HiSilicon Kirin 960 chipset leaves many of the Honor 9's competitors behind. The processor scores 6150 points in Geekbench 4, almost the same value can be achieved on the Snapdragon 835 and Exynos chipset of the Galaxy S8. Add here another 4 GB of DDR4 RAM plus a powerful ARM Mali-G71 video accelerator. With a 5.15-inch display, this is an almost perfect gaming device for its price.

This configuration works great with a FullHD screen. Most modern games run without significant fps drop. The interface also responds smoothly to user touches on the screen. Both versions of the smartphone with 64 and 128 GB of internal storage can be supplemented with a memory card of up to 256 GB.

Camera

Although there is no Leica logo on the Honor 9 body, we have every reason to believe that Huawei still used the company’s lenses in its new product. The dual main module with a resolution of 20 + 12 megapixels, color and monochrome apertures, as well as 2x hybrid zoom has software stabilization. There is no optical here, most likely due to savings on the camera.

In terms of photo quality, Honor 9 can be compared with last year's Galaxy S7, and this is a very good result. The double module is used here to effectively blur the background. However, the bokeh effect is not always applied correctly. A pro mode has also been added to the camera functionality, which adjusts the video quality taking into account external lighting. The front 8-megapixel camera does not receive any interesting features.

Examples of photos:



Example video:

The resulting photos look very good, especially in daylight. At dusk or indoors, the noise reduction is already turned on, which blurs the picture a little. The only drawback of the camera is the lack of optical stabilization.

Speaker, sound quality

Before the release of the smartphone, there were many rumors about getting rid of the “outdated” headphone jack. Huawei decided not to take risks and left the traditional option in the form of a 3.5 mm audio input.

The only speaker on the bottom of the device is quite easy to block with your hand while watching a video. In general, this is the only drawback of Honor 9 of this kind. The volume of the device is quite enough to hear an incoming call. The sound quality of the speaker will also not disappoint most users.

Battery

The new product uses a 3200 mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the Honor 8. Considering the display configuration and screen diagonal, the battery charge is enough for one day of normal use. An hour and a half movie at full brightness takes about 17% of the device’s charge.

There is a fast charging mode that fills the battery from zero to 100% in about 70 minutes.

Communication and Internet

Honor 9 is equipped with everything you need in a 2017 smartphone. There is NFC, an infrared port and support for all necessary communication standards. In Russian latitudes the device will definitely work flawlessly.

I was also pleased with the GPS navigation; the device finds the necessary satellites in a matter of seconds.

Video review of Honor 9

Competitors, conclusion

• Beautiful, well-built body;
• Excellent performance;
• Great price;
• High quality camera.

• The back surface of the smartphone quickly gets scratched and dirty.

Honor 9 doesn't have anything innovative that we haven't seen before. However, the smartphone evokes only positive emotions, along with the desire to buy it. The bright body comes with a good level of performance and an excellent camera. Overall, Honor 9 is an ideal option for those who do not want to overpay for expensive flagships, but wants almost the same level of performance.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 from gray retail can also compete with the hero of the review for the buyer’s money. The first has similar characteristics and an order of magnitude lower price, the second is almost identical to Honor 9, but more expensive. The Galaxy S7 is superior to the new product in almost all respects, costs comparable money, but at the same time already belongs to “last year’s” smartphones.

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At the beginning of this year, Huawei introduced its new flagship smartphone P10, and by mid-summer it launched its other top-end new product with a very similar filling. Presented at the end of June, the Honor 9 smartphone belongs to the incredibly popular Honor line, which grew in separate brand and became number one in online sales in China by 2017, ahead of even Xiaomi.

We once got acquainted with the new product right during its world premiere in Berlin, so today, without a separate introduction, we will immediately move on to a detailed analysis of all the technical capabilities of this extraordinary device.

