Focus on photography
MONTHS after Huawei officially announced its partnership with Germany’s Leica, we finally saw the first result of the union in the flesh.
The P9, Huawei’s latest P series flagship, is the Chinese smartphone maker’s answer to those looking for ‘The New Choice’.
Unveiled at the inaugural Huawei Consumer Business Group 2016 Southern Pacific Conference on the Indonesian island of Bali on May 5, Huawei sought to reinvent smartphone photography via its newest hero device.
In the words of Huawei CBG Southern Pacific product marketing director (handset) Luke Au, “the P9 is not about taking pictures, it’s about photography”.
The Huawei P9 retains the 5.2in Full HD display found on its predecessor, but otherwise comes with a number of improvements in terms of design and hardware specs, like the addition of 2.5D glass for the screen at the front and back (where the camera is).
It is also slightly rounded at the edges so it sits more comfortably in the palm than the P8’s squarer frame.
Where hardware specs are concerned, the P9 is powered by an Octa-core Kirin 955 processor, and either 3GB or 4GB of RAM, which is paired with 32GB or 64GB of ROM respectively.
Now the rear is where things gets interesting. This is where you will find the fingerprint scanner and most importantly, the dual-lens camera co-engineered with Leica that defines the P9.
It’s a dual 12-megapixel f/2.2 setup, accompanied by dual-tone LED flash and a hybrid AF system with laser auto focus, which takes photos faster and with better depth and clarity.
Unlike most dual-sensor camera setups we have seen before, the ones fitted on the P9 have separate purposes.
One is dedicated to taking pictures in RGB colours, while the other takes them in monochrome.
With the device’s merging algorithm, which intelligently combines the colours taken by the RGB sensor with the details of the monochrome sensor, coloured images are more vivid and intense, while black-and-white images ooze that iconic emotional appeal which Leica cameras are famous for.
Besides that, the P9 also offers a holistic Leica experience by way of the camera-user interface, fonts and even the shutter sound, to mimic using an actual Leica camera.
The partnership with Leica may be a milestone for Huawei’s rapidly-expanding portfolio but this is just the beginning. The partnership with Leica will last for at least three years.
The launch event also saw the Chinese brand unveiling two other variants of the P9 series – the P9 Lite and the P9 Plus.
In terms of their positions in the market, the P9 falls in the middle, with the P9 Lite as the base model that appeals to those who want a premium experience in an affordable smartphone, and the P9 Plus – the most premium variant of the lot – being targeted at those who prefer a larger screen.
The P9 Lite has slightly lower specs with a Kirin 650 processor, 13-megapixel main camera without Leica’s technology and an eight-megapixel front-facing camera.
Despite having the lowest price point among the three, it comes with a fingerprint scanner, Full HD display, and 3,000mAh battery.
Meanwhile, the P9 Plus comes with a larger Full HD display at 5.5in, a glossy glass rear, a bigger battery capacity at 3,400mAh, and Hi Fidelity Sound.
This extra feature provides a better audio experience by releasing treble from the top earpiece, and bass from the speaker at the bottom.
Apart from that, its processor and camera setup are similar to that of the P9.
There is no definitive information on the pricing and availability of the P9 series. Tentatively, what we know is that Malaysians will be getting all three variants.
Although the P9 is slated to arrive here by the end of May, it is unknown if all other variants will be made available at the same time.
In terms of pricing, our only clue is that the P9 will be priced slightly higher than the RM1,799 launch price of the P8.
Huawei promises to reveal the actual pricing of the P9 and P9 Lite on May 20.
However, the exact date of availability, as well as the availability and pricing of the P9 Plus, will not be known until later.