Huawei readies to lift lid on Mate 9 phablet

Huawei. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)

Johannesburg - Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is expected to unveil its latest flagship phablet, the Mate 9, at an event in Munich, Germany on Thursday.

The reports come amid a bustle of international online and local sources teasing hints about the new device.

The manufacturer is due for the next smartphone in the series after the launch of the Mate 8 last year. 

Huawei, which already holds the bulk of the phablet market share in South Africa, is expected to bring the next device to the country. 

READ: Huawei SA takes aim at Apple's dual-camera

Fin24 has been invited to attend the global product launch event on November 3, further hinting the next device will indeed enter the country's market.

The next phablet device from the manufacturer is expected to feature bulked-up specifications to better that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which was recently killed-off by the South Korean company amid numerous international explosion reports.  

The device is expected to either feature a 5.9 or 6 inch display fitting into the larger-format display bracket. Rumours also suggest the display will be a QHD with a 1440 x 2560 resolution. 

Earlier this year, Huawei launched the P9 and P9 Plus smartphone which both featured 12 megapixel Leica dual-cameras. These devices are further able to increase the depth of field in images.

READ: Huawei P9's game-changing mobile photography

The company is expected to once again partner with the German optics company and carry-over the feature to the next device, with a bigger 12 and 20 megapixel camera. 

The Mate 9 will likely feature a full-metal body as with previous devices and a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the device. 

The device is also expected to feature a faster 2.6GHz octa-core processor with up to 6GB of RAM and run the Android Nougat operating system. 

The Mate devices, notorious for powerful batteries lasting up two days on heavy usage, suggest the next device will feature an even larger battery.

Huawei have also hinted at a bigger or even faster charging battery in the device with teaser videos uploaded to YouTube. 

Sources also suggest that the next Huawei Mate 9 will be coupled with a new "Mate 9 Pro" or another lower priced device. However, it is still unknown whether the secondary device will be made available in South Africa. 

The company's Chinese rival, Xiaomi have also invited local media to an event to be held in Johannesburg on Thursday, this after the launch the Mi Note 2 phablet and Mi Mix borderless concept phone last week.

Either device likely to be announced to the local market at the event. 

With a gap in the phablet market left by the Note 7 – the Mate 9 will likely defend Huawei's dominating phablet share in country against the next offering by Xiaomi and the iPhone 7 Plus.

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Source: Huawei readies to lift lid on Mate 9 phablet