Huawei announces P9 and P9 Plus with 12MP dual Leica cameras and Kirin 955, Price and Availability

Finally Huawei – Leica Partnership Brings a Dual-Camera Setup on Huawei P9

After staying in speculations and rumors, too with the leaks the Huawei P9 has just got official with almost everything we already know about it – Leica collaboration in dual-camera setup, Kirin 955 and the design as we have seen.

April 6th was one of the dates Huawei was rumored to launch its flagship smartphone P9 – the date which, a few days ago, was confirmed by the Chinese manufacturer. Today, the company has announced the Huawei P9 and its bigger sibling the Huawei P9 Plus. There is no Huawei P9 Max as we were fed in a few of speculations – as far as now.

Both the flagship phones offer the same design elements but come in different size as indicated by their names.

Huawei P9

Aluminium built, Huawei P9 comes with a 5.2″ IPS LCD display with FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080 px serving at 422PPI. The display is covered with the 2.5D curved glass.

It’s powered by home-built Kirin 955 SoC, an improved versionof Kirin 950 that powered Mate 8, The Kirin 955 contains Octa-core processor with 4x Cortex-A72 clocked at 2.5Ghz and 4x Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.8GHz.

Two variants of the smartphone will be available in 3GB and 4GB of RAM with 32GB and 64GB of internal storage respectively. Battery comes with the capacity of 3000mAh.

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Huawei P9 Plus

Huawei P9 Plus feature a bigger screen size of 5.5″ with Super AMOLED display. However it maintains the resolution as FHD 1080p decreasing the pixel density. The display of the bigger device adds 3D/Press Touch feature to the display which is sensitive to pressure as once found in Huawei Mate S.

Featuring the same processor with Kirin 955, the P9 Plus will only be available with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage unlike standard P9 which is available in 3GB/4GB model.

P9 Plus features a higher 3400mAh battery that is capable of dual-IC Rapid Charge to give up to 6 hours of talk time after 10-minute charge.

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The Dual-Camera Setup

Most prominent feature of the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus is of course the dual-camera which is built in collaboration with Leica. On the back of the devices there are two 12MP camera modules, one of them is the RGB camera that captures color while the other one is the monochrome unit that takes black & white shot to produce more image detail in the final shot. Both of the units, in combined effort, deliver more detail, depth and color even in low-light conditions.

Both the cameras feature Leica lenses having f/2.2 aperture with the field of view equivalent to 27mm. Deploying on Huawei’s Hybrid Focus technology, the autofocus in P9 relies on laser, contrast and depth of field. There is also dual-LED along side the dual-camera lenses to help in dark conditions. What we miss here is the optical image stabilization (OIS).

Price and Availability

Available on April 16th, the 3GB/32GB model of Huawei P9 will be priced at €599, while the 4GB/64GB version will cost you €649. The larger Huawei P9 plus will be priced at €749. Select countries in Europe and the Middle East will face the first wave. Respective prices in Pakistan are estimated as PKR 72,000/-, PKR 78,000/- or PKR 89,500/-

See full specifications of Huawei P9 and P9 Plus side by side for more details.

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Huawei P9 Debuts in London with Dual Camera Lens, Reinvents Smartphone Photography in Collaboration with Leica

New Huawei Flagship Device Combines Groundbreaking Innovations and Exceptional Design, Setting a New Standard in Smartphone Photography

London – April 6, 2016 – Today at an exclusive launch event at London’s Battersea Evolution, Huawei Consumer Business Group unveiled the much anticipated Huawei P9 and P9 Plus. Created in collaboration with Leica, the dual-lens P9 sets a new standard in smartphone photography.

The Huawei P9 is the first smartphone co-engineered with the global iconic brand, Leica Camera AG. The P9’s dual-lens camera takes smartphone photography to the next level, allowing people to capture both vivid colors and striking black and white images. Huawei’s new B3 Talkband wearable wristband also made its global debut.

A groundbreaking moment for event guests included a first look at an exclusive trailer of the new Huawei P9 TV commercial starring Henry Cavill and Scarlett Johansson, Global Product Ambassadors for the Huawei P9 series. Showcasing the connection between two global stars in Shanghai and Hollywood, the trailer symbolizes the partnership between Huawei and Leica and the intersection of color and black and white. Cavill was joined at the P9 launch by iconic photographers Mary McCartney and David Guttenfelder from National Geographic as well as BBC Global News CEO Jim Egan, Condé Nast Chairman and Chief Executive Jonathan Newhouse, Vogue China Publisher Anita Chang and Huawei UK Board Members Sir Andrew Cahn and Dame Helen Alexander.

