Bucket Tech: Huawei Mate 20 Series

A higher intelligence has arrived,and it's in the form of the Huawei Mate 20. Launched at yesterdays glamorous event in London, Huawei Mobile showcased to the world it's Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro devices. This devices brings with it a whole lot of worlds firsts, with it having the worlds fastest processor in the Kirin 980 which takes AI to the next level and EMUI 9. With the local launch happening next week, I'm not going to divulge too much into the phone in this post but rather cover some key aspects of the device, well to be honest most of the features displayed yesterday were rather interesting and mind blowing at the same time, so lets get down to discussing some of them. 

First up, the design, nothing over the top from Huawei, keeping in general to what every smart phone looks like these days but the significant design difference has to be the bevel design. It's much wider than most phones giving the device a more rounded edge and with the unique cut design on the back giving the user more grip with the device. It also serves as an anti-slip mechanism which many other phones become quite slippery with moisture. The screen on the Huawei Mate 20 is brilliant, whether its the normal or pro you're looking at, with all devices carrying a FullView display with high screen-to-body ratio and a small notch at the top compared to other smartphones. The Mate also has a LCD display with a peculiar 18.7:9 aspect ratio and Huawei claim this is the brightest display on the market. The Mate20 also boasts an in screen finger print reader, one of the few devices on the market to have this feature.

The wonder of nature inspires modern technology. The #HUAWEIMate20 in Emerald Green, Midnight Blue, Black, Pink Gold and Twilight. #HigherIntelligence pic.twitter.com/akObikS65r

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) October 16, 2018

Moving onto the camera, which is everyone's next talking point when it comes to smart phones, the Mate20 has a Matrix design which is 3 lenses and a sensor/flash in a quad format on the back. It certainly is more aesthetically pleasing to look at then having three in a row. The camera varies from devices, with the standard Mate 20 getting a 16MP (17mm) Ultra Wide Angle Lend, a 12MP (27mm) Wide Angle Lens) and a 8MP (52mm) 2 x Telephoto Lens,  the Mate20 Pro comes with a 40MP (27mm) Wide Angle Lens, 20MP (16mm) Ultra Wide Angle Lens and a 8MP (800mm) 3 x Telephoto Lens, all of which have been co-engineered with Leica. This along with the AI interface recognizes colours, textures, people and so much more. It also gives the user the opportunity to capture more detail at a closer distance with the camera able to get as close as 2.5cm away from an object, a first for a mobile device.

Be a director, photographer and creator. Introducing the world's first Leica Triple Camera with Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens powered by AI. #HUAWEIMate20 #HigherIntelligence pic.twitter.com/LTlZqgBp5t

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) October 16, 2018

 

Another big talking point was the battery life on the Mate20, Huawei's Mate range has been known for its strong battery and with the Mate20 there it is no different. With it coming with a 4200mAh battery which supporter Huawei's new 40W SuperCharge which is the fastest charging phone on the market, capable of charging the device from 0-70% in just 30 minutes. If that wasn't enough, Huawei finally have come to the wireless charging party, with a 15W wireless charge which is also quite fast. But here's the kicker than had my mind blown, the Mate20 also has reverse wireless charge. What's that? Well if you have another device that can charge wireless-ly, be it a phone, car key etc, you can now charge it using your Mate20!

Giving you the gift of time. With the 40W SuperCharge, you can have 70% battery power in just 30 minutes. #HUAWEIMate20 #HigherIntelligence pic.twitter.com/RKh4HbijXy

— Huawei Mobile (@HuaweiMobile) October 16, 2018

As I said, I'm not going to chat too much about the device until I get to see it for myself next week at the local launch but so this is looking like bang on the money. Like Richard Yu, the CEO of Huawei Consumer BG said "Smartphones are an important entrance to the digital world. The Huawei Mate 20 Series is designed to be the best 'mate' of consumers, accompanying and empowering them to enjoy a richer, more fulfilled life with their higher intelligence, unparalleled battery lives and powerful camera performance". I often get asked, "what is the best phone on the market" and of recent I couldn't really give a proper answer because in reality there was no best phone, with such minimal things to separate each competitor, either one had an advantage over the other in some way another but with the Mate20, it's clear to say that Huawei are leading the pack on this one.  

Bucket Tech: Huawei Mate 10 Pro & Mate 10 Porsche Design - First Impressions

Monday night saw the launch of the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and Mate 10 Porsche Design devices in South Africa, much like the wind in Cape Town, it blew many of the crowd away with it's features of which many are a first for a smart phone. For it's flag ship device, Huawei opted for the tranquil and scenic Camps Bay, which was anything but thanks to the weather. Once sheltered from the gale force winds, it was time to view what the Chinese manufacturer had in store in its latest Mate series device. With the smartphone trend, everyone is looking at what each other is inventing but then copying and perfecting these trends, with Huawei, they have set some standards in the industry first which saw their competitors play catch-up. some of these include the dual lens technology in the cameras, the long battery life and super charge, but with the Mate 10, they needed something ground-breaking, something that would make their competitors not only think "why didn't we think of that?" but rather "how did they do that?". 

