Huawei Y9 – a budget novelty with a productive processor

In April 2026, the popular Chinese brand Huawei introduced a brand new model called the Y9 2026. The Y line, known for its budget-friendly options, often comes with lower specifications and compromises in terms of design and materials used in the device. However, the Huawei Y9, priced at 16 thousand rubles, stands out as a compelling option. Despite its affordable price, the Huawei Y9 2026 smartphone offers several interesting features that are sure to catch the attention of potential buyers. Notably, the device boasts dual cameras, a powerful processor, and a trendy extended aspect ratio. For a detailed breakdown of the specifications, please refer to the table below:

Huawei Y9

The review of the Huawei Y9 2026 will uncover how its impressive size, powerful processor, and dual cameras work together, all while maintaining a long-lasting battery life.

Design

Huawei Y9 2026 is an intriguing device, not just because of its features. What sets it apart is the inclusion of all the necessary accessories for its price. In addition to the standard set that comes in the box, users will also find a silicone case, a protective film, and a headset. While these accessories may not be the most unique or high-quality, they do provide sufficient initial protection for the device. The model is available in three colors: black, blue, and gold. In terms of design, the device follows a fairly typical pattern. The front panel features a 2.5D glass with minimal bezels, while the back has rounded edges and is made of metal. On the back, you’ll find the usual round fingerprint scanner, dual camera setup, and flash. The control buttons are located on the right side, while the left side houses the SIM card slot, which allows for the use of two SIM cards and an additional memory card.

The front panel of the device does not feature any physical buttons, as the controls are touch-sensitive. The top of the device includes the standard speaker, two cameras, a proximity sensor, and a notification indicator. The power and headphone jacks are also located on the bottom edge, which is not a novel placement. The speaker is also situated here. The design of the model is simple and offers nothing particularly innovative to the user. However, the build quality is commendable, with no loose parts and tightly installed buttons. The tray can be removed with moderate stiffness. The sound quality of the device is decent, with good volume even at maximum settings.

Screen

One of the notable features of the device is its expansive display that covers almost the entire front panel, with minimal side bezels. The display uses IPS technology, which provides excellent viewing angles and accurate color reproduction. However, the brightness of the screen is not the highest, and under intense sunlight, the visibility of the image may be compromised.The Huawei Y9 phone comes with a decent oleophobic coating that helps resist fingerprints, although they may appear over time. However, cleaning the screen surface from stains can be slightly challenging, requiring the use of a cleaning cloth. Overall, the impression of the display is positive, but there are some minor drawbacks. The device offers standard settings, including different power-saving modes that affect the screen’s backlight level, an option for auto brightness control, and an eye protection feature that guards against ultraviolet radiation. The night mode feature is also available, which alters the colors to prevent eye strain in low-light conditions.

Performance and autonomy

The Huawei Y9 smartphone stands out with its powerful processor, the Kirin 659. This processor intelligently selects the cores to handle different tasks, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. In benchmark tests, the device achieves an impressive score of around 90,000 points, which is quite impressive considering its affordable price. With this level of performance, users can enjoy gaming at medium settings without any issues.

However, it is worth noting that the device tends to heat up noticeably after about half an hour of gaming or when charging.

The Huawei Y9 comes with a built-in battery that cannot be removed, but it has an impressive capacity. Thanks to its power-efficient processor, the device can last for approximately one and a half days without needing to be recharged. It can handle up to 5 hours of gameplay and can play FHD videos for up to 12 hours. These are impressive figures for a smartphone of this size. However, one drawback is the absence of fast charging.

Nowadays, it’s quite challenging to impress customers with the inclusion of a dual camera in a device. That’s why Huawei has decided to take it a step further and incorporate dual cameras on both the front and back.

By the way, this is a clever marketing move that will undoubtedly attract selfie enthusiasts. The bokeh effect and background blurring are highly popular techniques, so introducing this feature for the front camera is an ingenious strategy by the Chinese brand.

Though, having two camera modules doesn’t necessarily guarantee exceptional photo or video quality. Unfortunately, it is the case with the Huawei Y9 camera. It wouldn’t be accurate to label the camera as good, as its shooting capabilities are rather mediocre. In the same price range, there are more intriguing devices available, both from Huawei and other brands, which will certainly appeal to photography enthusiasts.In daylight, the picture quality is acceptable, but in low-light conditions, it becomes quite noisy with very low detail. The same issue applies to video recording. This model lacks optical stabilization, and while more expensive devices compensate for this with their processor’s performance, the same cannot be said for this particular device. The maximum video resolution is Full HD. As for the front camera, the dual camera setup is more of a mere presence rather than offering anything particularly exciting to the user. Selfie quality is decent, but the background blur effect appears unnatural and achieving a high-quality picture is rather difficult. As a result, the advantage of having an additional camera module is nullified.

Conclusion

It is recommended to purchase Huawei Y9 for individuals who do not take numerous photographs but desire a powerful device at a reasonable price. Overall, the device offers a balanced set of advantages and disadvantages.

• Good build quality
• Large screen size
• Impressive battery life
• Decent sound quality
• Sturdy metal casing
• Support for 2 SIM cards + microSD
• Good performance

• Limited brightness range
• Average photo and video quality
• Excessive heating
• No NFC support
• Lack of fast charging

The reviews for this device are generally positive, with all the mentioned downsides highlighted by users.

Tip! As an alternative, you may consider the Xiaomi Redmi 5 or Honor 7X.

Huawei Y9.