“Huawei is excited to give P9 users the best smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “Consumers around the world use their smartphones to take billions of pictures each year, making photography critical to user experience. P9 users can now capture images with unmatched clarity, richness and authenticity, with a masterfully designed and powerful smartphone that looks and feels incredible.”

Reinventing Smartphone Photography Integrating the design values and engineering excellence of Huawei and Leica in a smartphone photography system co-engineered by the two companies, the P9 brings together best-in-class hardware and software, from optical lenses, to sensors, to image processing algorithms, empowering users to capture the highest-quality images.

Key to the P9’s superlative imaging capabilities is a dual-camera design that fully unleashes the power of Leica’s optical lenses, renowned for precision and attention to detail, and subject to the industry’s most stringent quality screening requirements. The RGB camera on the P9 specializes in capturing color, while the monochrome camera is outstanding at acquiring picture detail. The two rear cameras of the P9 work in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail, depth and color. The P9 truly excels in low-light conditions, as the dual-camera design guarantees more light and detail can be captured.

Each picture taken by the P9 carries the unique emotional resonance and timelessness that are the hallmarks of Leica, as users may choose between three film modes: Standard, Vivid Colors and Smooth Colors, depending on their personal preferences. With meticulous calibration of the P9’s camera parameters, each film mode faithfully renders the authentic color and style of Leica. By selecting the monochrome mode, P9 users can use their devices as a true monochrome camera to capture powerful and evocative black and white images of superior quality. Deploying Huawei’s Hybrid Focus technology, the P9 captures images with superior speed, accuracy and stability. The P9 supports camera focusing based on three methodologies – laser, depth calculation and contrast – and automatically selects the one that yields the best result in any given environment.

The wide-aperture photography feature on the P9 allows users to experiment with innovative visual effects to create unique images and content. The P9 makes it easy to adjust the camera aperture to create bokeh and other depth-of-field effects, while keeping the main object in sharp focus.

“Leica and Huawei share an uncompromising commitment to imaging excellence, and our partnership will put outstanding photography into the hands of more consumers around the world,” said Oliver Kaltner, CEO, Leica Camera AG. “We are deepening our collaboration to give users a more optimal smartphone photography experience.”

Taking Industrial Design to a Higher Level

The P9 is a masterpiece of state-of the-art industrial design, with the same minimalist design DNA as earlier products in Huawei’s acclaimed flagship P-series of premium smartphones. Each P9 device is a perfect construct of superior-grade 2.5D glass and an aerospace-class aluminum, with diamond-cut edges rounded out by carefully balanced curvatures.

The 64GB version of the P9 comes in a stunning and unique Haze Gold finish, setting new industry standards in industrial design, with the use of techniques including brushed hairlines and metal polishing at micron-level precision to create a translucent metal surface. Additionally, the Ceramic White version of the P9 is smoother than the painted bodywork of premium cars, reflecting and refracting light to present different shades of awe-inspiring colors as ambient conditions change.

Power and Performance

The P9 is equipped with the power, connectivity and speed that today’s high-end smartphone user expects from Huawei. With a 5.2-inch 1080p display, the P9 is powered by the new Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor for leading-class mobile performance. The 3,000mAh high-density battery offers P9 users outstanding mobility and battery life.

Huawei is also unveiling the P9 Plus, featuring a 5.5-inch Press Touch display and a larger 3,400mAh battery. The P9 Plus also offers dual-IC Rapid Charge, giving users six hours of talk time after a 10-minute charge.

Leveraging Huawei’s industry-leading capabilities in telecommunications, the P9 and P9 Plus offer unrivaled new features including a virtual-triple-antenna architecture, designed for users who need robust and seamless connectivity to cellular and Wi-Fi networks to fully harness the power of the mobile Internet no matter where they are in the world.

The P9 and P9 Plus also protect users’ privacy and information security with Huawei’s world-leading biometric fingerprint recognition technology. The enhanced fingerprint sensor allows users to personalize and safeguard their devices by significantly lowering the possibility of fraudulent or accidental device access, while also ensuring users can quickly and securely access their smartphone.