Leica, the brand almost synonymous to photography, has never before been tapped to enter the smartphone market… Huawei did the impossible with the P9 for it carries the elusive “red dot” innovating with a dual camera system at the back with one taking monochromatic data and the other focused on color putting out images incredibly rich in detail and clarity.
Huawei’s 2016 flagship arrives with its very own Kirin 955 octa-core processor and comes in two variants differing in name (P9 vs P9 Plus), memory (32GB/3GB for the P9 and 64GB/4GB for the P9 plus), screen size (5.2 vs 5.5), and battery (3000mAh vs 3400mAh). This lineup had been launched a couple of days ago at the Grand Ballroom in the City of Dreams, Manila.
We got to play around with the phones for a bit on their experiential setup right after the program. There were plenty of areas just begging to be taken a photo of – a fashion zone featuring products from Zalora, a live mural painting, a gallery of photos taken with a Leica camera, a few current Leica bodies, DJs on a platform, and of course a number of tables where all the three models are displayed.
Let’s take our customary tour around the device/s for a closer look at the revolutionary imaging focused smartphone/s starting with the P9 which will retail for Php23,990:
There is prominence in the Leica branding as the top part of the rear sports the dual cameras and information on the optics: it is a couple of 12MP Leica Summarit Lenses at f2.2. The same can pretty much be said for the P9 Plus but its increased screen size add a bit of heft to the device making it quite significant in the hand, the P9 Plus will retail for Php29,990 here it is below:
For those who want to up their photography game but do not want to burn a hole in their pockets, Huawei also came out with the P9 Lite to retail at Php12,490. It has a different processor in the form of the Kirin 650, 16GB ROM and 3 GB RAM and sports a 13MP Sony IMX as its main camera with an 8MP front facing camera. The P9 Lite also has a fingerprint sensor and has a similarly sized 5.2″ panel to the P9:
The P9 really shines in what it does best and only photos from the phone can prove that to the onlooker… There are three Leica film modes that can be activated by swiping towards the left and this includes a dedicated monochrome mode that will use only one of the two rear shooters. This phone also has a Wide Aperture Mode, an uncanny ability to change the aperture value after an image has been captured imbuing snapshots with greater versatility as long as the data remains within the P9. The Leica branding transcends the label at the back as the camera UI sports all the fonts and symbols Leica uses on its products, heck even the shutter sound has been carried over.
Huawei truly hit the nail on the head with a very specific smartphone with the P9. It has the chops to be one of the most sought after models for anyone with an ounce of interest in photography.
As a special treat to early adopters, on June 11-12 at the Huawei Brand Store in SM Mall of Asia, they’re having a trade-in promotion: 20% off of either the P9 or the P9 Plus if you bring in any working or non-working film / digital camera (smartphones not counted ^^).
Only 200 units will be sold off this way (100 P9s and 100 P9 Plus) and each transaction will come with a free Gouache Bag, a VIP card, and a 13,000mAh Powerbank. Believe me when I say there is going to be a line. Best be there early.
Here’s more from the event and the phones in action:
#OO #HuaweiP9 #thenewchoice
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