The Huawei P9 was one of the surprises of 2016, coming out of nowhere to truly compete with some of the year’s biggest flagships, like the LG G5 and HTC 10, but for significantly less money.
Now the next generation of that phone, dubbed the Huawei P10, is here. But just how much has changed? And which one is more worth your money?
To answer those questions we’ve put the two phones head to head, comparing their design, display, power, camera and more.
Huawei P10 (145.3 x 69.3 x 7mm) vs Huawei P9 (145 x 70.9 x 7mm)
Both the Huawei P9 and Huawei P10 have a metal unibody, and their dimensions are almost identical, including a very slim 7mm finish on both, but there are some differences.
For one thing the Huawei P10 comes in a few new colours, some of which have a ‘dazzling’ finish, which essentially makes the back more reflective and eye-catching.
Huawei has also moved the fingerprint scanner to the front of the phone for the P10, placing it below the screen, where on the P9 it’s on the back below the camera.
Overall there’s not a huge amount to choose here, but the Huawei P10 feels slightly more refined overall, just as long as you’re happy with the fingerprint scanner placement.
Huawei P10 (5.1-inch 1080 x 1920) vs Huawei P9 (5.2-inch 1080 x 1920)
Interestingly, Huawei has actually shrunk the screen for the Huawei P10, bringing it down to 5.1 inches, while the Huawei P9 is 5.2 inches.
That’s perhaps so there’s more variation between the standard P10 and the 5.5-inch Huawei P10 Plus, but it does seem an unusual move, when the prevailing smartphone logic seems to be that bigger is better.
It does mean that the screen is marginally sharper than the P9’s though, as they’re both 1080 x 1920, but the smaller size allows the Huawei P10 to come in at 432 pixels per inch, while the Huawei P9 is 423 pixels per inch, but it’s a small enough difference that you’re unlikely to notice.
Huawei P10 (octa-core Kirin 960 4GB RAM) vs Huawei P9 (octa-core Kirin 955 3GB RAM)
There’s a significant upgrade here, with the Huawei P10 coming with an octa-core Kirin 960 chipset and 4GB of RAM, while the Huawei P9 comes with an octa-core Kirin 955 processor and 3GB of RAM.
That’s a fairly typical generational upgrade, with the P10 coming with a newer version of Huawei’s flagship chip and an extra gigabyte of RAM.
They’re both slick performers, after all, the Huawei P9 was a flagship just a year ago, but you should notice slightly more power from the Huawei P10, especially when multitasking.
Huawei P10 (20MP and 12MP rear 8MP front-facing) vs Huawei P9 (Dual 12MP rear 8MP front-facing)
The dual cameras on the Huawei P10 and the Huawei P9 work in a similar way. Each has a 12MP RGB (colour) sensor, and a monochrome (black and white) one, and will combine data from the two of them for more detailed images.
But the monochrome sensor on the Huawei P10 is 20MP, while it’s just 12MP on the Huawei P9, so the P10 can take more detailed shots overall.
There’s less difference around the front, with both phones packing an 8MP selfie snapper, however the P10’s has an f/1.9 aperture, so it can let more light in than the P9’s f/2.4 camera.
Huawei P10 (3200mAh 32/64GB 4G) vs Huawei P9 (3000mAh 32GB 4G)
The battery has grown in the Huawei P10, up to 3200mAh from 3000mAh in the Huawei P9. Given that the screen has shrunk slightly that should noticeably improve its life, which is good, because the Huawei P9 is one of many phones that consistently needs a nightly charge.
Both phones support fast charging and both come with at least 32GB of built in storage, plus a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 256GB, but the Huawei P10 is also available in a 64GB size, which the P9 isn’t.
They share a similar selection of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC.
The Huawei P9 is out now and costs roughly £380 on pay as you go, or from around £20 per month on contract, making it one of the more affordable of 2016’s flagships.
The Huawei P10 is expected to land sometime in March, for a SIM free or pay as you go price of at least £500, though the exact UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet. On contract, we’d expect to see it start at around £30.
The Huawei P10 isn’t a quantum leap on from the Huawei P9, but it is a considerable upgrade, with more power, a slightly better design, an improved camera, a bigger battery and the potential for more built-in storage.
It’s clearly the better phone then, but with little change to the screen and the fact that the Huawei P9 is still a great and great value handset, it’s not necessarily the better option.
If money is tight or you don’t need the very best components then the Huawei P9 is still a brilliant choice, but if you want the best that Huawei has to offer (outside the Huawei P10 Plus) the P10 is the phone to go for.
