Huawei Mate 9 smartphone, newest relase by the Chinese device maker is a 5.9-inch mobile that packs Huawei’s best software to date, as well as some pleasingly premium specs.
Following the arrival of the Mate 8, packed with high level of performance, Huawei, maker of the Mate 8 engaged in further enhancement of its smartphone and has again, stormed the consumer market with yet another Mate Smartphone range but this time, with a higher functionality.
At first glance there’s barely any difference between the Mate 8 and Mate 9 when faced front-on. They feature the same metal body design and chamfered edges, but when you take a closer look, there are subtle differences.
The Mate 9 is marginally smaller, measuring 156.9 x 78.9mm compared to the Mate 8’s 157.1 x 80.6mm. That’s because its screen size is 5.9-inches, rather than 6-inches like the Mate 8. In the hand nobody is going to tell the difference though, because half a millimetre can’t be felt. Both handsets have the same 7.9mm thickness.
Comparing some of the key specs of the two smartphones, these are my observations:
CAMERA
This is where the striking difference between the two phones is. The Mate 9 flaunts dual rear cameras of 12MP and 20MP while the Mate 8 features a single 16MP rear camera. They both come with 8MP front cameras and dual LED (flashlights).
The Mate 9 also introduces 4K video capture with H.265 compression, up from the Full HD capture of the Mate 8.
“At first glance there’s barely any difference between the Mate 8 and Mate 9 when faced front-on. They feature the same metal body design and chamfered edges, but when you take a closer look, there are subtle differences.”
SIZE/DISPLAY
The Mate 9 measures 156.9 x 78.9mm while the Mate 8 measures 157.1 x 80.6mm and with a 5.9-inches screen, the Mate 9 is marginally smaller than the Mate 8 which flaunts a 6-inches screen. Both phones are 7.9mm thick.
Both the Mate 9 and its predecessor, the Mate 8 feature IPS LCD capacitive touch-screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolutions. The pixel density in the new Mate 9 is 373 pixels per inch (ppi) which is slightly higher than that of the Mate 8 which is 368ppi.
OPERATING SYSTEM (OS)
The Mate 9 runs Android OS, version 7.0 (Nougat) while the Mate 8 runs Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow), but this is not a permanent difference since the device maker says the Mate 8 OS can be upgraded to version 7.0 (Nougat).
The Android Nougat (EMUI 5.0) embedded in the new Mate 9 is a new software, the upgraded version of the EMUI 4.0 that came with the Mate 8. The upgraded version implies that Huawei has worked on the shortcomings of the previous version.
HARDWARE/CHIPSET
The new Mate 9 according to its maker, packs the latest flagship chipset from Huawei- Kirin 960 which is the successor to Kirin 950 which made its debut with the Mate 8. The newer is an octa-core processor like the predecessor but makes use of four Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz.
The Kirin 960 comes handy than the Kirin 950 when it comes to handling graphic intensive tasks. Therefore, the Mate 9 has a higher graphics performance, thanks to the new Mali G71 GPU, which is sourced from ARM. With framework optimized for Vulkan, this platform is far more responsive and should make for a smoother experience than that of the Mate 8.
BATTERY
Both the new Mate 9 and its predecessor- the Mate 8 feature 4000mAh battery and with smart power-saving technology, which according to Huawei, provides two days usage. The device maker says its Super-Charge technology safely charges the device for a full day’s power in 20 minutes.
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