Introduction: The Pop-Up Camera Experience
When I first got my hands on the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, I was immediately drawn to its full-screen display and the hidden selfie camera. This pop-up feature, part of the global camera trend this year, reminds me of the innovative approaches by Vivo and OPPO, yet Huawei, the renowned Chinese maker, has its own unique charm. As the company’s second phone after the Huawei P Smart Z, the Y9 Prime perfectly balances design and functionality, offering motorized pop-up technology that feels futuristic yet practical for users who value a clean, uninterrupted display.
The smartphone was launched in Pakistan at an affordable price of PKR 33,999, making it one of the most competitive options in the market. From my experience, this phone not only stands out in brands but also delivers impressive specs that match its price. The rundown of its features shows how Huawei continues to innovate, blending style, usability, and smart technology seamlessly. Every time I use the Y9 Prime, I appreciate how the pop-up camera elevates the selfie experience without compromising the full-screen display.
Design and Display: A Hands-On Look
When I first held the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, the mid-range smartphone immediately impressed me with its two-toned glossy finish that gives it a premium look. The body curves smoothly at the back, allowing a firm grip, while the lighter and darker shades make it stand out in a cluttered market. From the design language to the careful attention on details, it’s clear that Huawei knows how to craft a smartphone that feels stylish yet practical for users.
Build and Buttons
On the right side, the volume rocker and power buttons are perfectly within reach, whether you use your right or left hand, while the triple camera setup and fingerprint sensor at the back feel both functional and elegant. The hybrid SIM slot sits neatly at the top, accompanied by the pop-up camera, and the USB Type C charging port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and speaker at the bottom complete the phone’s thoughtful hardware design. Compared to older devices like the Y7 Prime 2018, these upgrades make a noticeable difference in daily use.
Display and Screen Experience
The display on the Huawei Y9 Prime is equally impressive. The 6.59-inch IPS LCD with 1080 x 2340 pixels and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio creates a vibrant full-screen display without a notch, perfect for movies, games, or apps like YouTube and Netflix. Thanks to the motorized pop-up camera, you get uninterrupted viewing angles and vivid colors, though outdoors the brightness can sometimes make reading contents a bit tricky. The Type C charging port also ensures that even the lower tier-mid-range device feels modern, moving away from the older Micro USB slot, which was a welcome improvement in real-world use.
User Interface: Smooth and Smart Experience
The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 runs on EMUI 9.0.1 based on Android Pie, offering a user-friendly, clean interface that is free from excessive bloatware. As someone who switches between devices often, I found the simple mode particularly helpful—it makes the smartphone super easy to use for those moving from a basic feature phone. The default texting application, Google Messenger, lets you send and receive messages easily, even through computers, while the Party Mode in the music app can connect multiple Huawei devices to create a phone-based sound system, adding a fun and practical feature for users.
Gesture Navigation
The gesture options on the on-screen buttons are a bit tricky at first and may cause discomfort when you start using gesture navigation, especially during games or when switching between apps.
Performance Mode
The Performance Mode optimizes the device for optimum performance, though it can drain the battery a bit faster, making the phone a true performance beast when needed.
Security Features
Added security features like File Safe let you store sensitive documents, photos, and videos away from prying eyes, ensuring your mobile app experience is not only smooth but also safe and practical for everyday use.
Performance and Battery: Smooth Power for Daily Use
The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 is powered by the Kirin 710F chipset paired with Mali-G51 MP4 GPU, 4GB RAM, and 128GB internal storage, which makes the smartphone perform smoothly even during moderate use. With its bezel-less screen, the phone provides a refreshing experience while surfing the internet, using social media, sending texts, making calls, or watching videos on YouTube and Netflix. Even during prolonged use, there was no visible lag or stuttering when switching between mobile applications, making light and moderate use feel effortless.
Heavy App Performance
For heavy apps like PUBG, Asphalt 9, Real Racing 3, or TikTok, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 handles everything without heating issues and multitasking sessions run flawlessly. The device delivers strong performance, making it capable of managing demanding apps while keeping the experience smooth for users. I personally found that the combination of the chipset, GPU, and RAM allows the smartphone to feel faster than other mid-range devices I have used.
Battery Life and Charging
When it comes to battery life, the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 comes with a 4000mAh battery. It takes around 2 hours 4 minutes to charge from 0 to 100% and provides up to 8 hours 36 minutes of playback without using WiFi or mobile data. During moderate use, the battery drops by about 12% per hour, while heavy usage can reduce it by 16% per hour, which is reasonable for a device of this performance level. Overall, the Huawei Y9 Prime balances powerful performance and battery endurance very well.
Huawei Y9 Prime Camera Review
The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 impressed me with its balanced camera setup for a mid-range smartphone. The Chinese firm took cues from its flagship P30 series, giving this device three cameras on the back — a 16MP primary lens f/1.8, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP depth sensor. During testing, the phone produced decent pictures in auto mode, especially in daylight where color reproduction looked natural with minimal loss of details. Switching to AI mode softened the image, giving the subject a slightly lighter tone, while HDR mode increased contrast and darkened the areas, helping to control light in dark or small places like when capturing a neon sign.
Macro and Ultra-Wide Shots
I noticed that the wide-aperture mode sometimes struggled with macro shots, where the depth sensor blurred the outlines of a flower petal instead of keeping them sharp. However, the ultra-wide-angle lens performed beautifully, enhancing contrast and making the frame look sharper though some details at the extreme edges were lost. For portrait shots, the smartphone worked well in both day and night, provided the area was well-lit. The night mode, in particular, was surprisingly effective, giving a burst of light and revealing details like grass in dark environments, even though a bit of noise crept in. Using the flash sometimes resulted in a darker background, but overall, the results were satisfying for this price range.
Front Camera and Video Recording
The motorized pop-up front camera was fun to use — it slides in and out smoothly and adds a futuristic feel to the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019. Selfie lovers will appreciate the beauty mode, which enhances skin tones naturally without overdoing it. The bouquet effect occasionally blurred hair on the left side, but the overall image looked pleasant. For video recording, the rear camera struggled slightly due to the absence of optical image stabilization (OIS), causing minor shaking, while the sound of the wind was noticeable in clips. The front camera performed better for quick videos, though vloggers may want more clarity and stability.
Verdict
The Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 is a beautiful and practical smartphone with a curved design that delivers solid performance for day-to-day tasks without any hassle. It is a worthy choice for users who want a large screen without a notch or cutout, and the affordable pop-up camera adds a modern touch. While the battery life slightly dampens its amazing aura, especially for a heavy user, you can easily keep the phone running with a portable charger.In the camera department, the device produces a good picture in daylight scenarios, even if it doesn’t bring a wow element compared to other smartphones in the same category. Overall, the Huawei Y9 Prime balances style, performance, and value for money effectively.
