Huawei Mate 9 Review: A Well-Appointed Android Device, At A Bargain Price
Huawei Mate 9 Review: Battery Life And Our Final Rating
To determine how the Huawei Mate 9 compares to other smartphones with respect to battery life, we ran the device through PCMark for Android's Work 2.0 Battery Life test. We'd caution these tests are designed to better understand what a moderate to heavy, "always-on" usage model might look like in terms of battery life, rather than a mainstream, light-duty off/on mixed usage.
Futuremark's PCMark for Android Work 2.0 Battery test takes workloads from the benchmark itself (image and video editing, email and web browsing) and scripts them in a loop that runs until battery levels drop below 20 percent. This test is much more real-world in terms of its
That’s what a well-managed 4000 mAh battery will get you. The Mate 9 easily passes eight hours of hard runtime and should get even demanding users a full day of use, if not more.
That brings us back full circle. As much as we love to dig into graphics benchmarks and push phones to the nth degree, the reality is that most users don’t ride their phones on the ragged edge of performance. The majority of users simply want a device that’s good enough and, ideally, won’t need recharging before bedtime. We’d say that the Mate 9, even now, meets these criteria. Our only major complaint is its flaccid audio performance. If that doesn’t bother you, and if you’re OK with only a full HD resolution screen heading into late 2017, then we say “game on!”
The Huawei Mate 9 delivers a great experience at a much more palatable price point than today's flagships. It’s got great battery life and a respectable camera, although you will want to invest the time into learning its pro features and understanding how to get the best results. Once you look away from some of the benchmark charts and back at the device running in your hands, you realize that it handles even demanding applications with smooth, steady ease. You should probably invest in a better case than the plastic shield it’s boxed with, but Huawei including any case at all was a nice touch.
With the launch of its next-gen devices on the way, further discounts on the roughly $450 Mate 9 seem likely, which is just going to make the story even better. The Mate 9 is a solid phone that delivers great quality with very few exceptions. Whether you’re pinching pennies on a quick phone replacement or simply want to get the most bang for your buck, give this phone the consideration it deserves.
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