I’m always curious about Android phones other than Samsung and I wanted to see what all the “Huawei Hype” was about. I purchased a Mate 9 and started using it as my daily driver. Much to my surprise, I preferred the Mate 9 to my Samsung Note 8. I’m going to turn 79 this year and both my vision and hearing are feeling their age. The Mate 9’s display, a 16:9 LCD screen with 1080p resolution, was easier on my eyes and the speaker seemed louder. I could have lowered the resolution on my Note 8 and increased the size of the icons and text, but it didn’t seem to make much sense to “dumb down” Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Also, I found that I wasn’t using some of the features on the Note 8, such as the S-pen. I decided to sell my Note 8 and keep the Mate 9.
So far, I’m very happy with my choice of the Mate 9. It’s easy for me to hold, the screen is large and bright, and the sound is loud enough for me to hear. It seems just as fast and smooth as my Note 8, and it charges faster and a charge lasts longer. I think it’s an ideal phone for us older folks. I have only one minor complaint, and it’s one I have with other major smartphone companies; the lack of prompt software updates. My Mate 9 is still running Android 7 (Nougat) and the security updates are not current. I spoke with Huawei tech support and was told that new software has been released but the updates are pushed in batches and it might take a couple of months for the new software to be pushed to my phone.
So far, I’m very happy with my choice of the Mate 9. It’s easy for me to hold, the screen is large and bright, and the sound is loud enough for me to hear. It seems just as fast and smooth as my Note 8, and it charges faster and a charge lasts longer. I think it’s an ideal phone for us older folks. I have only one minor complaint, and it’s one I have with other major smartphone companies; the lack of prompt software updates. My Mate 9 is still running Android 7 (Nougat) and the security updates are not current. I spoke with Huawei tech support and was told that new software has been released but the updates are pushed in batches and it might take a couple of months for the new software to be pushed to my phone.
