It is expected that Huawei will launch its new flagship next month. The upcoming Mate 9 will reportedly debut as a full lineup, complete with a Pro version.
According to perennial tipster and noted leaker Evan Blass, the flagship iteration, dubbed as Long Island, will debut early in November as the Mate 9 Pro. The base model, meanwhile, is codenamed Manhattan.
As expected, the Mate 9 Pro will be the top-tier version for the flagship. Both versions will run on the recently-launched Kirin 960 chipset, with at least 4 GB of RAM. There may be at least three storage options for the handsets, with the base model having 64 GB and up to 256 GB for the Mate 9 Pro. It is yet to be confirmed if the premium version will also launch with a 6-GB RAM variant.
Although the two flagships will feature the same 5.9-inch display, only the dimensions are similar. The base model Mate 9 will only offer 1080p full HD resolution. The Mate 9 Pro, on the other hand, will sport a QHD display. Meanwhile, it is unclear if the two versions will launch with their own dual curved edge displays, or if only the Mate 9 Pro will debut with the feature.
The industry follower said that with the QHD display, it is revealed that the Mate 9 Pro will be the only version in the lineup to offer Daydream VR support. With the feature, it is also likely that the Pro variant will launch with Android Nougat 7.0-based Emotion UI.
Meanwhile, as a flagship, it is also expected that Huawei will feature the same dual-camera setup as its current P9 flagship in the Mate 9. This is already confirmed, according to Phone Arena. Allegedly, a leaked instruction manual that will come with the Mate 9 mentions the dual-cam feature, 20 MP and 12 MP sensors co-engineered by Leica. Underneath the main camera is the ultrafast fingerprint scanner.
The Mate 9 is expected to debut on Nov. 3.
