While we never got to see a Huawei Mate device at IFA 2016 in Berlin in early September since Huawei preferred to showcase the new Nova smartphones instead, it doesn’t mean the year will end without us seeing a new member of the Mate series that last got a refresh last year.
The successor to the able Huawei Mate 8 will, like its predecessor, arrive some time in November.
Even before Huawei officially declares any intent to unveil the Mate 9 by way of sending invites to the launch event, there’s already enough details in the rumour mill to keep us going.
It is now emerging that the Mate 9 will arrive in 8 colour options. That’s quite a range but it looks like Huawei wants to cater to everyone’s preferences.
It’s not just that, the Mate 9 will have a 6GB RAM 256GB onboard storage model in addition to the 4GB RAM models that will have either 64 or 128GB internal storage. The new Jet Black iPhone 7 already packs 256GB internal storage. The 6GB RAM is pretty much standard in China where Huawei hails from but will be a big bonus to Huawei’s global handset business if it brings it to the international market as well.
Huawei Mate 9 will be coming in 3 versions: 4GB+64GB / 6GB+128GB / 6GB+256GB pic.twitter.com/bV6lOqmU80
— Playfuldroid! (@playfuldroid) September 28, 2016
With Huawei renewing its partnership with German lens-maker Leica and even opening up a joint research and development centre, the Leica-powered dual-camera setup we first saw on the P9 and P9 Plus is here to stay and as such, like we’d heard before, the Mate 9 will show up with dual cameras. It will be interesting to see if there have been any noticeable improvements to the already fantastic cameras the P9 has.
Other expected specs so far include an octa-core Kirin 960 chipset, a 4,000mAh battery unit and a 5.9-inch QHD display. This will make the Mate 9 the first smartphone from the Chinese device maker with a Quad HD display. We’ll have to wait to see it to confirm this, though. This is because ever since the LG G3 showed up with a QHD display in May 2014, it’s been a standard expectation that Huawei’s best smartphone would also have one but the company has managed to steer clear of the “pixel race” so far. And why would it be bothered anyway? The displays on the P8, Mate 8 and P9 are awesome. Recent developments like virtual reality, however, underscore the need for high resolution displays. With Huawei having committed to releasing a smartphone that is Google Daydream-ready, will the Mate 9 be the one?
Also, is that reported iris scanner a thing?