Main Features of Honor 9 (STF-L09)

• SoC HiSilicon Kirin 960, 8 cores: [email protected] GHz (ARM Cortex-A73) + [email protected] GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
• GPU Mali-G71 (MP8)
• operating room Android system 7.0, EMUI 5.1
• Touch display IPS (LTPS) 5.15″, 1920×1080, 423 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 4/6 GB, internal memory 64/128 GB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• MicroSD support up to 256 GB
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA networks (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz)
• FDD LTE Cat.6 Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 networks
• TD LTE Band 38, 40, 41 networks
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
• Bluetooth 4.2 A2DP, LE
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• USB Type-C, USB OTG
• Main camera 20 MP + 12 MP, autofocus, f/2.2, 4K video
• Front camera 8 MP, f/2.0
• Proximity, lighting, magnetic field sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, step counter, fingerprint scanner, IR port
• Battery 3200 mAh
• Dimensions 147×71×7.5 mm
• Weight 157 g

Contents of delivery

Honor 9 comes in an impressive box designed by Huawei for previous models of the Ascend P series. The smartphone does not lie flat in it, but is inserted sideways, like a book on a bookshelf. The rest of the contents are packaged in compartments separated by cardboard partitions. The design is stylish and laconic, there is nothing superfluous on the surfaces except the logo and model name.

The Honor 9 package includes not only a USB cable, a card eject tool and a 5/9 V 2 A charger, but also a simple protective case. The case is uninteresting: it is made of hard, itchy transparent plastic, which quickly becomes covered with many scratches. The Chinese now usually put in protective covers made of flexible translucent material that bends but does not break. This material does not leave scratches; it is clearly preferable to the one used in the Honor 9 complete case.

Appearance and ease of use

Honor 9, being a close relative of the Huawei P10 in terms of hardware, looks quite different from it. If Huawei P10, with its all-metal body streamlined on all sides, looked like the iPhone 6, then Honor 9, thanks to two glass panels with rounded edges and, especially, a peculiar metal frame, expanding at the top and bottom ends and tapering at the sides, is more like Samsung Galaxy S7.

In general, Honor 9 is a medium-sized five-inch smartphone by modern standards with a narrow frame around the screen, but in the hand it feels a little “chubby” - not as elegant and thin as the Huawei P10. Obviously, this is due to the highly convex rear back, while the Huawei P10 is almost flat. In addition, the P10 as a whole has slightly smaller dimensions than the Honor 9.

The smartphone is attractive in its own way: streamlined shapes with graceful curves and rounded corner parts successfully combined with glass panels that shimmer in the sun with all the colors of the rainbow. The developers especially emphasize this fact: the panel is processed using photoengraving technology, which is why such a beautiful optical effect occurs.

In general, if the Huawei P10 with its all-metal matte body can be described primarily as practical and reliable, then the Honor 9, on the contrary, has a pampered and airy image, more suitable for those with a delicate soul. In the hands of a brutal macho, such a “shine” would perhaps not look entirely appropriate.

Honor 9 is not equipped with protection from moisture and dust, although the glass itself, according to company representatives, has increased resistance to impacts. By the way, Gorilla Glass 3 is used for the back panel.

The smartphone does not slip in the hand; this issue is well thought out. Fingerprints, naturally, remain on the glass, but thanks to the good grease-repellent coating, they are reluctant to collect and are very easy to wipe off. In this regard, there are no complaints about Huawei; the smartphone almost always looks presentable and impressive.

The front panel is completely covered with protective 2.5D glass with sloping edges. The fingerprint scanner is located under the screen, but is not integrated into the mechanical button, it is just a recess in the glass. The scanner works quickly and clearly, your finger can be placed at any angle. On the sides of it, two touch buttons are indicated by illuminated dots; their purpose can be changed in the settings.

Above the screen there are sensors, a front camera module without a flash, an LED event indicator and a speaker slot covered by a grille.

There are no inserts in the back panel; it is solid glass. At the top of the panel there are lenses of two cameras, their flash, as well as a laser pointer eye for autofocus). The cameras do not protrude beyond the surface and do not form depressions in it, so the lenses are very convenient to wipe; you can quickly swipe your smartphone directly over your clothes. The smartphone lies stable on the table.

