Huawei teases new ladies-oriented phone range, a new Mate series phone and more

On a balmy Tuesday, Huawei gave a glimpse of their plans for the future when Mr. Kevin Ho, President, Handset Product Line, Huawei Consumer Business Group took a few minutes out of his schedule to chat about the P9 phone series, how it is doing in Malaysia and beyond as well as what to expect on the horizon at the upcoming IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany.

How is the performance of the P9 series (P9 Lite, P9 and P9 Plus)  in terms of sales and marketshare in Malaysia and globally?
Feedback from consumers globally has been really good. We managed to acquire the Best Consumer Smartphone for 2016-2017 award that was conferred by EISA. This is a follow on from last year’s P8 which also garnered the same award. The P9 builds on what the P8 offered and takes it to the next level. Europeans really love our smartphone. Sales for the P9 are almost double for the P9 globally and even triple in some countries. In Malaysia, the P9 outsold the P8 fourfold. This is very positive news for us. A month after its launch in April, the P9 and P9 Plus has sold more than two million units globally. In terms of feedback, sales of the P9 were better in Europe who appreciated a smaller yet equally powerful device while in China and MEA, the P9 Plus did better than the P9 conversely because users appreciated and preferred the larger screen.

Will we see further enhancements and additional integration of Leica’s optics and hardware for future P-series and Mate series phones?

Our alliance with Leica is a long-term partnership that will continue for a long time to come.
We cannot confirm at this point in time but there is a good chance that Leica designed cameras will be integrated into the next generation of Mate series phones. It is indeed possible that Leica will be creating the optics for future Huawei devices. We work closely with Leica not just on software but also on the design and specifications of other camera integrated hardware but also on the development of new lenses and camera systems. We will continue building on what the P9 series offered and improve on it in the next generation of P series phones and other Huawei devices in the future.

The Honor 8 has received rave reviews around the globe. Is there a fear of cannibalising the market as it integrates a similar dual camera setup as the P9 series of phones but at a cheaper price point?
There is a concern and it has been highlighted before. If it is any indication, the Honor 8 has already been in the market for the past two months in China though sales for the P9 series are still going strong. This is on account of distinct segmentation between the P-series as a premium offline brand and the Honor series phones as an online oriented brand for customers who buy devices online and care about a value proposition.

Will there be a change or update in the user interface or user experience in future Huawei devices?
We have hired excellent designers who have made great advances in user interface design. With our new Mate series that will be announced in two months, we will be launching our newest version of our (EMUI) Emotion UI software that will feature a revamped user interface.

What challenges are there in making a water resistant phone? Can we look forward to this feature in future for new Huawei phones?
In actual fact, the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus are already water resistant. While we did not emphasise it as a feature, we have integrated a water resistant nano coating that protects the internal workings of the phone to allow it to survive temporary exposure to liquids. We will go forward and will offer enhanced water resistance for consumers for future devices.

Where is Huawei’s focus in terms of research and development at the moment?
The Huawei group as a whole is focused on ICT at all levels not just for now but in the future as well. We are also making significant investments in 5G technology that will offer lower latency, faster download speeds and more. In our consumer business group, we also invest in several different areas in particular better materials design for the battery and for future smartphone casing designs. We have an ongoing commitment to increase the efficiency of smartphone batteries while reducing charging time and size. We are also pursuing better audio quality in our smartphones.

Will Huawei be announcing anything at IFA this coming September?
We will be announcing two new phones that will be coming under a new sub-brand that will be midrange and oriented towards ladies. H.C