Huawei's upcoming flagships are imminent, inching closer to a potential debut as early as November.
Mate 9, code-named Manhattan, will be joined by the Mate 9 Pro, code-named Long Island, both sporting New York-themed nicknames for the time being. The Mate 9 Pro will be the curved-screen version of the Mate 9, strikingly similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, at least in terms of how the curved screen is visually implemented.
Per VentureBeat's Evan Blass, always the trusty tipster for leaks, the leaked product renders feature the devices in a somewhat pale purple and understated pink scheme, shunning the traditional gray metallic finish or gold color scheme. But this is Huawei, and it's expected that the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro will come in a different array of color options.
This is Long Island: Huawei's curved-screen flagship will be dubbed the Mate 9 Pro https://t.co/FIE0f3xf4v pic.twitter.com/dq3TsKrYme
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 22, 2016
In the renders, two dual cameras can be spotted on both the Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro. A fingerprint scanner is nestled at the back of the device, below the Leica dual cameras, the same set of cameras found in Huawei P9. The cameras are oddly placed on top of each other in a vertical strip, instead of the traditional horizontal side-by-side placement found in most phones sporting dual cameras. No word as to why this is, but it's likely not something of concern.
Huawei's set to unveil these devices on its event on Nov. 3. Other announcements that will be made during the event are still up for speculation, but the bulk of the Mate 9's details have already slipped through the cracks. The device's full specifications were leaked back in September, suggesting that the device will have up to 256 GB of internal storage and up to 6 GB of RAM, with lower-spec'd configurations available for slashed prices.
The devices are expected to carry over Huawei's HiSilicon Kirin 960 SoC, rocking a 5.9-inch QHD resolution for the Mate 9 Pro, up from Mate 9's lower 1080p display. The amped-up resolution is likely to complement Google's Daydream VR support, which is not available on the Mate 9, VentureBeat said, citing a source familiar with the company.
The Mate 9 is reported to hover between $480 to $700 when released, depending on the RAM and internal storage configuration users choose. Aside from the bumped-up screen, there's practically no difference between the Mate 9 and the Mate 9 Pro, but that is yet to be confirmed as Nov. 3 rolls around.
Take all of these specifications with a grain of salt as usual, but the product renders unarguably look legitimate, especially considering that they came from Evan Blass. However, things can still change once Huawei finally unveils the two smartphones this Nov. 3 in Germany.