Both hardware buttons are located on the right side. Unlike Huawei P10, they are much narrower and do not have different textures on the surface; they feel the same to the touch. The action of these buttons is perhaps softer and more pleasant.

On the other side there is a hybrid connector for installing two cards: a Nano-SIM SIM card and either a second Nano-SIM or a microSD memory card. Hot swapping of cards is supported.

Both interface connectors are located at the bottom end. There is a USB Type-C connector installed here, which supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode, as well as a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The main speaker of the smartphone is hidden behind a series of round holes, but there is no dedicated hole for the conversational microphone at all (usually the microphone is hidden either behind a single hole or behind a whole series of round holes, which in any case are located symmetrically relative to the speaker grille).

At the top end, accordingly, there is nothing except an auxiliary microphone, which serves to operate the noise reduction system, as well as a glass eye for an IR transmitter, with which you can emulate the remote control for all home appliances. This is a very convenient functionality that is constantly supported in Huawei smartphones, for which the company has special respect.

The smartphone will be sold in Russia in three colors: traditional black (“midnight”), blue (“sapphire”), which has become the manufacturer’s signature color, and, finally, this season’s fashionable silver (“ice gray”), on which the manufacturer is placing a special emphasis today .

Screen

Honor 9 features an IPS display with 2.5D protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Screen dimensions are 64x114 mm with a diagonal of 5.15 inches. The resolution is 1920×1080, the pixel density is about 423 ppi. The width of the frame around the screen is about 3 mm on the sides, and 16 mm on the top and bottom.

You can adjust the display brightness manually or use automatic settings based on the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multi-touch touches. The screen supports operation with gloves, but for some reason Huawei hides the inclusion of this setting in the control section, and does not place it in the screen settings, like all other manufacturers.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Honor 9, then they can be distinguished by size):

The Honor 9's screen is darker (photo brightness 110 versus 117 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the Honor 9 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, which is even better in efficiency than that of the Nexus 7, so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When manually controlling brightness and when outputting a white field full screen maximum value brightness was about 520 cd/m², the minimum was 3 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, which means, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment, with which the user can try to set the desired brightness level in the current conditions. If you do not interfere, in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 3 cd/m² (very low), in an artificially lit office (approximately 550 lux) it sets it to 190 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to the lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 520 cd/m² (to the maximum, which is what is needed). The backlight brightness level depends on the position of the slider in dark and office environments, but in very bright environments it is always set to the maximum. We were not satisfied with the default result, so we moved the slider a little to the right in complete darkness and for the three conditions indicated above, we got 20, 160-210 and 520 cd/m² (the ideal combination). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

This smartphone uses a matrix IPS type. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of Honor 9 and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K.

There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And a test picture:

The colors on the Honor 9 screen are clearly oversaturated and the color balance varies slightly between screens.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on Honor 9 the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong highlighting of blacks.

And a white field:

The brightness of the screens at an angle has decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but the Honor 9 screen is still a little brighter. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a reddish tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is very good:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1300:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 24 ms (12 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 40 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.30, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve practically does not deviate from the power-law dependence:

We did not detect the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

Color gamut wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

We have already seen this in the case, for example, of the Sony Xperia Z2 and other mobile devices. Sony indicates that these screens use LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Yes, and the red phosphor apparently uses so-called quantum dots. For a consumer device, a wide color gamut is not an advantage, but a significant disadvantage, since as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is a bit of a compromise, since the color temperature is significantly higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This device has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the hue on the color wheel.

The curves in the graphs above Without corr. correspond to the results without any color balance correction, and the curves Corr.— data obtained after shifting the point to the position indicated in the image above. It can be seen that the change in balance corresponds to the expected result, since the color temperature approached the standard value and ΔE decreased slightly. There is some benefit from this correction, and besides, the brightness decreased by only 6%. Note that this function implemented in this version rather for show, since there is no numerical reflection of the correction and there is no field for measuring color balance.

