At one point in 2016, Huawei has dethroned Samsung from its perch to become the most profitable Android OEM, and analysts expect that its strong performance could continue this year. We certainly hope that this surge is not the reason why the Chinese smartphone maker is purportedly increasing the price of its next flagship device.
To put it another way, we hope that the rumored plan to jack up pricing will not prove its undoing.
Most Expensive Huawei Flagship Yet
The subject of the recent rumors swirling about Huawei is, of course, the Huawei P10. The device will succeed the P9, which almost single-handedly catapulted Huawei to its current position in the market.
The news was first disclosed by mobile device tipster Ricciolo via a Twitter post. The tweet is a bit vague but provides significant clues that can outline the context of this recent speculation.
Let alone the #porsche design , get ready for the most #expensive P device ever #Huawei #mwc17 #crazy prices pic.twitter.com/zbsReG9IyX
— Ricciolo (@Ricciolo1) January 23, 2017
How Much Exactly?
As was previously mentioned, the new Huawei flagship will be the most expensive P device yet. Considering this fact, it should cost more than the $640, which is the price tag for the P9 at launch. It could even surpass the $800 price point of the P9 Plus.
The tweet also referred to #porsche, which should include the Mate 9 Porsche Design in the mix. If Ricciolo is correct, then the P10 could fetch more than $1,500, which is the cost of this high-end phone when it first hit the market. Amazon even has a Mate 9 Porsche currently listed for $3,009.
It will be interesting, therefore, to discover the technology that Huawei will be outfitting its next flagship to justify the P10's potential eye-watering retail price.
The P9 probably enjoyed more than a modicum of success partly because of its outstanding camera, which was engineered by Leica. Previous leaks point to a second-generation Leica shooter, but this upgrade should not be enough for a sharp uptick in pricing.
The Huawei P10 At MWC 2017
Save for the purported double-curved display, the bulk of the rumored hardware specs such as the IPS Quad HD and the Kirin 960 chip are not really worth writing home about.
As is the case for unconfirmed rumors, the P10's purported price should be taken with a grain of salt. We should be able to learn more about the device and its value when it debuts at the Mobile World Congress on Feb. 27.
Huawei has already sent out invites to its press event at Barcelona. They include the promise that the company will be introducing its latest innovations and exciting advances.
