Huawei P9 & P9 Lite Reviews, Tips & Tricks

Took the plunge yesterday and purchased the P9 Lite 3GB RAM (VNS-L31) version from DION Wired @ R 5,400 (what they called a 'special').
Not sure the extra money for the extra RAM and local product will really be worth-it, time will tell.
With the OrangeZA price set @ R 4,755 regardless, together with a heavy dose of FOMO, I convinced myself that it could not wait any longer and paid the R 645 premium for instant gratification... :D

So far - ALL expectations met and exceeded. Exchange365 admin-encryption is a non-issue as hoped. Bonus: I can actually use the fingerprint sensor to lock/unlock - wasn't authorised by our Exchange ADMIN on previous phones/Android versions.

Was so eager to get going that I had to undertake a DIY Sunday-eve micro-to-nano SIM cutting/filing job - thankfully this worked out well.

Some observations:
Look and feel - as good as all the reviews.
Silky smooth UI (running Google Now launcher). No lag switching between multiple apps, camera and more. Also nothing wrong with EMUI 4.1, I'm just used to Google's launcher.
Woudaarkom bloatware frustrating as usual, but a few minutes and all that is isolated and uninstalled/stopped.
Battery life - impressive.
Charge time seems to be a bit of an issue as also reported elsewhere: a 2.3A charger shows max 850mA charge on Ampere app... Even on a much older Galaxy S4 and S5, this is around >1,200-1,500 mA. Will have to test a bit more, but quicker charge would have been helpful. I guess if forced to choose, I'd rather have a large capacity battery without quick-charging, than the other way around.

Included screen protector already applied in factory - fingerprint magnet. Will soon replace with tempered glass.
Included case - not Huawei's proudest moment, but hey, who else throws these in for 'free'... Looking for a replacement.

With what appears to be similar day-to-day performance, I'm now convinced (and relieved) knowing that a 15k ZAR 'flagship' would not have given the same sense of performance + features vs value. I think this might become the very phone that inclines me to rather follow an annual replacement strategy with solid mid-rangers as opposed to overpriced 'flagship failure'.

Fingers crossed that the good times last.
 
acp said:
Took the plunge yesterday and purchased the P9 Lite 3GB RAM (VNS-L31) version from DION Wired @ R 5,400 (what they called a 'special').
Not sure the extra money for the extra RAM and local product will really be worth-it, time will tell.
With the OrangeZA price set @ R 4,755 regardless, together with a heavy dose of FOMO, I convinced myself that it could not wait any longer and paid the R 645 premium for instant gratification... :D

Included case - not Huawei's proudest moment, but hey, who else throws these in for 'free'... Looking for a replacement.
Click to expand...

I could not wait either when I ordered from Orange, that's why I bought the white in stock one instead of the black.

I bought 2 cases, a black leather wallet style and a more sleek metal bumper with acrylic back. I prefer the bumper because it does not add too much size.
2abef3f3bb84e3b576feb746dadd3689.jpg
 
So to confirm, Telkom P9 and P9 lite are dual sims? Because after enquiring from them which phones have dual sims, they said they only have the P8 lite.
 
Natbro said:
So to confirm, Telkom P9 and P9 lite are dual sims? Because after enquiring from them which phones have dual sims, they said they only have the P8 lite.
Click to expand...

Correct - I am yet to come across any mention of a single SIM P9.
However, the second SIM tray also accommodates a microSD card, therefore if you need a second SIM, you cannot have a microSD card at the same time. This could pose a challenge on the P9 Lite where the internal storage is limited to 16GB max. Available after OS and baseline apps only approx. 8-10GB. Not sure about the P9, but I think they go 32GB max internal.
 
Ok great. Now who has P9 or P9 lite that is using two sims? Does it work out of the box?
 
acp said:
Correct - I am yet to come across any mention of a single SIM P9.
However, the second SIM tray also accommodates a microSD card, therefore if you need a second SIM, you cannot have a microSD card at the same time. This could pose a challenge on the P9 Lite where the internal storage is limited to 16GB max. Available after OS and baseline apps only approx. 8-10GB. Not sure about the P9, but I think they go 32GB max internal.
Click to expand...

There is the single sim variant and I heard Vodacom has them, atleast that's what the rep told me although doubt set in when she took 30min to log into the system. I got the dual variant from Telkom.

EVA-L19 is dual
EVA-L09 is single

Natbro said:
Ok great. Now who has P9 or P9 lite that is using two sims? Does it work out of the box?
Click to expand...

Yeah. Got 2 Telkom sims.

Sim1 3G->LTE
Sim2 2G

You can specify the LTE sim on the fly and specify which sim to use for voice calls.
 
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Downloaded a EMUI update last night it was 183mb
 
Any local accessories for the p9( cases/ chargers etc) that you guys bought? Please let us know. Want to buy a couple of type C cables
 
Got the P9 lite(2GB RAM) from Telkom. L22. I assume its dual sim, it has two IMEI numbers on the box.
 
So does Telkom also nail you with a thousand extra things on your monthly bill?

i.e. MTN says something costs R350 / month then it's actually R450 a month with the additional extras like itemized billing ect (until you get them removed).
 
inanabhay said:
Is it worth it to upgrade from the P8 Lite to the P9 Lite?
Click to expand...
Don't think so specs wise they are quite similar. The only noticeable thing for me is the fingerprint reader and the camera has a few more options. Other than that they feel pretty similar to use.
 
JJCT said:
Don't think so specs wise they are quite similar. The only noticeable thing for me is the fingerprint reader and the camera has a few more options. Other than that they feel pretty similar to use.
Click to expand...
Love the fingerprint read!
 
DA-LION-619 said:
Love the fingerprint read!
Click to expand...
It's really good. It's quicker than I thought it would be and more responsive also I thought it would be more strict with finger placement but you can use it about 90° left or right to the reader.
 
Yeah, i noticed that there isn't much difference between the P8 Lite and P9 Lite, although, the bigger battery should last longer
 
inanabhay said:
Yeah, i noticed that there isn't much difference between the P8 Lite and P9 Lite, although, the bigger battery should last longer
Click to expand...
The fingerprint reader is what made me buy the P9 Lite over the P8 Lite. Although I only use it to unlock the phone now, I think fingerprint readers are going to become a part of most apps sooner rather than later.
 
Agree with all the positive feedback on the fingerprint reader. Wasn't even something I considered important and it has become one of the most enjoyable features for me. It really works seamlessly. Can even use it upside down while driving with the phone in the car mount. That and the excellent battery life alone makes the purchase worth it. It can take a serious day of hammering and still have some left by midnight.

Must admit I had some issues while setting up, mostly cosmetic and due to Marshmallow's heavy security scrutiny - not a bad thing per sé. The EMUI theme with the square icons really looks awful, but after some searching, that's now fixed. A screen overlay such as Twilight really does not play nice with Marshmallow, but once they all 'settle in', it gets better. Had to sort out a few niggles like these, but nothing worse when compared to previous phones.

The longish charging time (+/- 2 hours) still gets me, but the long battery life counters this.

To me, the fact that the P9 Lite still uses micro USB (not type C), is a benefit as I'm not ready to make the big conversion for a single device yet. I do realise it's coming for us all, but hopefully in time the quality type-c cables and converters will become more affordable.
 
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