Huawei nova 9 and nova 8i: Two exciting new smartphones unveiled

Huawei has presented two new smartphones in the upper mid-range with the HUAWEI nova 9 and HUAWEI nova 8i. The Chinese manufacturer relies on a 120 Hz display and a powerful 50 MP Ultra Vision camera for the sophisticated nova 9, while the nova 8i wants to convince with a screen-to-body ratio of 94.7%. Unfortunately, however, Huawei is still struggling with trade restrictions, so not only are there no Google services, but also only 4G instead of 5G.

HUAWEI nova 9: Strong cameras in stylish design

The design of the HUAWEI nova 9 is supposed to appeal to younger buyers in particular. Thereby, the smartphone is in the colors Starry Blue and Black a fashionable companion and offers modern design elements, powerful performance and innovative features, as well as strong camera, which is also to convince with fast snapshots.

Weighing just 175g and 7.77 mm thick, the smartphone fits well in the hand. Thanks to double coating, the smartphone is supposed to be particularly resistant to fingerprints. Huawei relies on a 6.57-inch (16.69 cm) 120 Hz original color curved display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels for the display of the nova 9.

It displays 1.07 billion colors, offers a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, and a touch sampling rate of 300 Hz for optimal responsiveness. Depending on the application, the display switches between 60 and 120 Hz, which saves battery power.

This offers enough endurance with 4300 mAh capacity and is fully charged within 38 minutes with 66 W SuperCharge. Rounding out the hardware of the HUAWEI nova 9 is 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, the Snapdragon 778G 4G processor and Wi-Fi 6.

HUAWEI nova 9 with quad camera

In terms of the camera, the nova 9 relies on a 4x Ultra Vision camera in a nebular design. The camera is composed of a 50 MP Ultra Vision camera, an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a depth and macro camera of 2 MP each.

In conjunction with artificial intelligence as well as the XD Fusion Engine, it produces shots with high quality and detail. This is complemented by a large 1/1.56-inch sensor and a high-light-sensitivity RYYB CFA that captures 40 percent more light compared to a standard RGGB sensor.

On the front, images are captured with a 32-megapixel sensor that also allows video in 4K and features AI image stabilization. A special highlight is the simultaneous as well as seamless use of the front and rear camera: switching the camera works without interrupting the recording. The Dual View function goes one step further, allowing both cameras to be used simultaneously to capture two subjects when vlogging.

Image quality of the Huawei nova 9

We were already able to try out the HUAWEI nova 9 during an event. The following pictures were taken directly with the smartphone.

HUAWEI nova 8i: Super camera and super fast charging

The much cheaper HUAWEI nova 8i relies on an edge-to-edge 6.67-inch (16.94 cm) display with a built-in blue light filter. With 1080 x 2376, FHD+ display and a screen-to-body ratio of 94.7 percent, as well as DCI-P3 color gamut support to display true-to-life colors and vivid details, the smartphone offers an immersive viewing experience.

Thanks to HUAWEI’s 66-watt SuperCharge technology, the smartphone charges to 60 percent in just 17 minutes. A full charge of the 4,300 mAh battery takes 38 minutes.

The HUAWEI nova 8i features a 4x AI camera. The high-resolution 64 MP main camera with 1/1.7-inch sensor can capture clear images with crisp details. Thanks to the 120-degree ultra-wide angle, more content can be packed into the picture, while the macro camera can capture the finest details from just 4 cm away.

The HUAWEI nova 8i is also equipped for nighttime walks and supports Super Night Shot 2.0 technology. This allows exceptional photos to be taken even at night. The HUAWEI nova 8i convinces with an internal memory of 128 GB and 8 GB of RAM.

Prices and availability

The HUAWEI nova 9 will be available in stores and the HUAWEI Online Store on November 02, 2021. The recommended retail price is 499 euros. Pre-orderers in the period from October 21 to November 14, 2021 will receive the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro worth 179 euros for free.

The HUAWEI nova 8i is already available in stores as well as in the HUAWEI Online Store. Here, the MSRP is 349 euros.  All buyers who purchase the smartphone by October 31, 2021, will get the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4i in silver worth 99 Euros as a gift.