In case you missed it, Huawei Philippines has recently launched its newest nova 9 SE in the Philippines. The device is equipped with a 6.78-inch 2.5D curved TFT LCD (IPS) screen w/ 90Hz refresh rate, 2.4GHz 6nm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor, 108-megapixel AI quad rear camera setup, 16-megapixel selfie camera, and a 4,000mAh battery with 66W fast charging.

We’re fortunate enough to get our hands on an early unit of the Huawei nova 9 SE in Crystal Blue variant that is uniquely coated with dual-film dual-plating plus a nano-texture technology to give it a beautiful and dazzling finish. Here is our unboxing and initial impressions of Huawei’s latest camera-centric smartphone.

Unboxing/Accessories

The Huawei nova 9 SE arrived with the familiar white box with model name and nova branding. I also noticed the AppGallery icon on the lower portion of the box. This means that Huawei is actively promoting its own app store as a replacement for Google Play.

Huawei Nova 9 SE - Unboxing — What’s Inside the Box

Inside the box contains the Huawei nova 9 SE handset, and it also comes with a FREE clear TPU flexible case, 66W Huawei SuperCharge wall charger, USB-A to USB-C power cable, paper documentations and the SIM ejector tool.

Honestly it’s really nice to see that Huawei still includes a charger and a silicone case inside the box when most brands nowadays no longer have these accessories out of the box. However, it is unfortunate that Huawei did not include earphones.

Build Quality/Design

The Huawei Nova 9 SE has a minimalist design with rounded sides and a flat display blasted with a radiant, sparkling effect on the backplate. The backplate of our Nova 9 SE review sample, which is Crystal Blue, features a mirrored blue finish with dazzling highlights when the phone is shifted around.

With a 1.05mm ultra-narrow bezel and a 7.49mm ultra-thin design, the phone is tall and slim. It’s also very light, at only 175 grams.

The Nova 9 SE comes with a 6.57-inch curved OLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080, a 3D glass rear cover, and a punch-hole camera.

Despite the absence of an OLED display in the vanilla edition, the Nova 9 SE’s LCD display is incredibly clear and detailed, making it ideal for watching HD films on the phone. In fact, the lack of an OLED display on the screen gave photos a more realistic appearance when taking photos.

If you want to listen to music, the phone has a USB Type-C port on the bottom but no 3.5 mm socket, so you’ll need to buy a headphone jack adapter which is not included in the box else you’ll need to invest on a pair of wireless earbuds.

On the top of this device is where you will find the secondary microphone as well as the hybrid dual SIM tray. We also noticed that it has a red rubber ring to provide some sort of water resistance.

On the right side is where the volume rocker and the power button that also doubles as a fingerprint scanner is located.

The bottom part of the phone has a speaker grille, USB Type-C port, and the microphone.

Camera

The new HUAWEI nova 9 SE is equipped with a 108MP AI Quad Camera system comprising a 108-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with a f/2.2 aperture, a 2-megapixel depth camera, and a 2-megapixel a macro lens with f/2.4 aperture for each.

Huawei boasts that the Nova 9 SE’s Super Nightscapes feature can handle low-light photography without a tripod. Despite the lack of OIS, the phone delivered on its promise; just make sure your hands aren’t too shaken.

Videos can be recorded in four different resolutions: 4k, 1080p, and 720p. The Dual-View video feature lets you record a video using the rear camera and selfie camera at the same time! Which is perfect for creating vlogs that give you a unique perspective. This function is best for content creation, such as vlogs or tiktok videos, because it allows you to easily capture two perspectives. Alternatively, you can also use the Dual-View to simultaneously shoot a close-up and a wide-angle photo.

The Nova 9 SE has a 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera with an aperture of f/2.0. In normal daylight shots, it produces a decent amount of detail and high contrast. In low light, the camera pulled out decent colors. Saturation is acceptable, though image noise is more visible.

Overall, the Nova 9 SE’s camera performance is above-average considering its low price tag.

Here are some sample photos using Nova 9 SE:

Huawei nova 9 SE Specs

Display: 6.78-inch 2.5D curved TFT LCD (IPS) screen w/ 90Hz refresh rate, 270Hz touch sampling rate, FHD+ 2388 x 1080 resolution at 387 ppi
CPU: 2.4GHz 6nm Snapdragon 680 octa-core processor
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 8GB
ROM: 128GB
Back Camera: 108 MP f/1.9 w/ Phase focus, contrast focus + 8MP f/2.2 112-degree ultra-wide-angle + 2MP f/2.4 4cm macro + LED flash
Selfie Camera: 16MP f/2.2
Battery: 4,000mAh w/ 66W SuperCharge
OS: EMUI 12
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, dual SIM
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic, pressure
Others: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, graphene heat dissipation system, USB-C, Colors: Crystal Blue, Pearl White, Midnight Black
Dimensions: 164.64 x 75.55 x 7.94 mm
Weight: 191 g
Price: PHP 13,999