Honor 9 smartphone review

Camera features

As you probably understood, on paper the Honor 9 camera is almost equal in capabilities to the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus and should be better than the Honor 8 Pro (the last of the representatives of this brand we tested and pleasantly surprised us). But we, of course, do not believe in the word to the manufacturer and check everything ourselves. The simplest, but revealing plot is a daytime shot in good light conditions. Here, the Honor 9 feels great, featuring natural colors, high detail and precise focus. If you look at the image in full scale, that is, a barely noticeable resharp at the edges of objects, but this is easy to forgive for a mobile camera.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1032 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/594 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/994 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/109 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1600 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/944 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/442 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

If you shoot in resolution of 12 megapixels per color camera, then the so-called hybrid zoom is available, which allows you to shoot images with a twofold increase with virtually no loss of quality. Again, remember the pixel binning technology. Thanks to the second camera with a monochrome 20-megapixel sensor, you can create images with almost no loss of quality using double zoom. In this case, the images are obtained in color: the camera uses color data obtained from the 12-megapixel sensor and “colors” the resulting image. As an example, we give a crop of an image taken on a color sensor with a resolution of 12 megapixels, and a crop of a picture with a zoom. The magnification quality is really impressive! Switching to a monochrome camera, we regularly set a resolution of 20 megapixels to fully reveal its capabilities. Shooting in black and white is still a special genre: it has its own aesthetics and a certain style. Particularly important here are contrast, detail, and halftone refinement. And all this is excellent Honor 9 .

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1949 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/47619 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/943 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1678 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Let's talk briefly about color images in the resolution of 20 megapixels (5120 by 3840 pixels). To obtain such images, the Honor camera takes a photo from a monochrome sensor and, as it were, paints it using the data received on a color camera. This is how pixel binning technology works. As for the quality of the pictures, in good lighting conditions the pictures are highly detailed, it is difficult to find fault with them. The algorithm is rarely mistaken, it mainly happens in backlight or when shooting in low light conditions.

Black and white in 20 megapixels

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/531 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

12 megapixel color image

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 100, F2.2, 1/900 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

20 megapixel color image using binning technology (combination of black and white image (20 megapixel) and color (12 megapixel))

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/424 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

The Honor 9 smartphone has aperture priority mode. In it, the gadget uses both cameras to achieve a depth of field comparable to a lens with aperture from F0.95 to F16. It is noteworthy that after the frame is taken, you can change the focus point, aperture value, and also impose additional effects.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 80, F3.5, 1/100 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 80, F0.95, 1/100 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Another mode is Panorama. It so happened that it is quite simple to shoot it on a smartphone. In the case of Honor 9, panoramic images of excellent quality are obtained, especially if you do not rush and turn slowly enough, watching the level. Then a good shot is guaranteed without noticeable glue.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations:

There is also a familiar mode of extended dynamic range in Honor 9 - HDR. It works confidently, though it fulfills and draws out, mainly, the dark places of the image. Let's move on to shooting indoors with artificial lighting. Honor 9 shows itself perfectly! Images are very high quality: excellent white balance work in difficult conditions with different light temperatures, natural colors, high detail and precise focus.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 320, F2.2, 1/50 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 500, F2.2, 1/50 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 320, F2.2, 1/25 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 500, F2.2, 1/25 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 320, F2.2, 1/33 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Another interesting feature of Huawei and Honor devices is the ability to include a watermark with the logo of the model on which the image is shot. The function is interesting, but not really needed. In this case, the Honor 9 logo appears in the lower left corner of the picture.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 125, F2.2, 1/50 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

We also took a few indoor shots using the hybrid zoom to see how the camera handles these conditions. In our case, it was a Chevrolet pickup in the corner of the museum, to which it was not possible to come closer. Despite the difficult lighting conditions, the camera coped very well.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 640, F2.2, 1/20 s, 54.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 640, F2.2, 1/25 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

The Honor 9 has a dual-color LED flash, which can also work in flashlight mode. When shooting objects in a dark room, we would recommend using this particular mode of it, because you can correctly select the shooting object by tapping it on the screen. Thus, the automation will quickly adapt to the shooting conditions and the image will turn out much better: there will definitely be no overexposure, and the background will not “fall through” into the dark.

Photo without flash

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 800, F2.2, 1/17 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Flash photo

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 64, F2.2, 1/100 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Flash photo in Flashlight mode

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 320, F2.2, 1/100 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Indoors, we did not forget to try the aperture priority mode and took a few shots.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 320, F2, 1/50 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 500, F2, 1/50 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Traditionally, the most difficult scenario is not only for smartphones, but also for cameras - evening and night shooting in low light conditions. In this scenario, the operation of all camera systems from autofocus to color reproduction is especially noticeable, detail and white balance are important. But Honor 9 here pleasantly surprises, giving out good images and even panoramas.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 500, F2.2, 1/25 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 200, F2.2, 1/33 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 500, F2.2, 1/20 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

Honor 9 can even afford the night panorama!

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations:

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 500, F2.2, 1/25 s, 27.0 mm equiv.

It is worth noting that for shooting at night there is a story scene of the same name. You can set the ISO and shutter speed in it. It turns out interesting images: if there is movement in the frame, then it can effectively blur. So, passers-by become peculiar ghosts. However, it is important to note that in this mode you need a tripod and adapter for your smartphone.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 100, F2.2, 27.0 mm equiv.

The Honor 9 also has a light-drawing mode. Four main scenes can be shot in it: “Stars”, “Water”, “Light Graffiti” (also known as Freezelight) and “Light of Lanterns”. In this mode, you can always do something spectacular, but, again, you have to use a tripod.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 64, F2.2, 27.0 mm equiv.

However, we will recall this pair of modes again on the next page! A nice feature of the Honor 9 is the ability to shoot with manual settings. Here you can select ISO, shutter speed, white balance and focus on the focus. Also in manual mode (here it is called "Profi") it is possible to shoot in RAW format in the DNG extension. All this greatly expands the capabilities of the smartphone and at times increases its creative potential. Note that RAW here is quite plastic and allows you to pretty much process the pictures.

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 78, F2.2, 1/100 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1000 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1250 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/500 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/1000 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 200, F2.2, 1/100 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/200 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Installations: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/570 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

Honor 9 (STF-L09) Settings: ISO 50, F2.2, 1/850 s, 4.0 mm equiv.Download RAW

As for video, Honor 9 can record videos in 4K resolution. The shooting quality is quite good, but it must be recalled that there is no optical image stabilization, and electronic only works when shooting in Full HD. So it’s worth taking care of any kind of stabilization - hand trembling is too noticeable in 4K. By the way, in the Camera application there is a Pro mode for video as well. Here you can adjust white balance, focus, metering and exposure compensation. We especially noted two modes for video: slow-motion recording at a speed of 120 frames per second with Full HD quality and recording interval video in just one button. Examples are below.

Gordon Lofts

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Honor 9 smartphone review

Camera features

Gordon Lofts

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