Rumors point to incoming Huawei D8 smartphone for 2016

The roadmap shows the P9, P9 Max, and a possible D8 with Kirin 960 SoC and sapphire display.

Andreas Müller/ Allen Ngo, 12/26/2015

According to Chinese tech site mobile-dad.com, the Huawei D8 will be another high-end smartphone from the manufacturer with a large 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 resolution display, previously unannounced Kirin 960 SoC, and 4 GB RAM. The kicker, however, is that the smartphone is also rumored to carry a sapphire crystal display for better resistance to cracks. The D8 could cost as much as $775 USD according to the source.

The leaked roadmap also reveals the P9 and P9 Max with QHD displays, Kirin 950 SoCs, and 4 GB RAM each. This is compared to the current Huawei Mate 8, which sports a Kirin 950 SoC and "only" a FHD panel. The Mate 8 will officially launch in a number of European territories within the next few weeks for a starting price of 700 Euros.

Our most current review on Huawei is the Mate S with the Kirin 935 SoC. If the rumors are proven true, then the D8 could be one the first smartphones with a sapphire display and a hefty price to show for it. Currently, the Apple Watch is one of the only "smart" devices carrying a Sapphire display option.