Huawei, a global top 3 brand who has been on a roll lately, launching a bunch of smartphones, is here with their latest mid-tier smartphone the Huawei Y9 2018. The phone also goes by the name ‘Huawei Nova 2i Lite’ and was launched a couple of days ago here for Rs 25,900. The Y9 2018 packs some great under the hood specs, a near bezel-less display, A.R capabilities, quad-camera setup, and much more. But is the phone worth the price? Is it the best mid-tier smartphone among all the competition out there? Well, before we answer these questions, let’s take our first peak and see what the phone is all about.
The Huawei Y9 2018 arrived at our office two day ago, and I have been using it ever since. The phone, itself, comes in some pretty good packaging with a white lid and colorful graphics representing the product. Popping off the lid, you are immediately greeted by the phone itself in all its glory. Moving the phone aside for a while, the next thing in the box is a sim-ejector tool sitting snug under a compartment. Pulling the pull tab, you get the usual paper works, a power brick, a USB Type 2.0 cable and a pair of earphones. The phone also includes a transparent TPU case which is a great addition.
At least you don’t need to run out and buy a case immediately!
Going back to the phone, on initial impressions, it feels and looks amazing! The metal chassis in the gold color variant screams quality all around. The gold color too is not that godly, unlike some other gold colored phones from competing brands. That said, the new Dark Blue color the Y9 2018 comes with caught my eye and probably is my favorite among the bunch. I would totally go for that color if I were buying the phone!
Besides, the build I immediately fell in love with the 5.93-inch Full HD+ (2160*1080) near bezel-less display the phone flaunts. The 2.5D glass, the phone comes with, further add to the appeal and usability of the device. Not only the physical aspect but the display itself is very good! Though being an IPS display, it is very vibrant with a variable scale of brightness level. Watching some Youtube videos and firing up a quick game was a pleasant experience on this phone.
Under the hood, the Huawei Y9 2018 packs an octa-core Kirin 659 processor along with the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU. Backing up all that silicon is 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. These combinations made up for a pleasant experience. The phone was easily able to handle everything I threw at it. Everything from scrolling through Facebook to playing graphics intense games was a smooth experience on the phone. Speaking of which, playing games on this device was a surreal experience due to the presence of the 18:9 near bezel-less display. The contents felt very immersive!
Moving on, at the software front, the Y9 2018 runs EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. It is a sweet deal that the phone is offering Android Oreo out of the box. All Pun intended! The software is packed to the gills with tons of features and tweaks that make up for a great user experience. Features like dual-apps, game mode, karaoke mode, and A.R selfies are useful software tweaks that I loved using. I also appreciate the inclusion of Face Unlock which added an extra layer of security to the phone. The Y9 2018 does have a fingerprint scanner, but having multiple choice of security is always welcomed.
In the camera department, the Huawei Y9 2018 packs a quad-camera set up with 2 lenses being on either side of the device. At the rear, we have a combination of f/2.2 13MP and a 2MP sensor accompanied by an LED flash. While the front boasts an f/2.0 16MP and a 2MP sensors also equipped with a LED flash. Images taken by the cameras were very good with an exuberant amount of vibrancy, sharpness, and depth.
With my limited time with the phone, I was somewhat surprised by its low light capabilities. The phone was able to take some amazing shots even under less than ample lighting conditions. I will cover the camera more vigorously in our full in-depth review. On initial impression though, I am highly impressed with the camera offerings of the Huawei Y9 2018.
And finally, powering the device all up is a 4000mAh non-user removable battery. The battery life of the phone was amazing in my two days of use. I got somewhere around 5-6 hours of on-screen time with the phone. That said, I do wish Huawei had included a USB Type-C port, instead of the USB Type 2.0 port, and some fast charging capabilities with the phone.
Early Verdict: Huawei Y9 2018
The Huawei Y9 2018 is a great mid-tier smartphone that has a lot to offer. It takes a lot of cues from the Huawei Nova 2i and builds on it. Huawei is brandishing the Y9 2018 as a camera phone and I can see why! The quad-cameras are amazing and, to be completely honest, I am absolutely in love with them. That said, I do wish Huawei had included a USB Type-C port instead of the USB Type 2.0 that it comes with. This inclusion would have been the icing on the cake for this phone.
But is the phone the best mid-tier smartphone among all the other competitors? Is the price well worth it? Well, it is still too soon to answer those questions. I will put the phone through its paces in the days to come and finally answer these questions for you guys in our full review. So stay tuned for that! One thing, though, I can say without hesitation is that the phone is one of the better phones under Rs 26,000 here in Nepal.
Also Read: Huawei Nova 2i: Nepal Reviews
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