To summarize: the screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. Also, the advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flickering, high contrast, good uniformity of the black field and acceptable color balance (after correction). The disadvantages are the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane and an excessively wide color gamut. Nevertheless, given the importance of characteristics specifically for this class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high, although you should prepare for strange and not entirely natural shades in films and photographs.

Cameras

The front module has an 8 megapixel sensor and optics with a maximum aperture of f/2.0 (for the front camera of Huawei P10 this value is f/1.9). The camera does not have its own flash, nor does it have autofocus. Adjustment of brightness, contrast and saturation of frames is available. By default, photo enhancement effects are enabled, that is, if you do nothing, the resulting photos will have smoothed skin textures and a blurred background. The shooting quality is good, but not ideal: detail is adequate, color rendition is correct, sharpness is normal, but the sensor does not have enough dynamic range to work well in dark and light areas at the same time, and this is clearly visible in the test photos.

Like the Huawei P10, it uses two main camera modules: with a 12 MP color RGB sensor and a 20 MP monochrome sensor, the maximum aperture of both lenses is f/2.2. As usual in this combination, the RGB sensor is responsible for color reproduction, and the monochrome sensor is responsible for detail, that is, it is needed for better processing of dark and light areas. Shooting is done synchronously by both cameras, then the two resulting images are combined programmatically (but it is also possible to take purely monochrome photographs). The cameras do not have optical stabilization. There is a hybrid autofocus, and a hybrid zoom allows software to achieve a twofold increase in good quality, but this is still not an optical zoom, but a digital zoom.

The menu, as usual, has detailed manual settings for photo and video shooting (shutter speed (from 1/4000 to 30 s), photosensitivity (up to ISO 3200), exposure compensation, white balance, and focusing options). Huawei smartphones always maximum amount scene modes up to separate creative modes for shooting light or food, some can be additionally downloaded via the Internet. There is an HDR mode that works adequately. Also in manual mode, it becomes possible to save pictures in RAW (DNG).

The camera can shoot video in maximum resolution 4K, there is also a shooting mode at 60 fps, regular Full HD @ 30 fps, as well as slow motion. For 4K video, the H.265 codec is used, and for videos at 60 frames per second and the rest, H.264 is used. There is a video stabilization function, but unlike the Huawei P10, the stabilization here is not optical. It also does not work in 4K and 60 fps modes.

Overall, the camera copes well with video shooting. Focusing is fast, sharpness is good, detail is high. True, the image is dark and not as bright as we would like. There are complaints about the sound recording: unlike the same Huawei P10, here the developers did not cope with setting up the noise reduction system. It cuts off frequencies along with some sounds, the echo effect in silence, familiar from Xiaomi smartphones, appears, and sound information is partially lost.

• Video No. 1 (57 MB, 3840×2160@30 fps, H.265, AAC)
• Video No. 2 (58 MB, 1920×1080@60 fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video No. 3 (25 MB, 1920×1080@30 fps, H.264, AAC)
• Video No. 4 (40 MB, 1280×720@30 fps, time-lapse, day)
• Video No. 5 (30 MB, 1280×720@30 fps, time-lapse, night)

A 20 megapixel photo looks like banal interpolation.

The camera turned out to be good, especially if you shoot at 12 megapixels. Interpolation up to 20 megapixels here, as in most cameras, makes no sense. The sensor doesn't have a very wide dynamic range, so many pictures are dark. Of course, they can be pulled out in the editor, but the smartphone camera should still produce good result herself. As a result, the camera will cope well with documentary shooting, but with artistic shooting - depending on your luck.

