MWC 2017 | Huawei P10 and P10+ now official, feature photo enhancement
Huawei today announced the P10 and P10+ smartphones. Hoping to build upon their relationship with camera manufacturer Leica with the inclusion of a Leica-engineered front-facing “selfie” camera.
The phone is an incremental improvement over the P9, as far as internals go:
Huawei P10
- 5.1” 1080p display
- Kirin 960 CPU
- 4 GB RAM
- 64 GB storage, expandable via microSD
- 3200 mAh battery
- Dual rear-facing cameras
- 20 MP monochrome camera
- 12 MP f/2.2 camera
Huawei P10 Plus
- 5.5” 1440p WQHD display
- Kirin 960 CPU
- 6 GB RAM
- 128 GB storage, expandable via microSD
- 3750 mAh battery
- Dual rear-facing cameras
- 20 MP monochrome camera
- 12 MP f/1.8 camera
The P10 and P10 Plus run Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 skin on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. The devices look like capable smartphones for 2017, complete with a (now front mounted) fingerprint reader, generous specs, and a dual-camera setup on the rear.
It’s this camera setup that steals the show. It’s very similar in design to the Huawei Mate 9’s dual rear-facing cameras. Leica, a premium camera manufacturer, had a heavy hand in engineering both rigs, and expectations are high. The P10 and P10 Plus’s setups are comprised of a 12 MP camera for color and a 20 MP monochrome camera. The phone then uses the images captured by both sensors to stitch together a final photo; the monochrome shooter creates a sharp image while the 12 MP module adds in color data. These cameras work to bring in a portrait mode which will automatically identify the subject of a photo and adjust the field of view, focus, and highlights to emphasize the centerpiece.
The front-facing camera also gets the Leica treatment this year. The 8 MP f/1.9 camera features an “adaptive selfie” mode that will detect how many people are in the frame and adjust the angle and field of view accordingly. Huawei also said that the front-facing camera offers twice the brightness and a larger dynamic range to create stunning selfies.
The cameras are an important component for the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group, said:
"With HUAWEI P10 and P10+ we have created a smartphone that revolutionises and redefines portrait photography. Thanks to the evolution of our partnership with Leica Camera users now have an incredible Leica front camera on their Huawei device in addition to the rear.”
The other major change lies in the fingerprint scanner. The sensor has been moved from the back to the front, directly underneath the display. The scanner is more than just a biometric device; it can be used to interact with the phone in several ways. A tap acts as the ubiquitous back button commonly found in Android, a long press will act as a home button, and a swipe will bring up the recent apps tray.
Huawei has also worked with the Pantone Color Institute, one of the global leaders in color development, to bring some bold pop to the chassis. The P10 and P10+ will be available in a myriad of colors to best match the user’s style. Richard Yu said:
“To match this innovation inside, Huawei's partnership with Pantone Color Institute ensures that the devices are equally as beautiful on the outside. The HUAWEIP10 and P10+ are smartphones that are as fashionable as they are functional.”
In addition to the physical components of the P10 and P10+, Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 aims to bring machine learning to the Android experience. According to Huawei, an intelligent learning algorithm will speed up the opening time of apps by as much as 20%. Optimizations under the hood will also smooth out the experience; Huawei’s predictive fingerprint tracking will attempt to guess how the user will swipe around the phone, speeding up screen transitions and other navigation.
Pricing starts at €649 (~$685 US) for the P10 and €699 (~$738 US) for the P10+. Hopeful buyers can expect to buy the P10 or P10+ sometime in March.
Source(s)
Huawei
