Huawei P9 to come in four models — one of which has a dual-camera set up

Big smartphone manufacturers seem to love adding variants to their popular devices so you can pretty much expect at least two versions of what is essentially the same smartphone (or at least under the same line) that will cater to different people’s needs. Huawei isn’t bucking this trend as new information has surfaced that they’re launching four different variants of their upcoming P9 handset — one more than last year. What’s more, the fourth device will feature a dual rear camera setup.

According to a report on VentureBeat by Evan Blass, otherwise known as @evleaks, Huawei’s P9 lineup will include the regular P9, a budget-friendly P9lite, a larger P9max as well as an unnamed “feature-enhanced P9”. Although Blass noted that his source fell short of dubbing it a premium model, this enhanced P9 is said to feature a larger screen (though not as large as the P9max) more RAM, more internal storage as well as a dual 12-megapixel rear-facing camera.

This isn’t new for the Chinese smartphone manufacturer however as they’ve already tried the dual-camera set up on the 2014-2015 honor 6 Plus. In fact, this new P9’s camera is supposed to be a second generation upgrade of that very dual-camera. Therefore, it will likely mean that the P9’s dual-camera will offer the same additional features afforded by the honor 6 Plus’ like post-capture refocus, simulated aperture adjustment and filter application plus what VentureBeat says will be “even more unique capabilities” as this camera concept has been further refined.

Is two better than one? If our earlier leak on the upcoming LG G5 is any indication, it would appear smartphone manufacturers definitely think so, as that device is rumoured to sport not only a dual-screen setup like the LG V10 but also a dual rear mounted camera. That said, these are merely rumours as there has been no official confirmation beyond a person with alleged knowledge of Huawei so take this with a grain of salt.

One thing is for sure though none of the P9 variants will feature a QHD resolution screen (2560×1440 pixels). As with all Huawei devices (except the Nexus 6P which we can all argue can be considered more of a Google device), the company feels that the slightly better screen and image quality offered by a QHD screen just isn’t worth the shorter battery life. We were pretty impressed with the Mate S’ battery life, so maybe they do know what they’re doing.

As far as specs are concerned, Blass’ source didn’t reveal anything, but we did come across a device that posted a blistering score on Geekbench that we believe could be the Kirin 950-powered Huawei P9. With that kind of horsepower and now a dual-camera, suffice to say we’re excited.

Despite all of this information and anticipation, Blass indicates that Huawei will not launch these smartphones during the Barcelona Mobile World Congress’ timeframe, choosing instead to give them a dedicated launch several weeks after MWC. However, it is said that Huawei is expected to unveil a Surface Book-like 2-in-1 in Barcelona next month but there are unfortunately no details on this product for the time being.

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