Telephone and communications

Unlike Huawei P10, this smartphone only supports data transfer at speeds up to 300 Mbps per LTE networks Cat.6. The supported frequency ranges are also more modest (only 6 FDD bands and 3 TD LTE bands). However, the smartphone supports all the most commonly used bands in our country (FDD LTE Band 3, 7, 20, as well as TD LTE Band 38). In the urban areas of the Moscow region, the device behaves confidently and does not lose contact in places with poor reception. The quality of signal reception is not satisfactory.

Bluetooth 4.2 is supported with different profiles, both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), there is also NFC with Mifare Classic support, that is, the smartphone fully works with travel cards Troika. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi channels or Bluetooth. The USB Type-C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode.

There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module; it can work with GPS (with A-GPS), and with the domestic Glonass, and with the Chinese Beidou. During a cold start, the first satellites are detected within tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs usually operates.

When dialing a number, Smart Dial is supported with search by the first letters in contacts, there is a built-in black list of numbers. In the phone book you can find standard Android features for sorting and displaying contacts, exactly the same as most smartphones on this OS.

In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor is clearly recognizable, there is no extraneous noise, the sound is clear, thick, natural, there is enough volume reserve. Standard recording capabilities telephone conversations not provided from the line. The vibration alert is average in power.

The interface in Huawei smartphones traditionally does not offer to pre-select a specific SIM card for sending SMS; this can only be done for voice calls and data transfer. Cards work in Dual mode SIM Dual Standby, there is only one radio modem. Both SIM cards can be in active standby on 3G at the same time.

Software and multimedia

As software platform Android OS version 7.0 is used with the proprietary EMUI 5.1 shell, this is currently the latest version of the interface for Huawei mobile devices. The capabilities of the EMUI shell, used in all modern mobile devices of the manufacturer, have been well studied by us and have been described in detail more than once in reviews.

Among the features: the EMUI 5.1 interface studies user habits and predicts their behavior. The developers claim that over time this improves the speed of opening applications. Launcher offers two options for displaying the workspace, with and without a menu of installed applications. In the settings menu, an additional panel now slides out on the side, and the proprietary timeline has disappeared from the notification panel. There is a two-window mode and the ability to reduce the size of virtual keyboards. That is, in principle, the organization of the proprietary shell has become as close as possible to the pure Android interface. There are very few additional programs: only a comprehensive phone manager, file manager and health tracking software HiCare.

To listen to music, you use your own player. Previously there were no manual settings, there is now a Huawei Histen audio effects section where you can enable 3D sound effect and choose from equalizer presets. But all this becomes available only with connected headphones. The Honor Purity equalizer, by the way, was developed in partnership with Monster. In headphones, the smartphone sounds high quality, the sound is loud, clear, thick and rich. The loudspeaker also sounds good, but, naturally, produces a simpler sound. The microphone has good sensitivity, but the smartphone does not have a built-in FM radio.

Performance

Honor 9 runs on the same SoC as the flagship Huawei P10. This is Huawei's most powerful mobile platform at the moment - HiSilicon Kirin 960. The chip is manufactured using a 16-nanometer process technology. The Kirin 960 configuration includes two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A73 with a maximum frequency of up to 2.4 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53 with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz. The amount of RAM is 4 or 6 GB, built-in flash memory is 64 or 128 GB, and there are 3 modifications on sale: 4/64, 6/64 and 6/128. A smartphone with 4/64 GB initially has about 2.5 GB of RAM and 49 GB of internal memory free.

It is possible to expand the built-in memory by installing microSD cards; you can also connect external flash drives in USB OTG mode. It is not suggested here to format the memory card so that applications can be installed on it; it is only used to store user files.

The flagship mobile platform HiSilicon Kirin 960 is almost on par with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 in performance, but, of course, it is far from the new leaders Snapdragon 835 and Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa. This is especially noticeable in graphics and gaming tests.

But in any case, this SoC provides the system with reliable performance and in real scenarios allows the smartphone to cope with any tasks. There are no problems with games; all the games we tested, including Modern Combat 5, Mortal Kombat X and others, run without the slightest slowdown.

