Huawei P9 and P9 Plus hands-on: First look

Huawei P9 hands-on

Huawei crafted some beautiful handsets for the Mate lineup, but this is the continuation of the industrial design of the P-series. The only major difference is that the camera - and the P9 has a lot of camera - is moved up on a decorative strip at the top of the back instead of sitting on the centerline.

Huawei P9 hands-on

The Huawei P9 is clothed in 2.5D glass and aerospace-class aluminum, which comes in two special forms. The 64GB version of the P9 features the Haze Gold finish, which uses micron-level polishing to create a translucent surface.

The other option is Ceramic White, which Huawei claims is "smoother than the painted bodywork of premium cars." It bends light to create an ever-changing show of color as ambient light changes. Standard colors include Prestige Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Grey and Mystic Silver.

When you hold it in your hand the P9 feels impressively light, but the grey version we played with was also rather easy to smudge and become a mess. The screen looks very pleasantly and the whole thing feels very snappy.

Below the cameras is the fingerprint sensor, which protects the phone from illegitimate access. It works like a customizable button as well, you can answer a call or take a photo with it or configure it to work as a navigation button (Back, Home or App switcher).

Fingerprint reader with extra options

The Huawei P9 is a dual-SIM phone with a hybrid slot, giving you a choice between more storage or an extra phone line. It has a single loudspeaker (unlike its bigger sibling).

The only loudspeaker • No IR blaster on top • The SIM/microSD card slot • Side keys