After several speculations and leaked information about the new Mate 9, Huawei's flagship phablet has been formally introduced. The verdict has been good so far.
The first impression one will have of the Mate 9 is that it looks good. Porsche, the German automaker, has a lot to do with that. Huawei has partnered with Porsche to produce a limited edition Porsche Design Mate 9 phablet.
Tech Crunch, in describing the high-end device, cited the company's official announcement, which read:
"Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 features seamless curved edges, a graphite finish and stylish black coloring combined with the latest technology. This is perfectly complemented 'under the hood' by a unique, intuitive user interface that exudes sophistication thanks to Porsche Design's signature design language."
Huawei also unveiled an equally impressive standard Mate 9 whose specs and image have been leaked before the official unveiling.
Display
The Porsche Design Mate 9 will have a 5.5-inch full HD curved display with AMOLED capacitive multitouch touchscreen and a 1440 x 2560 pixel resolution. The standard Mate 9 will have a 5.9-inch display with a 1920 x 1080p resolution.
Processor
The two Mate 9s run on octa-core Kirin 960 processor which Huawei claims to be the fastest processor it has ever made. CNet mentions that previous Huawei devices felt "quite bloated and sluggish" because of the software, The Chinese company claimed they had made some adjustments so that the new Mate 9 will run smoothly.
Storage
The high end Porsche Design Mate 9 will have 6GB of RAM and 256GB internal memory while the Mate 9 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage.
Camera
At the back is a dual-camera system developed in partnership with Germany's Leica Camera, one of the top optics companies in the world. The 12-megapixel sensor takes colored photographs while the 20-mp one takes black and white images exclusively.
Battery
Both Mate 9 versions will have a fast-charging 4,000 mAh battery. Huawei claims that 20 minutes of charging will be enough to last a full day.
Other Features
The Mate 9 will have a fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, four microphones for active noise cancellation during calls, and infrared blaster for controlling TVs.
The new Huawei Mate 9 can be had at $776 while the Porsche Design edition is worth $1,533, a bit pricey for a phone but the specs and looks make it worth every penny.
The Mate 9 will initially launch in China and 11 other countries covering Asia, Europe and the idle East. It will be available in the U.S. in January, according to rumors.
Huawei is the third-largest smartphone maker in the world and is aiming to be number one on that list in five years. Its entry into the U.S. market comes at a perfect time. Apple and Samsung are currently trying to make up for a few misfires what with the underwhelming iPhone 7 and the exploding Galaxy Note 7.
Read more: Huawei Mate 9 Images And Specs Leaked
