Huawei just launched their new flagship smartphones. And considering the overly-dramatic set of features, it looks like the Chinese company wants to outshine Google’s own Pixel 2 devices as well as Samsung and Apple’s offerings. Let’s take a look at what the new Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro has to offer.
Other than throwing a lot of shade on the Galaxy Note 8, the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro launch event was filled with “world’s first” remarks. According to the company, they will have the first processors with a dedicated neural network processing unit (NPU), world’s largest camera apertures on a smartphone, and more.
Both the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro got first dibs on the new Kirin 970 chipsets. It’s a 10nm chip that has an octa-core processor, with support to up to 6GB of RAM, and a “first-to-market” 12-core Mali-G72 graphics chip. The Kirin 970 will also house the aforementioned Neural processor for all AI-related tasks. There’s also a new dual Image Signal Processor (ISP) for AI-enabled photography features.
UPDATE: Here’s our full review of Huawei Mate 10.
Speaking of photography, the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro will have a dual-camera setup at the back which are still co-engineered by Leica. There’s a 12-megapixel sensor that shoots in color, and an extra 20-megapixel one for some artsy, monochromatic shots. Both cameras will have Optical Image Stabilization and a wide-open f/1.6 aperture — which Huawei claims as the largest aperture found on any smartphone today.
The cameras also feature an AI-powered digital zoom and a real-time scene and object recognition that automatically adjusts the camera settings based on the shooting scenario. These features use the said dual ISPs and NPU found on the Kirin 970.
Another highlight features are the new FullView, almost bezel-less display. But unlike the one we saw on the Nova 2i, what we have here is a bit more interesting. The Huawei Mate 10 has a 5.9-inch IPS screen, with a standard 16:9 aspect ratio, and 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. Meanwhile, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro gets to enjoy a 6-inch OLED display, an 18:9 aspect ratio, and a 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution. Both handsets also have HDR10 support.
Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro Specs
| Huawei Mate 10 | Huawei Mate 10 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Android 8.0, EMUI 8.0 | Android 8.0, EMUI 8.0 |
| SIM | Dual SIM Hybrid | Dual SIM |
| Display | 5.9-inch FullView IPS 16:9 aspect ratio 2560 x 1440 resolution ~499ppi HDR10 | 6.0-inch FullView OLED 18:9 aspect ratio 2160 x 1080 resolution ~402ppi HDR10 |
| Processor | 2.3GHz Huawei Kirin 970 octa-core Neural Network Processing Unit | 2.3GHz Huawei Kirin 970 octa-core Neural Network Processing Unit |
| RAM | 4GB | 4GB/6GB |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP12 | Mali-G72 MP12 |
| Storage | 64GB expandable via microSD up to 256GB | 64GB/128GB |
| Front Camera | 8-megapixel f/2.0 | 8-megapixel f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 12-megapixel (RGB) + 20-megapixel (Monochrome) Optical Image Stabilization Dual-LED flash | 12-megapixel (RGB) + 20-megapixel (Monochrome) Optical Image Stabilization Dual-LED flash |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5G Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, GLONASS, BDS NFC USB Type-C, DisplayPort 1.2 Infrared Blaster | 4G LTE WiFI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4G/5G Bluetooth 4.2 GPS, GLONASS, BDS NFC USB Type-C, DisplayPort 1.2 Infrared Blaster |
| Dimensions | 150.5 x 77.8 x 8.2mm | 154.2 x 74.5 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 186g | 178g |
| Color | Black / Mocha Brown Black / Mocha Brown / Champagne Gold Champagne Gold Mocha Brown | Midnight Blue Titanium Grey Mocha Brown |
| Battery | 4000mAh battery | 4000mAh battery |
The Huawei Mate 10 will be available for EUR699 (around ~Php42,200) later this month. On the other hand, the Mate 10 Pro will be sold for a price of EUR799 (around ~Php48,200). It will be available alongside the Mate 10 Porsche Design starting Mid-November. Pricing and availability in the Philippines are yet to be announced, but we can expect it to arrive in time for the holiday season.