Huawei has already stated that the rumored Mate 9 will not be joining the IFA 2016 next week. However, rumors of the flagship making it to the trade show still circulate. Huawei is also reportedly announcing another new sub-brand at the said event.
According to Phone Arena, reports out of China mention that Huawei is hinting at a big reveal at the IFA in Berlin. Supposedly, the China-based tech maker has released a teaser for a Sept. 1 event just before IFA officially opens. In addition, a previous interview with Kevin Ho, Huawei's president for the handset product line, has purportedly confirmed that the company will be announcing a new sub-brand at the 2016 IFA, with the new branding focusing on mid-range handsets.
This will add a new portfolio for Huawei, who is behind the new Honor brand lineup. Just recently, Huawei has released the new Honor flagship series, the Honor 8 and Honor Note 8. It is unclear if the new sub-brand will have a global roll-out after the announcement, or if it will have region exclusivity.
As for Huawei's next flagship, it remains to be seen if the new Mate 9 will make it to IFA 2016. Previously, it is revealed that Huawei doesn't plan on unveiling the new flagship at the trade show, and may instead be planning a separate press event for the Mate 9. This is understandable, given that the Mate series is one of two top-tier flagships for the company, the other one already having its current flagship release, the P9. It is expected however, that even if there will be a stand-alone event, the new Mate 9 will still make it as a 2016 release.
Purported specs of the Mate 9 include a 5.9-inch screen with full HD resolution, as well as the dual-cam setup for its sister flagship. However, it is unconfirmed if the new Mate series will also use the same Leica-branded setup in the P9. Other supposed features of the Mate 9 include the new Kirin 960 processor, with two RAM versions, the base model having 4GB, and a top-tier variant with 6GB of RAM.
