Pros: Screen, battery, cameras, speakers, size of phone, performance, price is low for flagship device like this, ease of use, and I could go on and on. Cons: headphone jack is at the top, I like the bottom. Bottom line: buy this phone, and you will not regret it. It my have a big screen, but it's small in size compared to other phones with the same size screen.

Long story short: my week old Note8 128GB pass away (charging issues) so in the meantime to get it repaired I bought the Mate 9 with special discount, and let me tell you, at $399 I can't find a better option. Size and design feels very nice in hand, camera is excellent, speed is OK (can't compare with Note8 but it's half the price!). Huawei software is clean and polished. Battery life is so so but I hope it only improves over the coming days. Overall a very nice experience with my first Huawei.

When I saw that Huawei released the Mate 9, I had to immediately run to Best Buy and get my hands on this amazing phone. Let me say that I was previously an iPhone owner for many, many years since their 1st iPhone came out. After having the Apple 7 Plus for a month, I was bored and fed up with their rehashing of old technology and removal of things I NEED like a headphone jack. I sold my iPhone and bought a Samsung S7 Edge. Needless to say, that phone lasted a whole 60 days before I bought the Huawei Mate 9. I need to also mention that when I bought my S7, I also bought the Samsung Gear watch. That went back to the store less than 12 hours later where I exchanged it for the Huawei Watch. That, by far, has been the best decision I ever made. The Huawei Watch is a stunning piece that makes full use of the large round screen, is extremely responsive, stunningly gorgeous, and gets compliments all of the time. People can't believe that they can get such an amazing smart (and I do mean smart) watch at such an affordable price. So, needless to say, having such a stellar experience with their watch, I decided that I would give their Mate 9 a go. AMAZING! This phone is so well designed and thought out. The design and engineering on this phone is by far the best I have seen in any smart phone. I especially love the fingerprint reader on the back because it's what makes the most sense. When you grab a phone, your index finger is precisely where the reader is and the responsiveness of the reader is instant. Oh my, the camera! Holy (something I can't say here)! The capabilities of the camera are out of this world. Let's face it, they have partnered with an industry leader in optics, lenses, and photography. I'm familiar with the Leica brand due to the scanners they design that forensic investigators use to preserve crime scenes, so I knew that the camera had to be rather spectacular, and indeed it is. They have incorporated a second-generation Leica Dual Camera with a 12MP RGB sensor and 20MP monochrome sensor. This allows the cameras to work together to capture the absolute fine details of an image. You can make on screen adjustments prior to taking a picture by focusing on an object and then another circle on the screen allows you to focus the light elsewhere. Once your picture is taken, the editing capabilities are out of this world. Also, this has the capability to shoot in 4K. I'm a total gadget geek, own an IT/Network Engineering company, and I write my own tech blog - I have tinkered with many, many devices to the point where I drive my husband insane with my "must have" of the latest technology out there. I can definitively say, that this is by far the most impressive smart phone I have had the pleasure of laying my hands on. Understand, I am in no way affiliated with Huawei or have been given anything at all by them. I just feel strongly about giving credit where credit is due, and Huawei deserves it. Also, for someone like me, a business owner who is always out and about on projects, it's absolutely pointless to have a business line in my home office. Well.....wouldn't you know that you can have 2 sim cards in this? I admit, I didn't know that was "a thing", so when I saw this was a feature on this phone I was beyond excited because now I can completely separate my personal line from business line. I am to understand its not common practice in the U.S, but it is in Europe and Asia. Now, if you're one of those who feels turned off by the 1080p display.....DON'T! The colors a vibrant, the images are sharp, and with the 5'9" FHD display you will not even notice the difference. For audiophiles, like my husband and I, this phone fully supports flac (file and decoding). This is a very big plus. The Mate 9 also has a 4000mAh battery and under normal use can last up to 2 days. Granted, not the biggest in the market but the reason those others can do that is because they lack features that the better named brands have, including Huawei. Even when you look at these other brands such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Microsoft, etc. they come in at 3,000 mAh. The iPhone 7 Plus is rumored to have only 900mAh but good luck finding that on their page. The stats come from a MacRumors teardown of the phone. So, with this said, the Huawei Mate 9 definitely gives its competitors a run for its money. Now, let's talk money......$600 UNLOCKED! That is what I call bang for your buck. The Mate 9 does have other versions such as the Mate 9 Pro That can run you a little over $850, but it reminds me too much of the S7 edge and that's not my preference (also has a 5.5" AMOLED screen). There's also the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 Luxury Edition at $2,800 with 6GB Ram and 256GB ROM and 5.5" Curved AMOLED Display, but that's way out of my price range and still reminds me of the S7 Edge. Now, Huawei has done something with the Mate 9 that completely impressed me with the Huawei Watch, and that is their packaging. Now, I know...it's only packaging. However, it is very elegantly packaged giving you that high quality feel that the phone does actually have. Also, it appears to already have a screen protector in place, which is very nice, as I can never get those things on properly myself. Huawei has also included a Matte Case, which is nice because it protects the back of your phone without making it bulky. Overall, I think that the Huawei Mate 9 is by far one of the best quality phones I have owned. Paired with the Huawei Watch, it is absolutely perfect and exactly what I have been looking for in my quest for a smart phone and smartwatch that meets all of my needs and expectations. DISCLAIMER: The watch band pictured is NOT what comes with the watch. The Huawei Watch comes with a Black Suture Leather Strap. This is one I purchased from another retailer. I wanted something that resembled the Double Tour Hermès strap. I wish I could add more pictures but that'll have to be left for my blog. If you want to see more images, you can find them at www.techtalk.pro