Testing in comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

	Honor 9 (HiSilicon Kirin 960)	Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa)	LG G6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821)	Sony Xperia XZ1 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 835)	Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa)
3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot ES 3.1 (more is better)	1239	2628	2409	3036	1869
(Onscreen, fps)	21	19	12	39	13
GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen, fps)	20	36	24	38	24
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (Onscreen, fps)	54	57	38	60	52
GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen, fps)	58	103	61	105	71

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

	Honor 9 (HiSilicon Kirin 960)	Samsung Galaxy S8+ (Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa)	LG G6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 821)	Sony Xperia XZ1 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 835)	Meizu Pro 6 Plus (Samsung Exynos 8890 Octa)
Mozilla Kraken (ms, less is better)	5628	2535	2494	2792	13047
Google Octane 2 (more is better)	6489	9905	10036	11774	3116
SunSpider (ms, less is better)	833	490	551	390	1383

AndroBench memory speed test results:

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image rear surface obtained after 10 minutes of battery testing in the GFXBenchmark program:

Heating is more localized in the upper right part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 49 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is very strong heating compared to other modern smartphones.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
1080p H.264	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24 fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
1080p H.264	MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24 fps, AC3	plays normally
1080p H.265	MKV, H.265 1920×1080, 24 fps, AAC	plays normally	plays normally
1080p H.265	MKV, H.265 1920×1080, 24 fps, AC3	plays normally	The video plays fine, there is no sound

Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Theoretically possible support for adapters for output to external device We were unable to check the images due to the lack of an adapter option that connects to the USB Type C port, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: Resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p), and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50, and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

No no

720/24p Fine No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since in most cases frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The screen refresh rate is 59 Hz, so in the case of 60 fps files, at least one frame per second is skipped. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights.

Battery life

Fixed accumulator battery, installed in Honor 9, has a capacity of 3200 mAh. The smartphone demonstrates a rather modest level in all tests; in this regard, the new representative of the legendary line is far from records. In ordinary life, the device is also quite power-hungry. Obviously, the Honor 9 user will have to resort to using energy-saving modes.

Testing has traditionally been done at normal power consumption levels without using power-saving features.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Honor 9	3200 mAh	12:00 pm	8:00 am	4:00 am
Samsung Galaxy S8+	3500 mAh	21:30	14:30	5 h. 15 m.
LG G6	3300 mAh	16:50	12:00 pm	6:00 am
Sony Xperia XZ1	2700 mAh	17:00	11:00 am	8:00 am
Meizu Pro 6 Plus	3400 mAh	17:30	12:30 pm	4 hours 20 minutes

Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) with auto-scrolling lasted 12 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching videos in high quality (720p) with The device operates for 8 hours at the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone can work for more than 4 hours, which is far from the most impressive result.

Smartphone supports fast charging Huawei SuperCharge. From the supplied charger the device is charged within 2 hours with a current of 1 A at a voltage of 9 V. It is curious that from the usual network adapter with an output current of 2 A, the smartphone charges in the same 2 hours, consuming 2 A at a voltage of 5 V.

Bottom line

As a result of a detailed acquaintance, it turned out that the hero of the review, being the flagship of its own line, differs more from the flagship Huawei P10 than it seemed at first glance. There is a more pampered, glamorous look of the glass case, which is certainly attractive in its own way, but still not for everyone, and a lower (for some reason) level of autonomy. You can also note the lack of support for LTE Cat.12. And the cameras here are not Leica, and the lenses are not Summarit H. And although in general Honor 9 is a fairly advanced device with a high-quality screen, platform, sound, good cameras and set communication capabilities, at the same time, it is not at all as affordable as the former representatives of the Honor family. Meanwhile, users are not entirely satisfied with the fact that the budget line of devices in the past, once even called popular, is now replenished with more and more new and more expensive smartphones. The price has not yet increased so much as to completely discourage fans of the brand, but it’s difficult to call a smartphone for 25 thousand rubles a budget solution.