• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechMobile

Huawei’s P9 Smartphone Capturing Interest with Leica Dual-Lens Camera

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 6, 2016, 4:20 PM ET
Huawei Technologies Co. Consumer Devices Division Chief Executive Officer Richard Yu Speaks At A Launch Event
An attendee takes a picture of the back of P9 plus smartphone, manufactured by Huawei Technologies Co., at its launch event in London, U.K., on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. Huawei's profit surged 33 percent in 2015 after China's largest maker of telecommunications gear grabbed market share with premium smartphones and mobile carriers expanded their high-speed networks globally. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Chris Ratcliffe — Bloomberg via Getty Images

China’s Huawei Technologies presented its latest flagship smartphone on Wednesday, featuring a dual-lens camera co-engineered with Germany’s Leica that it hopes will set it apart from all the other Android devices on the market.

The P9, Huawei’s flagship device, is the first result of the tie-up between the world’s third biggest smartphone maker and Leica Camera AG, a 102-year-old firm whose cameras have shot some of the most famous images in the history of photography.

Huawei said consumers were increasingly focused on the photographic capability of smartphones, and the company wanted to partner the best in the field.

“Leica is the leading, premium iconic brand in cameras,” Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said at a launch event in London.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The dual-lens 12 megapixel camera on the rear of the device separately captures monochrome and colour images, and combines them to create more detail, depth and brighter colours than rival single lens cameras, he said.

Leica said the collaboration went far beyond just branding, with the two companies working together on lenses and image processing technology.

“A lot of people would like to have our red dot and put it on their product,” said Leica’s Chief Executive Oliver Kaltner.

“This is not what we are. We are the centre of optical excellence worldwide, and we should take advantage of that knowledge.”

Photography dominated the event as professional snappers including Mary McCartney and David Guttenfelder from National Geographic took to the stage to show what the device could do.

For more about smartphones, watch:

There was little fanfare for other features, like a 5.2 inch display and Android 6.0 operating system, that are largely in line with launches from rivals such as Samsung and Xiaomi.

The P9 will be available in 29 countries from April 16, priced from 599 euros ($684), the company said.

Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner, said Huawei’s technology was “great” but the company needed to innovate in areas like software to become a trend setter.

“They need users to pick the brand or upgrade within the brand from maybe a mid-tier, and the more they go into the premium end, the more they have to stand out as an overall experience,” she said.

Huawei, which leads the pack of Chinese smartphone makers, however is confident the P9 will help it gain ground on market leader in terms of volume Samsung and second-placed Apple.

It became the first Chinese company to ship more than 100 million smartphones, recording a 44 percent jump in devices to 108 million last year.

“We have the chance to be number two within two to three years, with market share of over 20 percent,” Yu said. “We have the chance to be number one in less than five years.”

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

human
Economydisruption
BofA throws cold water on AI apocalypse panic: 60% of today’s jobs didn’t exist in 1940
By Nick LichtenbergMay 4, 2026
1 hour ago
doctor
AITech
A Harvard study just found AI can now out-diagnose physicians in the ER: ‘We’re already at the ceiling’
By Jake AngeloMay 4, 2026
2 hours ago
dario
AIAnthropic
Anthropic takes shot at consulting industry in joint venture with Wall Street giants
By Nick LichtenbergMay 4, 2026
4 hours ago
Frustrated job seeker on laptop
NewslettersFortune Workplace Innovation
Nearly 4 in 10 job candidates have bailed on a hiring round because it required an AI interview
By Emma BurleighMay 4, 2026
6 hours ago
VC firm Ethereal has avoided the spotlight for 5 years—now it’s telling its story
NewslettersTerm Sheet
VC firm Ethereal has avoided the spotlight for 5 years—now it’s telling its story
By Jeff John RobertsMay 4, 2026
7 hours ago
The eBay logo with a mobile phone in 2025. (Photo: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
GameStop makes an unsolicited $56 billion offer for eBay
By Andrew NuscaMay 4, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
Economy
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
By Jason MaMay 3, 2026
22 hours ago
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
Economy
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
3 days ago
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
Commentary
I spent a decade selling homes to the ultra-wealthy. What I saw explains the housing market's nepo problem
By Blake O'ShaughnessyMay 3, 2026
1 day ago
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
AI
Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are ‘AI washing’ by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology
By Sasha RogelbergMay 3, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.