Following the recent flagship trend of releasing multiple variations on the same phone, Huawei has debuted the P9 Plus. While other manufacturers just scale up their variations, there are some subtle differences to the P9 Plus compared to its smaller sibling.
We’ve scoured the reviews to find out the important differences and find out what others are saying. Let’s break things down!
Thanks to an upgrade in screen size, the phone is slightly larger than the standard P9. However, the changes to the screen don’t stop at size, it’s also a different screen type. Reviews note that switching from an 5.2 IPS panel to a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED has brought some additional contrast and less power usage from the display.
The P9 Plus is also one of the first Android phones with a pressure-sensitive display. Unfortunately, reviews were lackluster on the new feature. Some found it interrupted the usual flow of regular tasks, such as moving app icons or copying and pasting. Also, the feature is currently only supported by Huawei apps--many of which you’ll likely bundle in a folder and ignore anyhow.
While Huawei stuck with the same processor for the Plus, the did add 1GB of RAM bringing the phone up to 4GB total. Reviews did notice a performance boost--particularly when multitasking or playing games. You’ll also find the internal storage doubled for the Plus to 64GB.
To help keep battery life competitive, the Plus includes a 3,400mAh battery--up 400mAh from the standard model. Reviewers had no problem getting a day plus of use out of single charge and the added fast charging worked as expected for quick top offs when needed.
For additional information about the phone, including camera performance, design and thoughts on Huawei’s EMUI interface, check out our previous review summary of the Huawei P9!
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Alan Martin, AlphrThe Huawei P9 Lite is a great choice. It doesn’t feel like a £190 phone. Performance wise, it pushes elbows in front of both our other budget favourites – the Moto G4 and Samsung Galaxy J5 – with impressive ease. Both those handsets are getting on a bit, of course, and no dou...
- Gary Sims, Android AuthorityThe Huawei P9 Plus certainly offers a lot. It’s thin, has a great battery, there is good performance, the dual-sensor camera and the nice 5.5 inch display. The only wrinkle I can foresee that could slow its wide spread adoption is EMUI.
- Cam Bunton, Pocket-lintAs an all-round device, the Huawei P9 Plus is brilliant in many ways. In the same breath, however, there's nothing to help it truly stand out from the competition.
- Katharine Byrne, Expert ReviewsThe P9 Plus isn’t a resounding success. It has marginally better battery life, more storage and a slightly bigger screen than the regular P9, but at £550 it finds itself comprehensively outgunned by rivals such as the Galaxy S7 or LG G5. The Leica branding and monochrome camera may be a...
- Andrew Williams, TechRadarA phone that looks, feels, and is expensive, the Huawei P9 Plus has a generous dollop of luxury to it. Thanks to very solid battery life it's easy to live with too. However, at this price you can pick almost any phone you like, and we're not convinced its pressure sensitive screen and dual camera se...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei P9 Plus user manual here.
Huawei backs up the P9 Plus with a 3 Years parts & labour warranty.
If your P9 Plus has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Huawei support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Huawei's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides Helpful Links Share / Embed
Maybe one of your friends will find this review helpful? Please help us spread the word.
