Image is all for Huawei’s new P9 smartphone flagship

LONDON — China’s Huawei Technologies presented its latest flagship smartphone on Wednesday, featuring a dual-lens camera co-engineered with Germany’s Leica that it hopes will set it apart from all the other Android devices on the market.

The P9, Huawei’s flagship device, is the first result of the tie-up between the world’s third biggest smartphone maker and Leica Camera AG, a 102-year-old firm whose cameras have shot some of the most famous images in the history of photography.

Huawei said consumers were increasingly focused on the photographic capability of smartphones, and the company wanted to partner the best in the field.

“Leica is the leading, premium iconic brand in cameras,” Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at a launch event in London.

The dual-lens 12 megapixel camera on the rear of the device separately captures monochrome and color images, and combines them to create more detail, depth and brighter colors than rival single lens cameras, he said.

Leica said the collaboration went far beyond just branding, with the two companies working together on lenses and image processing technology.

“A lot of people would like to have our red dot and put it on their product,” said Leica’s Chief Executive Oliver Kaltner.

“This is not what we are. We are the center of optical excellence worldwide, and we should take advantage of that knowledge.”

Photography dominated the event as professional snappers including Mary McCartney and David Guttenfelder from National Geographic took to the stage to show what the device could do.

There was little fanfare for other features, like a 5.2 inch display and Android 6.0 operating system, that are largely in line with launches from rivals such as Samsung and Xiaomi.

The P9 will be available in 29 countries from April 16, priced from 599 euros ($684), the company said.

Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner, said Huawei’s technology was “great” but the company needed to innovate in areas like software to become a trend setter.

“They need users to pick the brand or upgrade within the brand from maybe a mid-tier, and the more they go into the premium end, the more they have to stand out as an overall experience,” she said.

Huawei, which leads the pack of Chinese smartphone makers, however is confident the P9 will help it gain ground on market leader in terms of volume Samsung and second-placed Apple.

It became the first Chinese company to ship more than 100 million smartphones, recording a 44 percent jump in devices to 108 million last year.

“We have the chance to be number two within two to three years, with market share of over 20 percent,” Yu said. “We have the chance to be number one in less than five years.”

source: interaksyon.com

CES 2016 | Huawei targets premium segment with new phone, watch

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Chinese electronics giant Huawei took aim Tuesday at the premium segment dominated by Apple, unveiling a new large-screen smartphone along with a tablet and luxury smartwatch.

As it unveiled its latest flagship smartphone called the Mate 8 at the Consumer Electronics Show, Huawei said it sees a path to becoming the number two global vendor in the sector — a spot now held by US-based Apple.

“Every year, every month, we are increasing our market share,” said Huawei consumer devices chief Richard Yu.

“Within a few years we believe we can be number two.”

At CES, Huawei announced the launch of its premium flagship phone claiming better performance and battery life than rivals made by Apple and Samsung.

With a six-inch display, it still has a smaller overall footprint than similar smartphones, said Kevin Ho, who heads Huawei’s handset operations.

The Mate 8 will launch in 30 countries — but not the United States — starting at 599 euros ($650), in line with flagship models from Apple and Samsung.

The first wave of markets where the Mate 8 will be launched are in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Ho said the new device has a battery life of more than two days. It has a fingerprint identification system for payments, improved camera audio and microphone technology.

Huawei designed its own chipset for the device, ensuring it stays cool despite high performance, Ho said.

“High performance does not always mean hot,” he said.

Huawei boosted its global smartphone market share to 7.7 percent in the third quarter behind Samsung and Apple, according to research firm Gartner.

It has taken a leading position in China ahead of Samsung, but its US offerings have been limited until its recent agreement to produce a Nexus phone for Google.

Yu said Huawei’s total consumer device revenues grew 70 precent in 2015 to more than $20 billion as it shipped 108 million handsets.

He added that Huawei has in the past few years boosted its global brand awareness and trust from consumers. Huawei’s image was tarnished several years ago amid concerns over its ties to the Chinese government.

“We regained trust from consumers,” Yu said.

Huawei also unveiled a 10-inch tablet which appears to be designed as a rival to the iPad.

The MediaPad M210 will be sold in the US and more than two dozen other markets starting at $349.

The company also unveiled two new versions of its smartwatch — called Jewel and Elegant — which appear aimed at the luxury segment occupied by Apple Watch.

Aimed at women, the two new models start at $499 and $599. The Jewel is made in collaboration with Swarovski and features the European company’s diamond-emulating glass stones known as Zirconia circling the face.

source: interaksyon.com