Tsepz_GP
Executive Member
So I've been using the Nova 9 SE for a few months now and kept pushing back putting out the review as I kept going back and forth between it and the Mate 40 Pro, anyone who knows me knows I always favour the Mate series design and features, especially due to being spoilt by the incredible camera system of the Mate along with its high density display and 5G.
With the above being said, the Nova 9 SE has really impressed me, despite this being more of a mid end device, it brings a lot of the features that are appreciated in higher end devices such as a large battery, super fast charging, high refresh rate screen and very loud speaker.
It features:
- 6.78inch, 1080P resolution, 90hz refresh rate screen
- 4000mAh battery + 66W Supercharging
- 108MP Camera flanked by 8MP ultra wide, 2MP Macro and 2MP depth cameras
- Price: R7999
consumer.huawei.com
At the heart of the Nova 9 SE is a the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip, which proves to be pretty efficient and has the Nova not only running fast and mostly smooth but also running for well over a day on a charge, making the Nova 9 SE a great phone to have if you are constantly on the go and need your phone to last long and quickly charge up if you need to top up.
Overall in terms of performance I've found the Nova 9 SE to be great at its price point, however I did spot the odd stutter and also the screen in terms of quality is not a flagship one, this goes for the camera to. The camera is not at P50 Pro or Mate 40 Pro levels, but it will still deliver great images and video in good lighting, it is more than adequate enough for using on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
Coming from flagship devices, one has to remember that this phone is targeting a buyer who is looking for bang for their buck and the Nova 9 SE delivers on this, the battery easily does a full day for me with plenty left when I go to bed, if you are a more moderate user you could probably get a 2nd and possibly even a 3rd day in there, this really depends on how heavily you use your phone and what you do. If you sit on apps like TikTok a lot you may need to charge a little sooner but this is well covered thanks to the 66W charging that gets the phone up from 0-75% in just 20 minutes according to Huawei, in my personal usage I got it from 17% to 100% in just 31 minutes (sbwl️ such on the iPhone).
Fully charged in 31mins...
The elephant in the room is that Google Services are not available officially for the Nova 9 SE, however Huawei App Gallery is able to source the apps from APKPure. Most of the local apps such as Banking apps are officially available directly from Huawei App Gallery itself, so are apps like Bolt, InDriver and Didi, along with food delivery apps like Mr. D Food.
In terms of maps and turn-by-turn you are also able to use the Nokia developed HERE Maps and Huaweis own Petal Maps.
The Nova 9 SE runs EMUI12.0.1, unfortunately the device is on the May 2022 security patch as of writing this review. Huawei much like many other Android manufacturers definetly seems to focus on the flagships in this area as the Mate 40 Pro I am writing this on is on the latest July 2022 patch, hopefully the Nova 9 SE catches up soon.
If you are looking for a budget friendly device that delivers, I would definitely recommend having the Nova 9 SE on your short list of devices to try out in store!
consumer.huawei.com
Some size comparisons with the Mate 40 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max:
With the above being said, the Nova 9 SE has really impressed me, despite this being more of a mid end device, it brings a lot of the features that are appreciated in higher end devices such as a large battery, super fast charging, high refresh rate screen and very loud speaker.
It features:
- 6.78inch, 1080P resolution, 90hz refresh rate screen
- 4000mAh battery + 66W Supercharging
- 108MP Camera flanked by 8MP ultra wide, 2MP Macro and 2MP depth cameras
- Price: R7999
Buy HUAWEI nova 9 SE - HUAWEI Store (ZA)
Buy HUAWEI nova 9 SE with 108MP High-Res Photography, 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge, HUAWEI FullView Display & more. Get yours from HUAWEI Store ZA.
consumer.huawei.com
At the heart of the Nova 9 SE is a the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chip, which proves to be pretty efficient and has the Nova not only running fast and mostly smooth but also running for well over a day on a charge, making the Nova 9 SE a great phone to have if you are constantly on the go and need your phone to last long and quickly charge up if you need to top up.
Overall in terms of performance I've found the Nova 9 SE to be great at its price point, however I did spot the odd stutter and also the screen in terms of quality is not a flagship one, this goes for the camera to. The camera is not at P50 Pro or Mate 40 Pro levels, but it will still deliver great images and video in good lighting, it is more than adequate enough for using on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
Coming from flagship devices, one has to remember that this phone is targeting a buyer who is looking for bang for their buck and the Nova 9 SE delivers on this, the battery easily does a full day for me with plenty left when I go to bed, if you are a more moderate user you could probably get a 2nd and possibly even a 3rd day in there, this really depends on how heavily you use your phone and what you do. If you sit on apps like TikTok a lot you may need to charge a little sooner but this is well covered thanks to the 66W charging that gets the phone up from 0-75% in just 20 minutes according to Huawei, in my personal usage I got it from 17% to 100% in just 31 minutes (sbwl️ such on the iPhone).
Fully charged in 31mins...
The elephant in the room is that Google Services are not available officially for the Nova 9 SE, however Huawei App Gallery is able to source the apps from APKPure. Most of the local apps such as Banking apps are officially available directly from Huawei App Gallery itself, so are apps like Bolt, InDriver and Didi, along with food delivery apps like Mr. D Food.
In terms of maps and turn-by-turn you are also able to use the Nokia developed HERE Maps and Huaweis own Petal Maps.
The Nova 9 SE runs EMUI12.0.1, unfortunately the device is on the May 2022 security patch as of writing this review. Huawei much like many other Android manufacturers definetly seems to focus on the flagships in this area as the Mate 40 Pro I am writing this on is on the latest July 2022 patch, hopefully the Nova 9 SE catches up soon.
If you are looking for a budget friendly device that delivers, I would definitely recommend having the Nova 9 SE on your short list of devices to try out in store!
Buy HUAWEI nova 9 SE - HUAWEI Store (ZA)
Buy HUAWEI nova 9 SE with 108MP High-Res Photography, 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge, HUAWEI FullView Display & more. Get yours from HUAWEI Store ZA.
consumer.huawei.com
Some size comparisons with the Mate 40 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max:
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