Huawei nova 9 review: unboxing and first impression

Huawei is finally back on the smartphone market, at least in Europe, because they recently introduced the Huawei nova 9, the first smartphone for Europe in a long time. This device from the Chinese manufacturer also comes without Google services, but that should no longer surprise anyone. In terms of price and hardware, the nova 9 is not a flagship, but rather a high-end device.

For a recommended retail price of 499 euros, customers get a large OLED display with a smooth 120 Hertz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 778G from Qualcomm, a 50 megapixel quad camera with unique RYYB technology, 66 watt fast charge and more much more offered. In this article we want to unpack the nova 9 first and then report on our first impressions after a few hours of use.

Unboxing - proper scope of delivery

The Huawei nova 9 comes in the typical white Huawei packaging, which seems to have not changed significantly for years. The front of the packaging is decorated with the product name, a reference to the in-house AppGallery and the Nova logo. After the cover has been removed, the smartphone is the first thing to appear. A very good protective film against scratches is attached to the display, which is definitely procan be used without problems. The scope of delivery also includes a transparent protective cover, which makes a solid impression. Otherwise, Huawei also supplies a 66 watt fast charge power adapter, a suitable cable and a SIM needle for the dual SIM slot. You won't find headphones here, which I don't think is too bad. At least here, unlike some flagships, a fast-charge power supply is included, which I find very commendable.

Huawei nova 9 in the first impression

The Huawei nova 9 has made a very good first impression so far, and I particularly like the design. The frame is unfortunately only made of plastic with a high-gloss finish, but since the back is made of matt glass in blue, the smartphone still feels pleasantly high-quality. In addition, the nova 9 is quite light with a weight of 175 grams and with a thickness of only 7,77 millimeters it is currently one of the thinnest smartphones on the market. In addition, there is a display that is slightly rounded on both sides, which makes the nova 9 even more compact in the hand.

So far, I also really like the display mentioned above. It is a 6,57-inch OLED panel, which has a pleasantly sharp resolution of 2.340 x 1.080 pixels and also supports a fluid refresh rate of 120 Hertz. Paired with the Snapdragon 778G 4G, the high refresh rate ensures a great user experience, but I'll have to test that more closely over the next few days. The in-house user interface EMUI in version 12, based on Android 11, is used as software. From the first impression EMUI 12 hardly differs from its own operating system HarmonyOS, which we already have in our Review of the Huawei P50 Pro examined a little more closely. There are many additional functions, the software is logically and beautifully structured, animations are played back so smoothly in hardly any other software and overall I am a big fan of EMUI. Unfortunately, there are no Google apps to be found and these cannot be (anymore) proinstall without any problems. Almost all the apps that I need on a daily basis work without any major problems, which is why I get along perfectly well without Google services, but for the majority of people this is probably the biggest criticism of this actually great smartphone, which I can absolutely understand.

The fingerprint sensor also makes a good impression and the vibration motor provides a sufficiently high-quality feeling in the hand. It's not the best, but you can handle it very well. So far, however, the speaker has left a somewhat disappointing impression. In 2021, Huawei will actually install a mono speaker on the underside of a 500 euro smartphone, which, according to my first impressions, doesn't sound particularly good either.

At the moment, I can't say too much about the battery life or the camera, I need a few more days for that and then my detailed review will follow here TechnikNews, in which we will take a closer look at the individual points of the smartphone.