Comparison: What's the difference between the Huawei P9 and the Huawei Honor V8?

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In conjunction with the arrival of the upcoming Huawei P9 to Malaysia on 28 May, we decided to do a comparison between the Huawei P9 and Huawei Honor V8. It may not look like there's much to compare, but there is. Despite both having the same dual lens camera and similar specifications, and both are from the same company, so why separate the two that has almost the same thing and what's the difference? Read below to find out.

Tech-specs and performance - Both are powerful, but P9 is better

On paper, if you think the P9 is more powerful than the honor V8 you're right but not that much. The P9 is carrying a the latest Kirin 955 octa-core chipset, clocked in at Quad-core 2.5 GHz Cortex-A72 & quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53.; whereas the honor V8 has the Kirin 950 chipset with a slightly underclocked quad-core 2.3 GHz Cortex-A72 + quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex which is not too shabby. Both standard devices share the same 4GB RAM (the P9 has a 3GB RAM version too) and 32GB ROM space inside the hood, as well as Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

However, perhaps the real question is how different are the dual lens camera? Although both sport the same dual 12MP rear cameras and 8MP front shooter, it's confirmed that Leica was only involved with the P9 and not the V8, but they still work the same way by combining the RGB and black and white image together. Well, I think to sort this out, I've collected some image samples below and maybe you can decide by yourself.

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Monochrome mode - P9

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Close up shot - P9

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Outdoor shot - P9

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Evening shot - P9

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Pro mode - P9

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Indoor shot - V8

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Close up shot - V8

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Another close up shot with aperture setting - V8

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Night and day shot - V8 (photo credit to etkchina.com)

If you want to see more V8 camera pictures visit etkchina.com and Gizdev.com, or P9 camera picture samples collected by TheVerge.com.

Design and Features - Different size and purpose

While we are still on the topic of cameras, there is one big difference when it comes to camera features. For one, even though the V8 has dual lens camera, it doesn't have any monochrome mode like the P9. On the other hand, the V8 has this gif like moving image capture feature, which the P9 doesn't have (but perhaps could have with later updates), and I highly recommend that you visit this site to see how cool it is.

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Sorry for the small image, but you get the point

Also, another key difference is the VR feature from V8, during the reveal, it was shown that the device features a professional eye protection technology for the screen for watching movies or playing games in the long run, and has a special cinema mode when the phone is laid horizontally, along with stereo speakers to enhance the overall viewing experience. P9 is purely for photography purpose.

Design-wise, the V8 is actually bigger measuring 157 x 77.6 x 7.8 mm and weighs 170g; while the P9 measures at 145 x 70.9 x 7 mm and weighs 144g. That also means the V8's display is bigger with 5.7-inch than P9's 5.2-inch and also has a 2K resolution for the VR experience. It also has the 1080p resolution variant, which the P9 has too. 

From my experience, holding the P9 model during the Bali event launch felt really nice and putting it inside your pocket is comfortable. I can't say much for the V8 since it has not arrived in Malaysia, I think the full metal smartphone should have the same vibe as the Mate 8 (slightly bigger with 157.1 x 80.6 x 7.9 mm) but I could be wrong. Other than that, both devices look similar except that the P9's dual rear cameras are separated in circles and the V8's one put together in a pill-like shape.

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Both P9 and V8 has aperture editing mode 
(photo credit to etkchina.com)

Lastly, it's also worth noting that the rear cameras are bumpless, and has the same fingerprint sensors, aperture editing, dual SIM slots, fast charging, and other standard camera filters too.

Price and Conclusion - Different pricing for a good reason

While we don't have the official price tag for both devices locally yet, the P9 is said to be more expensive with a speculated cost of RM2388 - 2488; the V8 has three different variants, though, with the cheapest one being 2299 Yuan (around RM1425) for the most basic version (no NFC).

So there you have it, this is the difference between the P9 and V8 and to say which one is better...it depends on which feature you like more. From the beginning, Huawei CEO, Mr Yu has always intended the keep the honor V8 and P9 models separated as their own identity, one for VR and the other for camera respectively. Personally, I'd take P9 because I prefer photography and it's probably the closest thing to a DSLR.

So what about you? Which device are you more excited? Are you more to photography or it's all about the virtual reality? Let us know in the comments below, stay tuned for more comparisons at Technave.com!