The Huawei Mate 9 isn't what you'd call an eye-catcher. The device looks quite inconspicuous, features a discrete exterior and lacks that certain wow factor. On the flipside of the coin: it does have a very clean and practical design.

Here's a phone we've looked forward to reviewing. The Mate 7 was our phone of 2014 and the Mate 8 was in our Top 5 best phones of 2016 . We've reviewed many middling phones of late so we've been hoping that Huawei's new flagship would impress us. It didn't get off to a great start.

Great battery; Very fast; Good value; Potentially-amazing camera

Potentially-disappointing camera

Amazing device, one of the best phablets on the market right now

The past 12 months or so have seen Huawei transform from a budget Chinese phone maker into a flagship smartphone powerhouse. The company's two major 2016 handset releases – the Huawei P9 and Honor 8 – were both fantastic pieces of hardware with attractive price tags to boot.

Excellent SoC and storage performance; Beautiful aluminum unibody design with slim bezels; Fantastic battery life; Improved dual camera system can take good photos

Display is below par; EMUI (software) is improving, but still needs work; Camera underperforms in weak lighting

I can't really find anything that I don't like about it. The battery life is crazy good because it can last about 2 days without charge with normal use, the camera is a beauty and the processor is a ninja!

Best phone in international market (mind it, its not available in Indian market and is highly overpriced here and thats too without warranty). Best price for phone is 35000 and is available at that price in dubai, US, UK. Even i got one from ebay at the same price.

This Phone is a beast, I have had them all! The feel is amazing, the display graphics are deep and clear. The system, oh my god, is so fast i was shocked!!! This phone super proceeds it self. The phone has all kinds of features. THIS PHONE IS HIGHLY UNDER ESTIMATED!!!

BATTERY LIFE EXCELLENT; DISPLAY IS GREAT; TWO ACCOUNT FEATURES; UPDATES REGULARY; GREAT HEADPHONE SOUND; SYSTEM IS FAST; CAMERA IS EXCELLENT; PERFORMANCE IF GREAT; FINGER PRINT SENSOR IS GREAT

A LITTLE ON HEAVY SIDE; BETTER CASE BE GOOD

Last year's Mate 8 made waves thanks largely to its mostly premium features in a phone selling for $300-$400 less than established premium devices. This season's Mate has pushed the specs up, and with that, the price.

We loved the Huawei Mate 8 and its phenomenal battery performance - can the new Huawei Mate 9 continue that legacy?

Large, clear, and vibrant display; Premium quality and attractive metal build; Excellent audio quality stereo speakers; Superb camera'; Fast performance; Well above average battery life

Proprietary UI will not meet everyone's tastes' No waterproofing

For the last several weeks I've put my Samsung Galaxy S7 aside while using the Huawei Mate 9 smart phone, one of the company's premium models. Much to my surprise, and rather unusually for me, I haven't felt the hankering to get back to Sammie in the way I usually do after a week or so.