Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro: All the rumors so far
China tech giant Huawei is set to release its next flagship smartphone line, believed to be called the Mate 9, at its event in Munich, Germany on Nov. 3.
In typical smartphone fashion these days, the details for the Mate 9 line are pouring in prior to the event.
Huawei is believed to offer two versions of the smartphone: a standard Mate 9 and dual-edge curved Mate 9 Pro.
Mate 9
The Mate 9 is believed to be similar to the Mate 8 released in late 2015, with upgraded specifications and sharper design.
EvLeaks of VentureBeat published alleged press images of the Mate 9 in a tweet. The images of the Mate 9 show the handset will feature a dual-lens Leica Summarit H 1:2.2/27 ASPH camera, USB-C port, and fingerprint scanner on the rear of the handset.
The dual-lens, dual-sensor camera is similar to what was featured on the Huawei P9 released in the first half of 2016, though with better capabilities.
Unconfirmed leaks have tipped the Mate 9 as having a 5.9-inch qHD display, a 64-bit, eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 960 system-on-a-chip, 6GB of RAM, and 256GB storage capacity when the handset is fully-spec'd.
A Weibo leak pointed to the Mate 9 becoming available in the following colors: Amber Gold, Ceramic White, Amber Grey, Rose Gold, Moonlight Silver, Sky Grey, Mocha Gold, Champagne Gold, and Enamel Gloss Black.
Pricing and availability for the Mate 9 is not clear.
Mate 9 Pro
Likely to take on Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge and the market left open by the Note 7, Huawei will release an upgraded version of the Mate 9 under the "Pro" moniker.
The Mate 9 Pro, codenamed Long Island within Huawei, is believed to feature a dual-edge curved 5.9-inch display and step up to a 1440x2560 qHD resolution from the Mate 9's standard 1080 full-HD resolution, according to VentureBeat.
Reports have circulated the Mate 9 Pro will only be available in the China market. EvLeaks tweeted it will be available for $1,300 fully-spec'd out.
Android Daydream
The added resolution of the more expensive Mate 9 Pro is believed to give it support for Google Daydream VR.
Announced at Google I/O 2016 in May, Daydream VR is Google's upcoming line of supported "Daydream ready" smartphones, a headset, a controller, and a whole range of apps and experiences accessible through Google Play.
Rumors have pointed to the Mate 9 lineup running Android 7.0 Nougat, bringing support for Google's VR platform. It's likely Huawei will throw in its own software twists on Nougat.
VentureBeat reported the Mate 9 Pro will be the only Mate 9 to feature support for VR. Huawei previously unveiled a VR headset alongside the Huawei P9 in 2015.
Galaxy Note 7 replacement?
The Mate 9 comes at an opportune time for Huawei. It has a chance to pick up the millions of customers left turning in their Galaxy Note 7 phones in fear they could explode amidst a global recall.
The Galaxy Note 7 was a well-regarded product when first reviewed in August. Could the Huawei Mate 9's specifications and curved screen in the premium model be enough to fill Samsung's shoes?
We will cover all the latest from Huawei on Nov. 3.
Gallery: Daydream View is Google's first VR headset
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