The latest leak about the Huawei Mate 9 shows two models of the phablet, with one sporting a Samsung Galaxy Note 7-like design.
Huawei is all set to launch its flagship device, the Mate 9 at an event in Munich, Germany on November 3. As customary, the Huawei Mate 9’s leaks and renders have been doing rounds on the rumor mill. Successor to the Huawei Mate 8 which was launched in December last year, the Huawei Mate 9 is expected to feature a Leica dual-camera setup as in the Huawei P9 smartphone. In accordance to the phablet market right now which the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was supposed to take by storm, the odds could be in favor of the Mate 9. Coming back to its leaks, reliable leakster Evan Blass has released images of the Mate 9 in two designs — a standard design, and one which looks like the Galaxy Note 7.
The image released by Evan Blass shows the Huawei Mate 9 in two new designs. The two variants of the Mate 9 go by the New York-themed codenames Manhattan for the smartphone on top and Long Island for the smartphone below. As we can see in the image, the Manhattan model features a flat screen with curved edges. As for the Long Island model, the smartphone features the exact same curved display which is featured on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. As for the specifications, the Long Island model is said have better specifications than the Manhattan model. Also, the Long Island model is said to feature a QHD resolution in order to support Android’s VR platform Daydream. The Manhattan model is expected to feature a full HD display. However, the Long Island model may be China exclusive only. Whereas, the Mate 9 Manhattan model will possibly have a global launch.
Referring to the previously leaked images of the Huawei Mate 9 and the latest leaked image, we could see that the fingerprint sensor will be embedded on the rear end of the smartphone sitting right below the camera lens. But with the new Long Island model of the Mate 9, the fingerprint sensor could be embedded in the home button which can be seen placed below the display. As mentioned above, the Huawei Mate 9 will be launched on November 3. This goes against analyst Pan Jiutang’s announcement of the Mate 9, who claimed that it would be launched in December 2016.
Huawei Mate 9 specifications
Accumulating the various rumors and leaks, we can expect the Huawei Mate 9 to feature a 5.9-inch full HD display and a QHD display for the Long Island variant. Under the hood of the Mate 9, we can expect an octa-core Kirin 960 chipset. The Huawei Mate 9 is expected to come with 6GB of RAM and its built-in storage could go up to 256GB, with 32GB and 128GB also as possible options.
The Huawei Mate 9 will come with Leica dual-camera setup like Huawei’s recent flagship device P9. But unlike the P9 which sports 12-megapixels rear dual-cameras, the Mate 9 is expected to feature 20-megapixels rear dual-camera setup. The 20-megapixels dual cameras are also expected to feature f/2.0 aperture and include Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). There’s currently no word on the selfie camera of the Mate 9 so far. On the software front, the Mate 9 is expected to run on Android 7.0 Nougat wrapped under Emotion UI 5.0. ALSO READ: Honor 8 with dual rear camera setup launched in India: Price, specifications and features
If we compare the Mate 9’s rumored specifications with that of its predecessor Mate 8, the first difference is the display size, as the Mate 8 featured a 6-inch full HD display. If the rumors are to be believed, then the chipset would be an upgrade from a Kirin 950 to a Kirin 960 chipset. The 256GB onboard storage will also be an upgrade as the Mate 8’s biggest storage of 128GB. The RAM is a massive upgrade from 3GB straight to 6GB in the Mate 9. The cameras also get a big improvement as the Mate 8 sports a single 16-megapixel rear camera and its aperture is f/2.4, which in the Mate 9 is expected to be f/2.0. The software front also receives an upgrade from the existing Android 6.0 Marshmallow wrapped under EMUI 4.0 to the expected Android 7.0 Nougat wrapped under EMUI 5.0 in the Huawei Mate 9.
Considering the fact that Samsung’s premium device the Galaxy Note 7 was a massive failure, this could be the right time for Huawei’s Mate 9 to launch and prosper. Experts say that the Galaxy Note 7’s fallout is working well in Apple’s favor, and this could be the same for Huawei. The pricing could be another upper hand for Huawei as well, because the Mate 8 is priced at CNY 2,999 (Rs 31,100 approximately) and the P9 is priced at Rs 39,999, so the Mate 9 could presumably fall in the same price category. ALSO READ: Huawei G9 Plus with Snapdragon 625 SoC, 16-megapixel OIS camera launched in China: Price, specifications and features