The Huawei P9 has a killer camera, but will it help Huawei raise their status and upset the balance.
Huawei has finally confirmed their heavily rumoured new flagship device the Huawei P9. The unique selling point as every knows is the dual-camera system sitting nicely on the back of the device. It’s a great venture from Huawei to make their latest device stand out from the sea of smartphones, seeing as the P8 didn’t really have any killer features and was kind of invisible to be honest. It was still a good smartphone with decent specs at the time and a price that wasn’t too punishing (£400 at release).
Kantar WorldPanel director of consumer insights Imran Choudhary sees what Huawei are trying to bring to the table: “both devices [P9 and P9 Plus] show some nice additions to Huawei’s previous flagship devices but it is clear that Huawei have shown their intent today to try and take on the bigger players as a credible manufacturer by giving these devices a dual camera system. Rather than simply imitating others as many assume challenger brands do, Huawei have become one of the first to go with dual cameras at the back of the device.”
The partnership with Leica is an interesting move, those who know who Leica will know it’s a big deal and immediately use their own ‘hyper-focus’ on the camera. “For those in the know, Leica are well known for their camera lenses and this partnership by Huawei is perhaps aimed at those who previously might have doubted the credentials of their flagship devices when compared to the likes of Apple and the recently launched Samsung S7 range” said Choudhary.
It’s a sign that Huawei mean business, to capitalise on their rising popularity in Europe. Huawei are doing this by providing a cutting edge camera that challenges Samsung and Apple. “Taking pictures on your phone is important to all with 70% of UK consumers” said Choudhary. What Huawei seem to be doing is not joining the spec race with Apple and Samsung, but focusing on fundamentals that will speak volumes with consumers, or so they hope. The P9 range starts at £480 and that could bode will with consumers.
Expect a full and through review on the P9 from us very soon.
For more on Huawei, visit What Mobile’s dedicated Huawei page.
