With Henry Cavill and Scarlett Johanson as ambassadors, Huawei has unveiled the all new Huawei P9 and P9 Plus a collaborative effort combining the engineering of technology expert with master class camera brand Leica. The ensuing results are two smartphones that has pushed the boundaries in camera technology incorporating dual-lens setting within a single device.

Leica is an iconic camera maker know for their German precision and superb black and white pictures, this partnership would be the first smartphone co-engineered device to be commercially available. During the launch in London, guests we feted to an exclusive trailer of the TV commercial for the P9 starring “Superman” himself Henry Cavill and “Black Widow” Scarlett Johansson as themselves of course playing to the black and white theme. Other notabale invitees were iconic photographers Mary McCartney and David Guttenfelder from National Geographic as well as BBC Global News CEO Jim Egan, Condé Nast Chairman and Chief Executive Jonathan Newhouse, Vogue China Publisher Anita Chang and Huawei UK Board Members Sir Andrew Cahn and Dame Helen Alexander.

“Huawei is excited to give P9 users the best smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “Consumers around the world use their smartphones to take billions of pictures each year, making photography critical to user experience. P9 users can now capture images with unmatched clarity, richness and authenticity, with a masterfully designed and powerful smartphone that looks and feels incredible.”

All about the photography

The integrating brings two companies engineering prowess in developing a best-in-class hardware and software, from optical lenses, to sensors, to image processing algorithms, giving users the option to capture the highest-quality images. 

Key here is the dual-camera, the RGB camera on the P9 specialises in capturing color, while the monochrome camera is does the detailing carving out vivid images with depth and dexterity. They work in tandem and have The two rear cameras of the P9 work in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail even in low-light conditions, as the dual-camera design allows more light and detail to be captured.

But does it take good monochrome pictures picture, apparently it can by selecting the monochrome mode, users can use their devices as a true monochrome camera to capture evocative black and white images just as Leica will do.

With Hybrid Focus technology, the P9 captures images with speed, accuracy and stability embracing camera features even more there is even possibility for wide-aperture photography to experiment with, easily adjustable to create bokeh and other depth-of-field effects, while keeping the main object in sharp focus.

“Leica and Huawei share an uncompromising commitment to imaging excellence, and our partnership will put outstanding photography into the hands of more consumers around the world,” said Oliver Kaltner, CEO, Leica Camera AG. “We are deepening our collaboration to give users a more optimal smartphone photography experience.”

Built quality

Maintaining the same minimalist design on the P series, the P9 uses superior-grade 2.5D glass for the screen and an aerospace-class aluminum, with diamond-cut edges rounded out by balanced curvatures.

The 64GB version of the P9 comes in Haze Gold colour with brushed hairline effect and what Huawei describes as metal polishing at micron-level precision that creates a translucent metal surface, we have yet to see this. The other option is called Ceramic White which gives a glossy sheen and comes in various colours.

Inside matters

Sporting the ever standard 5.2-inch 1080p display, the P9 is powered by the new Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor and is fitted with 3,000mAh high-density battery, another common feature in flagships nowadays.

The P9 Plus however features a 5.5-inch Press Touch display and a larger 3,400mAh battery with dual-IC Rapid Charge, pushing the talk time to six hours of after just a short 10-minute charge.

Leveraging on its telecommunications specialty, the new smartphones come with a virtual-triple-antenna architecture, this designed apparently increases connectivity to cellular and Wi-Fi networks, giving the extra robustness.

Other features include a biometric fingerprint recognition sensor for the added privacy and security. Price starts from Euro 599.