Huawei has officially launched its new flagship phone, the Mate in Munich, Germany. The company also launched another limited edition with a Porsche-branded design and the devices are among the first to be powered by the new Android 7.
The two devices were probably among the most anticipated smartphones of the year and according to the company they are building on Huawei’s success in delivering beautifully-designed, powerful mobile devices.
“In developing the HUAWEI Mate 9, we started with a simple question – how can we improve every element of the smartphone experience?” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “We know that for today’s business users, a fast and functional smartphone is just the beginning.
Consumers also want a gorgeous design and intuitive features, so we created two new devices at the forefront of hardware and software innovation. The result is a device that is breathtakingly new, inside and out.”
The Huawei Mate 9 features a large 5.9-inch Full HD display. Huawei is also using its own HiSilicon Kirin 960 on the Mate 9 which is a 64-bit octa-core CPU. This is paired with 4GB of RAM as well as 64GB of expandable storage powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. In terms of camera, the Mate 9 features a 20-MP Monochrome plus 12-MP RGB, F2.2 OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) 4K video; 8-MP selfie camera AF, F1.9.
It will be available in Black, Space Gray, Moonlight Silver, Champagne Gold, Mocha Brown and Ceramic White and will be available in one variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage starting at €699.
Expect the Mate 9 to launch in China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates as “first-wave” launch markets before the end of the year. This means you should probably expect to see it in Africa or Kenya starting January next year.
Huawei did not reveal much about the Porsche Design brand, but it will have 256GB of storage, 6GB of RAM. In the meantime, keep it here for more details as we get them.
