New HUAWEI P20 series seek to shape the future of AI Photography

Reporting LIVE from Paris, HUAWEI, the world number 2 for global smartphone sales, just launched their latest P series today and seeks to bring the world a mobile photography revolution.

Huawei Consumer Business Group unveiled the much-anticipated HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro at an exclusive launch event at the Grand Palais earlier today. The HUAWEI P20 Pro features the world’s first Leica triple camera and the P20 series includes unprecedented AI advances, bringing to life a new intelligent camera experience.

“The P Series inspires creativity and ignites a passion for photography all over the world,” said Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “

“With its groundbreaking triple-lens camera on the HUAWEI P20 Pro, powerful artificial intelligence advances and stunning new colours, the new HUAWEI P20 Series is designed to reflect beauty and light. Like no other smartphones, the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro let today’s most vibrant consumers capture and share the brilliance of the world around them.” Added Yu.

Key features of the HUAWEI P20 Series include:

• An advanced camera system to capture more light, more details and more beauty, featuring a revolutionary Leica triple camera on the HUAWEI P20 Pro with the smartphone industry’s highest pixel count, and an all-new Leica dual camera on the HUAWEI P20;
• Innovative photography features, including Master AI which includes AI-driven professional photography skills and HUAWEI AIS, a powerful AI stabilisation technology;
• A barely-there bezel, light-inspired design with stunning colours and finishes that reflect and refract light including an all-new dynamic gradient finish on the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro;
• Ultimate performance, featuring Kirin 970 with a dedicated NPU and EMUI 8.1 based on AndroidTM 8.1 for a premium and smooth user experience from the inside out.

In addition to the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro, Huawei also unveiled the third- generation PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEIMate RS. Continuing its collaboration with one of the most iconic global brands, the PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate RS features Porsche Design’s signature design language and Huawei’s cutting-edge technology and craftsmanship, seeking to set a new standard in premium smartphones.

Singapore will be one of the first few countries in the world to launch The HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro. PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate RS will be available in Singapore in May 2018.

Introducing Master Photography powered by AI

The HUAWEI P20 Pro features a Leica triple camera with the highest pixel count on modern smartphones – the camera configuration comprises a 40MP RGB sensor, a 20MP monochrome sensor, an 8MP sensor with telephoto lens. It also features a dedicated ISP and color temperature sensor for better colour reproduction.

With f/1.8, f/1.6 and f/2.4 wide aperture to capture crisp, clear details with perfect clarity, the HUAWEI P20 Pro also includes a brand new Leica VARIO-SUMMILUX lens with 3x optical zoom to capture long-range photography of up to 5x Hybrid Zoom as well as a highly sensitive image sensor of 1/1.7 inches model (about 7.76mm x 5.82mm) to capture low light images photos with up to ISO 102400.

The HUAWEI P20 builds on the foundation of its predecessor, with an all-new Leica dual camera featuring a 12MP sensor with a pixel size as high as 1.55 μm, and a 20MP monochrome sensor, enhancing the HUAWEI P20’s ability to capture photos in low-light settings. In addition, the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro feature a 24MP selfie camera with AI beautification and 3D portrait lighting – the result is said to be beautiful selfies with healthy-looking skin tone adjustments, delicately outlined face details, and realistic 3D feature enhancements. The demos so far validates these claims, but I will be testing it out and sharing more details soon in another post.

The HUAWEI P20 Series’ Kirin 970 processor and dedicated Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU) are said to further enhance the photography experience. AI-powered scene and object recognition has the ability to identify 19 different scenarios and objects and choose the right skills for the right moment – brand new to Huawei’s advanced camera system is 4D predictive focus. In this mode, the camera predicts moving objects and focuses on them with extreme efficiency in order to capture minute details of objects in motion. New to the HUAWEI P20 Series is AI- Assisted Composition, which provides intelligent suggestions to frame group shots and landscapes.

In addition, HUAWEI AIS (AI Image Stabilisation) steadies handheld night shots and results in incredible pictures, even without a tripod. This also benefits videos, as the HUAWEI P20 Series devices support six-axis stabilisation and 960fps slow motion for clear and detailed footage.

Light-inspired design

From the outside in, the HUAWEI P20 Series is inspired by light. Notably, the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro come in an all-new exclusive colour, Twilight, achieved by applying several layers of NVMC optical coatings underneath the glass back, so light hitting the surface refracts and creates a gradual change in hue, from a striking blue to a twilight effect.

The HUAWEI P20 series also feature HUAWEI FullView Display (5.8-inch for the HUAWEI P20 and 6.1-inch for the HUAWEI P20 Pro), with ultra-thin bezels and impressive screen-to-body- ratios, and a display that seamlessly blends with rounded edges for a comfortable hold. Globally, the HUAWEI P20 and HUAWEI P20 Pro are available in Twilight, Black, Midnight Blue and Pink Gold.

AI-powered, intelligent experience

The HUAWEI P20 Series is powered by Kirin 970 with EMUI 8.1.

EMUI 8.1, fully customisable with AI support, includes HUAWEI Share 2.0 to seamlessly share files between Huawei phones, PCs, and Macs; an easy projection feature to connect the HUAWEI P20 Series wirelessly to a larger screen, and a Smart Screen function for an intelligent split-screen interface to run two supported apps side by side.

The HUAWEI P20 Series includes the best Bluetooth audio quality with 990 kps bandwidth to support Hi-res audio files. Like the HUAWEI Mate Series, the HUAWEI P20 Series features TÜV Safety Certified HUAWEI SuperCharge and a 4000 mAh battery on the HUAWEI P20 Pro – and 3400 mAh (typical value) on the HUAWEI P20 – with AI-powered Battery Management.

Huawei has also established a proprietary version of Prisma for the HUAWEI P20 Series, which supports real-time filter recommendations based on object and scenario recognition. The calculation speed is 3-4 times that of the cloud version.

Additionally, in partnership with Google, the HUAWEI P20 Series supports Google ARCore to deliver advanced AI capabilities.

Audio Accessories

Alongside the new HUAWEI P20 Series devices, Huawei released three new audio accessories: HUAWEI FreeBuds, HUAWEI Active Noise Canceling Earphones 3, and HUAWEI DAC Headphone Amplifier.

HUAWEI FreeBuds are Huawei’s first truly wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, delivering an audio experience with balanced armature and dynamic drivers in a convenient wireless design.

HUAWEI Active Noise Canceling Earphones 3 offer truly immersive listening with three different ANC modes and Hi-res authenticated audio, as well as a USB Type-C plug.

The HUAWEI DAC Headphone Amplifier boasts an audiophile-grade DAC chip to decode 384 kHz, 32-bit lossless audio, and to power high-end headphones with up to 600Ω impedance.

The New PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate RS

The PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate Series began in 2016, when Porsche Design and Huawei first came together through a shared commitment to design, innovative craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

Today the PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate RS, combining Porsche Design’s signature brand aesthetic with Huawei’s mobile engineering expertise, introduces the future of technology through features such as: the world’s first dual fingerprint design with an innovative in-screen fingerprint scanner; an AI-powered processor; a Leica triple camera with 40MP image capture; a long-lasting 4000 mAh battery with wireless quick charging; and an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.

If you have some extra cash to splurge on a smartphone, this is probably the one to get your hands on.

Information on Availability in Singapore