Step in the world's first AI Processor, the Kirin 970. But you may ask, what is AI? And how will it be beneficial to me? We've seen AI in movies but most of that has been fiction until now, AI is artificial intelligence, which enables the device to think on its own and not only when you tell it to do something. Yes, this is ground breaking and what makes it even more astonishing, is that it is able to do this without having a connection. For example, Huawei has teamed up with Microsoft for a number of things for the Mate 10 Pro, one of them being Microsoft Translate. The Mate 10 pro is able to view foreign text and convert it for you to the desired language, all on its own without an internet connection. "As we enter the age of intellegence, AI is no longer a virtual concept but something that interwines with out daily life. AI can enhance user experience, provide valuable services and improve product performance" says Likun Zhao, GM of Huawei Consumer Business Group. "The Huawei Mate 10 Series introduces the first mobile AI-specific Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), launching a new era of intelligent smartphones. For the South Afrcan market, we bringing two most premium phones in this exclusive series - namely the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 - as we believe these are the best phones to meet the mobile needs of South African consumers, especially when it comes to business."

Yes, SA won't be getting the standard Mate 10 device as Huawei feels that the consumers would opt for the Pro and the PD devices, also the price difference in the standard and Pro is minimal. Getting back to AI, in essence, this issues a new dawn in the smartphone market, AI will only be enhanced from here on, unlocking potentials that we can only dream off from a phone. Some other cool features of the Mate 10 Pro, includes a new camera. It's a world's first f1.6 Leica Dual LEns camera which identifies, in real-time, different types of scenes and objects, such as food, nightscapes, sunsets and beaches, heck it can even identify if you taking a picture of a dog or a cat! It will then automatically adjust to make sure your picture is captured in the best possible way. While their is a Pro feature on the camera, you would rarely have to use it! The Huawei SuperCharge has also been upgraded, as the phone comes with a 4000 mAh batter with AI powered battery management for optimal usage, so this extends battery life on the device. It also comes with fast charging, allowing the device to get from 0 to 20 percent in 10 minutes. 

The Mate 10 Pro also comes with a dual SIM where both SIM slots are 4G capable. The design see's a change to the 9, with it having a more beveled finish, making the handset quite smooth and sleek. It has quite a large display, Huawei calls this "full view" enabling the user to have brilliant clarity and optimizes the viewing for the user. It also has the best screen to body ratio in its class using a 5.9 inch screen and 16:9 display. The device is IP67 rated as well, which we put to the test in the viewing rooms where we were allowed to dunk the phones into a fish bowl. Quite nerve wrecking but cool to see. 

Pre-Orders for the Mate 10 Pro have already begun, but the recommended retail prices have some folks talking. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro being R18,999 isn't too bad seeing that it has a host of worlds first and an extremely good smart phone, however the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 comes in at R26,999. That is a big jump in price but with PD, their products are quality and quite expensive. Also this Porsche Design handset will be super exclusive with only 999 units coming to South Africa. 

"We are delighted to bring the Huawei Mate 10 Pro and the Porsche Design Mate 10 to South Africa as we believe these smartphones will cater for the South  African consumers needs as we enter the age of AI" - concludes Zhao. 

Bucket Tech: Huawei Mate 10 - First Impressions

Monday afternoon in Munich, Chinese mobile phone giants, Huawei unveiled their latest flagship smart phone, the Mate 10, along with the Mate 10 Pro and Porsche Design Mate 10 to the world's media. With Samsung and LG having gained the markets attention with their new smartphones, namely the Galaxy Note 8 and the V30, Huawei had to pull out something spectacular with the Mate 10 and unsurprisingly, they did. After launching the world's first smartphone SoC chipset, the Kirin 970 at IFA2017, that very same chipset will power the Mate 10. The chipset is essentially an octo-core processing unit which is split into two quad core processors. It has a combined output of 4.2GHz, but it's the AI abilities that shine through in it, with it being able to perform much faster than it's competitors. The AI capabilities don't stop there as it improves the camera and also be able to translate foreign languages without internet connectivity. 

The design of the Huawei Mate 10 has changed compared to the Mate 9 with it being more rectangular and flat, almost like a P10 Plus, the edges seem to have a smooth bevel finish but the main talking point is the screen. Huawei have opted for the long screen trend which enables "FullView Display" which gives the device one of the best screen to body ratio on the market which Huawei was quick to point out at the launch with a direct comparison with the iPhone X. Moving to the rear of the phone, Huawei have continued with their long-term partnership with Leica, with the Mate 10 sticking with dual lens technology but lenses now are vertically aligned as apposed to horizontal like previous models. The lenses remain as 12 MP RGB and 20MP monochrome which fuse the picture to give a true colour output. Leica have also thrown in a dual ISP to the lens to enhance the picture. The Mate 10 is also rated IP67, which makes it dust and waterproof, so you can take that call, whether you're in the middle of the dessert or in a monsoon. 

