A new Huawei Mate S flagship smartphone just made its official debut, gunning for the iPhone 6 Plus phablet from Apple.
Huawei's latest Mate S challenges the iPhone 6 Plus in several ways and even Huawei CEO Richard Yu compared it to Apple's phablet in several aspects during his presentation at IFA 2015.
Not only does the Huawei Mate S boast the same display size, screen-to-body ratio and resolution of the iPhone 6 Plus, but it also beats Apple to the punch by boasting Force Touch technology. Force Touch is something Apple recently introduced on its MacBooks and Apple Watch and is expected to expand to its next-generation iPhone this year, but the new Huawei Mate S is now the first smartphone to come with Force Touch.
For those unfamiliar with the technology, Force Touch involves a pressure-sensitive display that offers different functionality depending on how hard the user presses on it.
The Huawei Mate S further features a sleek metal design, a fingerprint reader and a slew of neat specs and features and is expected to go head to head with the iPhone 6 Plus. Even the Huawei Mate 6 product page(see image above) looks like Apple's page for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the phone pictured horizontally showing one of its sides, its name written above, and options to watch videos below, further hinting at the direct rivalry between the two.
It's clear that the Huawei Mate S has the iPhone 6 Plus in its sights, so let's see how the two smartphones stack up against in a brief specs comparison.
Display
When it comes to the display, both the Huawei Mate S and the iPhone 6 Plus come with 5.5-inch touchscreens with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. As previously mentioned, the Mate S also boasts Force Touch, whereas the iPhone 6 Plus does not.
Processor, RAM
Under the hood, the Huawei Mate S packs an in-house Kirin 935 octa-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM, while the iPhone 6 Plus packs Apple's A8 processor and just 1GB of RAM.
Storage
In terms of storage options, the Huawei Mate S comes in 32GB or 64GB versions, while the iPhone 6 Plus is available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB configurations. Neither of them has support for expandable memory, so the internal storage capacity is all you get.
Cameras
In the camera department, the Huawei Mate S features a 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie cam, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes with an 8-megapixel rear shooter and a 1.2-megapixel front camera.
Battery
To keep things up and running, the Huawei Mate S packs a 2,700 mAh battery, smaller than the 2,915 mAh unit of the iPhone 6 Plus. Both smartphones' batteries are non-removable.
Other
As previously mentioned, the Huawei Mate S also boasts a fingerprint reader, but it's mounted on its back rather than the home button as with the iPhone 6 Plus. Moreover, Huawei's Fingerprint Sense 2.0 sensor not only allows users to unlock their device or make mobile payments, but also control apps on the phone. For instance, users can move their finger on the fingerprint sensor to scroll through images, trigger a selfie or select notifications. Another feature called the Knuckle Sense 2.0, meanwhile, allows Huawei Mate S users to use their knuckles to crop images or trace letters on the display to app shortcuts.
The Huawei Mate S also comes with dual-SIM support, whereas the iPhone 6 Plus comes with single-SIM, but it also lacks an important feature its rival has to offer: NFC.
Huawei Mate 6 Availability
Huawei will initially launch its new Mate S phablet in 30 countries including China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Spain, South Africa and UAE, with pre-orders set to commence in Western Europe on Tuesday, Sept. 15, on Vmall.eu. The Force Touch version will be available "in select markets."
The 32GB version will be available in Titanium Grey or Mystique Champagne, sporting a €649 price tag, i.e. about $729. The 64GB variant will be available in Prestige Gold or Coral Pink avatars, going up to €699, or roughly $785.
