Huawei P9 Review - Battery and conclusion Review
Battery and conclusion
Still the best phone yet from Huawei?
Sections
- Page 1 Huawei P9 Review
- Page 2 Software and performance Review
- Page 3 Camera Review
- Page 4 Battery and conclusion Review
Huawei P9 – Battery
Smartphones’ battery lives haven’t evolved at the same rate as their other qualities. To date most smartphones struggle to constantly last more than one to two days off a single charge. The Huawei P9 doesn’t change this trend, but it’s no worse than most competing handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10.
With regular use I usually got around one to one and a half day’s use out of the phone’s non-removable Li-Ion 3400mAh battery. Regular use entailed taking and making a few calls, chatting on Hangouts throughout the day, sporadically checking my email and social media feeds, watching a couple of YouTube videos and intermittent music listening.
The phone also dealt fairly well with demanding tasks like video streaming and gaming. Watching Netflix over my lunch break with the screen on 60% brightness the P9 lost 12-15% of its charge, which is pretty standard for a 2016 flagship. Gaming took a bigger toll on the battery. Playing Riptide GP2 the phone lost 15-23% of its charge per hour, which is again normal.
The inclusion of fast charging support also makes it quick and easy to top up the phone’s battery. During my entire time using the P9 it never took more than an hour to fully charge, when connected to a powerful enough plug.
Related: Best smartphone 2016
Should I buy the Huawei P9?
The P9 is the best Huawei phone to date. The Leica-branded camera may not fully deliver on Huawei’s claims, but it’s still as good, if not better than, most competing phone cameras.
The P9 doesn’t quite match competing handsets, such as the Galaxy S7, when it comes to its other hardware, but with a £449 starting price it’s over £100 cheaper than its key rivals. The phone’s nippy performance, robust build quality, and solid battery life mean it will meet
most users’ needs.
Were it not for the reappearance of Huawei’s EMUI Android skin – which, apart from the LG G5’s UX 5.0, is probably the worst on the market – I’d happily recommend the P9 as a great choice for any smartphone buyer looking for a good deal.
Verdict
The best phone Huawei’s ever made, but it repeats old mistakes.
How we test phones
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Trusted Score
Score in detail
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Performance 8
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Camera 9
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Design 8
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Battery Life 8
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Value 8
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Software 7
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Calls & Sound 8
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Screen Quality 8
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