A strong aspect about the Mate series from Huawei undoubtedly the battery life, the Mate 10 series has a 400 mAh on board and can deliver 48 hours of life with normal use. That in this day and age is pretty impressive, given the chipset and display which we all know loves to kill the battery. The devices also come with fast charge technology, as seen on the P10 as pretty impressive, With this behemoth battery, 30 minutes of charging from 1% will give the the Mate 10 approximately 58% life. So far this phone seems the business and really set to rock the elite business smartphone market. It's due to land in SA later this year and by then hopefully we will have more info on it. It's nice to see Porsche Design come on again to design a special edition version fo the Mate 10, the Mate 9 Porsche Design was quite a hit and I'm personally eyeing the PD Mate 10 for my next phone.

Bucket Tech: Huawei Mate 9 & Porsche Design Mate 9 - First Look

In Munich yesterday, Chinese mobile phone giant Huawei hosted their global launch for it's flagship device, or should I say "devices", the Mate 9 Series. With the Mate 8 being pretty much one of the best business devices of 2016, the Mate 9 has a lot to live up to and speaking at the exclusive global launch, Huawei's CEO, Richard Yu had this to say, "In developing the Huawei Mate 9, we started with a simple question, how can we improve every element of the smartphone experience? We know that for today's business users, a fast and functional smartphone is just the beginning. Consumers also want a gorgeous design and intuitive features, so we created two new devices at the forefront of hardware and software innovation. The result is a device that is breathtakingly new, inside and out."

As mentioned before, not one but two phones were launched yesterday, both of which make up the Mate 9 Series. One is the Huawei Mate 9 and the other a Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9. The Mate 9 and the Porsche Design Mate 9 feature dynamic interplay of industry-leading hardware and advanced software that work together to keep users a step ahead. Some of the key features in the devices are,

•  Huawei's new Kirin 960, Octa-core processing unit, the worlds highest performing smartphone processor. 
• EMUI 5.0, an intuitive user interface that streamlines the users experience with the OS
• SuperCharge technology that delivers a full days charge in 20 minutes.
• Second generation Leica dual-lens camera with 12 megapixel RGB sensor, 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and Hybrid Zoom, featuring a superior 2x magnification. 

Much has been spoken about this new Kirin 960 CPU, Huawei's Kirin chipset has vastly been used by many manufacturers over the years in their devices and the Mate 9 is the first phone to get the 960. It makes use of Huawei's Machine Learning Algorithm to deliver a fast and smooth experience, even after 18 months of continuous usage. Without going into the nitty-gritty of it all, the 960 delivers performance unlike any other processor whilst reducing power consumption by 15 percent, and being energy efficient. 

One of the main issues with smartphones is battery life, whilst the Mate 8 did boast two days of battery life with heavy usage, the Mate 9 comes with a 4000 mAh high-density battery with Huawei's new SuperCharge technology. Along with Huawei's advanced power saving technology, the phone is said to provide over two days of uninterrupted performance. With the SuperCharge tech, it allows the Mate 9 to charge from 0 to 50% in 10 minutes, that is enough power to let you watch two full movies on your device. 

Design wise, the Mate 9 looks great, Huawei calls it performance in design, with their highly regarded design DNA which uses the finest materials to deliver a smartphone that features a 5.9" FHD display and is both beautifully designed and comfortable to use. It has a sleek uni-body metal fram which uses 50 unique processes, including one hour of CNC milling to manufacture. Every detail, from the soft sandblasted texture to the gorgeous colour palette, is a result of more than 25 years experience in delivering refined craftsmanship. 

But for those who want something a little different, Huawei teamed up with design icons, Porsche Design to create the Porsche Design Huawei  Mate 9. Porsche Design isn't new to cellphone design with them having a long history in designing mobile phones for select manufacturers, their designs are unique and timeless. The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 will be a limited edition smartphone combining Porsche Design's signature brand aesthetic with Huawei's mobile engineering expertise. Together Huawei and Porsche Design have achieved a new pinnacle where Design meets Technology. Huawei introduces a remarkable 5.5" curved AMOLED display that offers a smooth sleek feel. It will be available exclusively in graphite black. 

Overall the Mate 9 looks like a winner, with another cellphone giant's flagship business phone falling short of expectations recently, Huawei will look to capture the void that was left there. The first wave of launches kicks off soon with selective markets, we in SA will have to wait a while till we see this one, probably in the early parts of 2017. 

Also launch was the Huawei FIT, an all in one wearable device designed to support everybody's fitness needs. Featuring multi-sport tracking, automatic step count, heart rate and sleep monitoring, the waterproof Huawei FIT will be available globally.