Huawei Launches Its P9 Smartphone Embedded in a Dual-Lens Camera

Huawei unveiled its P9 duo of flagship smartphones (read cameras) at a launch ceremony held at Dubai Design District – D3 in Dubai today.

Created in collaboration with Leica, the dual-lens Huawei P9 and Huawei P9 Plus smartphones are all about photography and this is probably why over 80% of the event keynotes were related to the camera functionality of the P9s.

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.

Along with powerful internals –to keep up with you communication needs — P9 and P9 Plus can easily be termed as powerful DSLR-alternate camera phones.

 

The Cameras of P9

Cameras of P9 are said to be so good that professional photographers shot several sessions with Huawei P9.

Ayaad Damouni, the lead photographer of Capital D Studio, was in fact invited at the launch event to share his thoughts and feedback about a professional photo-session he did with P9 just recently in London.

Ayaad said:

“When capturing images in a studio, on street style fashion shoots or for landscape imagery I really felt like it gave me the quality and accuracy I look for”

David GuttenFelder of National Geographic was quoted as saying:

“You wouldn’t necessarily think of using a smartphone for action shots but I was really impressed by the speed and responsiveness of the P9 camera, allowing me to capture the energy and movement of the moment in stunning detail, both in color and black and white.”

Just in case if you are wondering, key to the P9’s imaging capabilities is a dual-camera design that 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.

Huawei P9 uses three kinds of sensors to auto-focus an image.

• Lase focus: for short range
• Precise Depth focus: for long range
• And Contrast Focus: to measure the lighting scenarios

And then there is a manual mode if you want to adjust to particular ISO, Shutter Speed, White Balance, Exposure and other setting for challenging imaging scenarios.

Sample Pictures Taken by P9

Below are two sample images that I took from a Huwaei P9 at the experience zone. They were taken without any filter, however, I just resized the images (to load well here).

The Huawei P9 Itself

With 5.2 inch 1080 pixel display, the Huawei P9 is equipped with the company’s custom-built HiSilicon Kirin 955 octa-core chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Storage capacity can be extended by using the hybrid card slot (Second SIM/micro SD card).

Powering the device is a 3,000 mAh battery unit.

Huawei P9 Plus

Huawei also unveiled 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.

Huawei P9 Specifications:

• CPU: 1.8 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 and 2.5 GHz quad-core Cortex-A72
• GPU: Mali-T880 MP4
• Chipset: Huawei Kirin 955
• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow based Emotion UI 4.1
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE (Cat.6), dual-SIM (NANO-SIMs)
• Design: Aluminium Unibody
  • Dual Camera Setup
  • Rear Fingerprint scanner
• Display:
  • 5.2” IPS display with 1080p resolution (423 PPI)
  • 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Memory:
  • RAM: 3/4 GB
  • Internal: 32/64 GB
  • Card slot: Yes (uses second SIM slot)
• Camera:
  • Primary: Dual 12 MP, f/2.2, 27 mm, Leica optics, Laser and phase detection autofocus, Dual-LED Flash
  • Secondary: 8 MP/ 1080p
• Connectivity: NFC, GPS with GLONASS/BDS, Bluetooth 4.1, USB Type-C 1.0
• Colours: Ceramic White, Haze Gold, Rose Gold, Titanium Grey, Mystic Silver, Prestige Gold
• Battery: 3,000 mAh battery