The Huawei Mate 9 is a phablet that's built to last, with an impressive camera, powerful processor and great battery life Pros - Incredible battery life, Powerful processor, Solid build quality, Fingerprint sensor on the back, USB-C port on the bottom, In all I love this phone. Its a tough competitor for Iphone 8plus.

Well, as many already know, the core Blackberry device era is long over, so I decided to replace my tried and true Blackberry Passport with the Mate 9. My decision to go with the Mate 9 was made after checking our tons of online written and video reviews. Let me tell you, this is the absolute fastest smartphone I have ever owned. Period! Some may ask, why did I not get an iPhone 7, or 7 Plus. Well, it's because I didn't want to be controlled by the Apple eco system,...and my 128GB MicroSD card was a must,...plus the Mate 9 has a larger screen,...larger battery than the iPhones, and it has just as fast processor as the iPhones! That said, and as my review title reads,...The Mate 9 is a serious and powerful contender to any premier manufacturer's smartphone device. Also, the goodies include in the package were a nice surprise,...as in an already perfectly applied screen protector,...a back case protector skin! When I saw those,...my immediate thought was 'Awesome'! Moving on,...Charging! Yes, the fast charging tech works,...like crazy it does! About the Fingerprint Reader! I can confirm that the Fingerprint reader of the Mate 9 is bar-none,...the fast on any device made to this date - 22Aug17! It unlocks the device the INSTANT you place your finger on the reader! Huawei should market their fingerprint reader to other manufacturers! Or,..perhaps not! Anyway,...Cheers to all. So, some of you may be wondering how come I didn't give it 5-Stars,...well, I wanted to give it 4.5,..to 4.75 Stars,..but the rating system won't allow. So, what is my 'ding' on the Mate 9? It because I've yet to get 2 days of use between charges. Although the 4000mah battery will get me through a day,...as in typical battery level around 29% at 11:20'ish PM, etc. If you're going to say your device should last two days on one charge,...then it should! Afterall,..it's Huawei's claim, not mine. Other than that,...the Mate 9 is one Boss smartphone device!! Cheers.... (JMD)