The Huawei Nova 9 SE is available in three color variants: Crystal Blue, Midnight Black, and Pearl White. Our Crystal Blue review sample features an appealingly iridescent back. The build quality is also impressive and convinces with tight and even gaps. The smartphone can withstand twisting tests without any creaks. An IP certification against dust and water is not available. In general, Huawei is a bit stingy in terms of features. Dual-SIM is available, but there is no option for memory expansion via microSD and neither is an audio jack present. The USB 2. 0 port supports OTG, so external peripherals and storage devices can be connected. DRM certification is not available either, so correspondingly protected content can only be consumed in SD quality. Huawei relies on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G SoC in the Nova 9 SE. Although the chipset's Snapdragon X11 modem does not support 5G, it is still quite fast with up to 390 MBit/s (download) even in the LTE network. The Wi-Fi module supports the 2. 4 and 5. 0 GHz networks and works with expected speeds and highly stable data rates when tested with our reference router Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000. The operating system used is Android 11 without Google services layered on top by Huawei's in-house EMUI 12 user interface. Apps can be installed via the AppGallery, but many well-known communication platforms such as WhatsApp or Signal are still missing. However, missing apps can be installed via Petal search from relevant websites but that is not easy to handle, especially for less tech-savvy users. The security patches were updated on March 1, 2022 at the time of the testing and are still reasonably up-to-date. Huawei is probably aiming for a quarterly update cadance here. The capacitive touchscreen of Huawei's Nova 9 SE responds reliably to inputs and implements them precisely. A screen protector is pre-applied at the factory to the unspecified glass, which slightly reduces the gliding properties. A fingerprint scanner has been integrated into the power button for biometric security, which unlocks the smartphone quickly and reliably. Additionally, or alternatively, facial recognition via the front camera is available, which works faster but is also less secure. The front-facing camera of the Huawei Nova 9 SE enables quite decent pictures but quickly loses contrast in somewhat heavier lighting conditions. The heart of the main camera is a 108 MP sensor (Samsung HM2, S5KHM2), which takes appealing pictures. However, the Snapdragon 680's image processor is a bit overburdened with this as it nominally only supports up to 64 MP. This does not reduce the quality of the photos, but it does affect the speed. This is not serious but still noticeable. The other lenses are nicer accessories but at best deliver usable results for online use. When it comes to movies, Full HD and 30 frames per second are the tops. At least a 4K option would certainly have been nice. The 6. 78-inch LC screen of Huawei's Nova 9 SE offers a sharp display. The refresh rate can be set to either 60 or 90 Hz, or the system can automatically switch between the two values. The brightness of 523 cd/m² on average is decent and is also achieved in manual mode as well as in the APL measurement. However, restrictions have to be reckoned with on bright days when using the device outdoors. The contrast is also rather mediocre due to the quite high black value. However, the color reproduction and the white balance of the display are extremely good. Furthermore, no pulse width modulation (PWM) is used to control the brightness. The Huawei Nova 9 SE is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G SoC with 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM and the Adreno 610 as the integrated graphics unit. The SoC is positioned in the lower mid-range. The system speed is surprisingly good and smooth, but expectations should be lowered for gaming. While casual games are no problem for the Huawei smartphone, demanding titles like PUGB or Asphalt 9 are not always smoothly playable even with reduced details. That being said, the Nova 9 SE does not get too hot at any time and can consistently tap its full performance. The speaker on the chin provides a decent sound experience as long as the volume is not overdone. Wired headsets or headphones can be connected to the USB port with an optional adapter if necessary, and Bluetooth is available wirelessly. With its 4000 mAh battery, the Nova 9 SE achieves good runtimes of over 13 hours in our Wi-Fi test with adjusted screen brightness (150 cd/m²). However, it is the taillight in our comparison since the competition consistently relies on larger energy storage. Huawei offers an appealing mid-range smartphone with the Nova 9 SE, which is particularly convincing with a good main camera, an enduring battery, an accurate display, and extraordinary colors. The Huawei Nova 9 SE is a good smartphone, but it still has to do without Google services However, the Huawei smartphone also has to put up with some criticism. The panel could have been a bit brighter and have had higher contrast. Furthermore, 5G, DRM certification, and Google Mobile Services (GMS) are not available. Huawei gets a lot of things right with the main camera, but the additional lenses are not really convincing. Furthermore, video recordings are limited to just Full HD 30 fps. Strong alternatives to the Nova 9 SE are the Galaxy M23 and the Redmi Note 11 . The Huawei Nova 9 SE can be purchased for €311 directly from the Huawei online store and is often offered there with discounts in kind, such as free headphones and other accessories. The smartphone is also available at Amazon for a cheaper price. .