After more than two years, Huawei Philippines held its first media event, and it was such an impressive launch that’s usually reserved for its flagship launches. But you couldn’t blame the brand for pulling out all the stops to reassert its presence in the smartphone industry as it made sparks fly with the launch of its latest nova star–the nova 9 SE.
Through an exclusive launch event at Shangri-La the Fort, themed “Super nova, Super camera,” Huawei aimed to spark creativity and celebrate authenticity in limitless experience. Graced by the presence of all-time Huawei users Julia Barretto, Kylie Verzosa, and Bella Racelis, this star-studded launch event also came to life through a series of experience hubs, designed to evoke the feeling of an outer-space journey, and epic visual demonstrations of technological talent.
The latest smartphone in the nova series–Huawei’s superb midrange line continued the tradition of bringing together great specs, cameras and pricing making it a great option for young creatives.
I’ve been using the Huawei nova 9 SE for the past week and before our full review coming out this Saturday on our column The Technivore at Business Mirror, I’d like to share with you 6 things that make it a worthy successor to the nova name and why you pre order now!
1. FIRST 108 MP CAMERA:
This deserves a special mention because it is the first Huawei phone with 108MP camera–and its debuting on a midrange smartphone. With more pixels, the 108MP ultra-high-definition main camera (f/1.9 aperture) helps users better retain detail and produce exciting, high-definition photos. Just make sure there’s ample light, select High-Res mode in the Camera UI, then point and shoot. Photos coming out from this mode can be zoomed in by a factor of 3 and still be lossless–no need for an elaborate setup or extra equipment to snap the perfect photo.
2. AI QUAD CAMERA SYSTEM
The nova 9 SE boasts off an AI Quad Camera system which is comprised of the headline 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP Bokeh lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The larger sensor and advanced imaging technology integrated into the nova 9 SE allows it to capture extremely clear shots in High-Res mode. For bright HDR and low-light scenarios, the HUAWEI nova 9 SE’s 9-in-1 pixel technology combines data from blocks of pixels into an ultra-large pixel equivalent to 2.1μm in order to increase image brightness. Will the nova 9SE set a new standard for its price class? You’ll have to wait for our review.
3. FANTASTIC DESIGN
When I first got the phone, I showed it to a few friends and ask them to guess the price just by basing it on how the phone looks, and the lowest guess was P25K which is actually almost double the nova 9SE’s price tag of P13,999.
Flaunting an otherworldly supernova-inspired design, the phone comes in three skyscape colorways: Crystal Blue, Pearl White, and Midnight Black–and the finish is trademark Huawei–elegant and stunning.
All colourways are crafted from 3D glass, which has a glossy effect and crystal clear texture. Among them, the Crystal Blue variant is uniquely coated with dual-film dual-plating nano-texture technology to give it a beautiful, dazzling finish. The back cover’s surface gives the glass a subtle lustre and iridescent, glowing quality. For the rear cameras, it has a “star orbit ring” that additionally refracts light like starlight, in line with the thematic concept behind the nova line.
This ultra-thin phone phone stands at 6.78in and measures 7.94mm, with ultra-narrow bezels; 1.1mm at the top, 1.05mm on the sides making it ideal for viewing yet also very comfortable to hold or slip into your pocket.
4. SUPER FAST CHARGING
Considering how much of our daily lives are tied to the smartphone, battery life is one of the most important things to consider. After all any a smartphone is of little use when you have no battery.
The nova 9SE has a 4000mAh battery that would last you a day or longer of normal use. What’s even better is that it has a 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge technology which means it only takes 15 minutes to charge it to 60% capacity, and less than an hour for 100%.
5. DEVICE+ SMART COLLABORATION
If you are already in the Huawei Ecosystem, the nova 9SE makes it an even “smarter” choice. Huawei introduced the Super Device concept for Smart Office, a new solution that greatly enhances cross-device connectivity and collaboration amongst supported Huawei devices. The software-driven feature arrives in line with Huawei’s push towards a Seamless AI Life, which the company envisions across five major scenarios – Health and Fitness, Easy Travel, Smart Office, Entertainment, Smart Home.
EMUI 12 on HUAWEI nova 9 SE makes it easy to connect. Simply swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Panel. In the ‘Device+’ tab, you can see all nearby trusted devices (on the same Wi-Fi or hotspot) here with the same active Huawei ID. By simply tapping on the icon of these automatically detected devices, you can connect your smartphone to your device of choice. Supported devices include Huawei’s tablets, laptops, smartwatches, smart TVs, earphones, speakers, in-vehiclevinfotainment system, and glasses. Oh and if you’ve used MeeTime for calls you’ll want all your calls to be HD!
6. SUPER VLOGGING CAMERA?
Not only has the nova 9 SE have a great set of cameras, I’ve also discovered that it has a pretty good default video editing tool. For content creators, you can do smooth transitions at a touch with its Continuous Front/Rear Recording capabilities. There’s also the Dual-View Video capability that lets record using both front and rear footage at the same time.
For video production novices, you can take advantage of a One-Click Video Compilation feature that can easily combine multiple clips together to form a social-ready video. Vlogging has never been easier. You can also try the pre-installed Petal Clip app , which provides a variety of video templates and themes. Thanks to HUAWEI Music, there’s also lots of great soundtrack options. Designed to be easy for anyone to use, Petal Clip lets you edit videos quickly and easily.
During the launch Bella Racelis, a longtime nova series user, held a live demonstration of her vlogging process using the nova 9SE from planning to shooting to editing using only the nova’s video editor.
7. PREORDER FREEIBIES
! Who doesn’t love freebies? Well if you preorder the HUAWEI nova 9 SE from March 18 to March 24, 2022 you can get freebies such as the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4i and HUAWEI Cloud worth PHP4,745. Get it from the Huawei Online Store, or at the Huawei Flagship Stores on Lazada, and Shopee. The nova 9 SE is priced at PHP13,999!
So that’s it for now, will be uploading our unboxing and first impressions in the next few days. What do you think of the Huawei nova 9 SE? Are you considering it to be your next smartphone? Let us know in the comments!
