The Huawei Mate 9 has been making waves after its launch last November due to its premium build and tech muscle but it has so far avoided the United States after initially rolling out in other parts of the world.
This is about to change after the much-touted flagship killer is reportedly hitting the U.S. shores on Jan. 6.
The information was first leaked by noted mobile phone tipster Evan Blass, who posted the specific release schedule on his Twitter account. It must be noted that he only referred to the base Mate 9 model, which probably means that the limited edition Porsche Design variant will not be included in the shipment.
Huawei Mate 9 going on sale in the US on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/V879xArtkP
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 10, 2016
Note 7 Alternative
At first glance, the Huawei Mate 9 will immediately recall the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 due to its screen real estate. It has a massive 5.9-inch QHD AMOLED screen packed with 1,080 x 1,920 pixels, a fraction larger than the display of the now-defunct Samsung device.
Under the hood, the Mate 9 is outfitted with the Kirin 960 processor, which Huawei trumpets as the highest-performing mobile chipset in world.
"The CPU delivers the best multi-core performance among all smartphone SoCs, while reducing power consumption by 15 percent," Huawei said during the Mate 9's launch. "The GPU boasts a 180-percent performance uplift and a 40 percent improvement in energy efficiency compared to its predecessor."
Leica Dual-Camera Technology
Huawei is also careful to consistently push for the Mate 9's 20 megapixel dual-camera technology. This is the same technology that the Huawei P9 is rocking and was developed in collaboration with Leica. It is set apart from the competition by the monochrome lens outfitted in one of the dual camera sensors.
It effectively trounces cameras based on the Bayer filter, a technology that organizes light according to red, green, and blue streams before it hits the sensor. This process filters out a good amount of light, resulting to a diminished image quality.
The monochrome sensor eliminates the Bayer array so that the lens is now hit by a higher amount of light, leading to an impressive 100 percent increase in light sensitivity.
Mate 9 Pricing And Other Details
At this point, Huawei could still be struggling to find a carrier partner in the United States based on previous experience. The Mate 9 is, hence, expected to hit retailers unlocked.
There is no information yet on U.S. pricing but one can just turn to its value in other markets for insight. It is being sold for €700 in Europe, which should be about $750. The price tag should put the device in direct competition with Google Pixel handsets and Galaxy S7 edge.
One should remember that the Mate 9's release date coincides with the CES 2017 happening in Las Vegas.
