The Huawei P9, the latest premium smartphone from Chinese device maker Huawei has been officially launched in the Kenyan market. The device, which was unveiled globally at the beginning of April, will be going for Kshs 55,000 for the 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage model, making it the most affordable premium smartphone in the Kenyan market from any of the top three smartphone vendors in the world. The rest, Apple and Samsung, have premium devices whose pricing starts at well over Kshs 70,000.
The Huawei P9 is the successor to last year’s excellent P8 and from my first hands-on with the device, it actually feels the same only with enhanced looks and internals.
The P9’s main selling point is its dual-camera setup at the back. The two 12-megapixel sensors combine to produce superior images while the device’s other key specifications like the Kirin 955 processor make sure it has the right amount of power to be able to handle all those tasks.
Huawei is banking on the camera’s prowess to drive sales of the device since mobile photography is now a big thing and the camera is up there with the display’s quality and the battery life as the most important components of any smartphone.
Specifications of the Huawei P9 are as follows:
- Size and weight: 145 x 70.9 x 6.95mm, 144g
- Display: 5.2-inch Full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS LCD
- Processor: Octa-core Kirin 955
- Memory: 32 or 64 GB internal memory (expandable up to 256 GB on the second SIM slot), 3 or 4 GB RAM
- Camera: Rear : Dual 12 MP (monochrome + colour), f/2.2
1.76-micron pixel equivalent sensor with Leica certification; Front: 8 MP, f/2.4 - Operating system: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Emotion UI 4.1 on top
- Battery: 3,000 mAh
- Network: 3G, LTE
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, USB Type-C
- Others: Fingerprint sensor, Dual-SIM
- Colour options: Prestige Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Silver and Mystic Silver
Conspicuously missing in action at the launch in Nairobi earlier today were the Huawei P9 Plus and Huawei P9 Lite. According to Huawei Kenya’s marketing manager Milicent Ngatia, the two devices will be made available in due course. The P9 Plus is expected in the Kenyan market in July with the P9 Lite following later.
The Huawei P9 started retailing in Kenya officially on June 4th at the above-quoted price after being available on pre-order for three weeks. It is available in all Safaricom retail shops countrywide as well as other outlets like Dixons, ART, Tricom and Huawei’s flagship brand store at the Garden City Mall.
