 Huawei and Sony have both unveiled new models, each with distinctive offerings, as the two companies, currently occupying vastly different positions in the smartphone market, nevertheless seek to make a splash at its premium end.
While Sony has been the subject of persistent speculation over the future of its mobile phone business, Huawei has been enjoying a growth curve in recent times. Gartner last month had Huawei sitting in third spot among the top global smartphone vendors, having seen its market share grow from 6.1 per cent to 7.8 per cent year-on-year, recording a steep sales growth rate of 46.3 per cent.
Huawei will be hoping its Huawei Mate S can deliver further growth and capture valuable premium market share, with the new handset set to go up against next-gen offerings from smartphone heavy hitters Apple and Samsung. Housed in a full metal shell, the Mate S stands out by employing Force Touch tech, which picks up on different levels of touch on the screen. Huawei states that versions will be offered with and without Force Touch, however notes that it “looks forward to bringing more new and unique Force Touch applications to life”. Notably, in bring Force Touch to Android, Huawei has got the jump on Apple, which is expected to integrate the feature into its next-gen iPhones anticipated to be unveiled at an event next week. The Mate S sports a 5.5″ AMOLED full-HD screen, a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, 3 GB RAM, internal memory of 32, 64 or 128 GB, and is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 935 octa-core 64-bit processor. Meanwhile, among a trio of next-gen Xperia Z5 smartphones unveiled by Sony at IFA, the Xperia Z5 Premium stands out for its 4K display. Sony may be trying to cover all bases with the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Compact, but its the 4K display that has turned heads. Sony states the Z5 Premium is the world’s first 4K smartphone decked out with a 5.5″ 4K Triluminos display
for mobile and IPS – that’s four times the resolution of full-HD. “Xperia Z5 Premium will upscale your favourite content to 4K, enhancing any native or third party videos or photos, so you can view Netflix, YouTube or your holiday shots in rich, vibrant 4K detail,” Sony states of the Z5 Premium. “And, Xperia Z5 Premium is built to allow you to get creative by capturing in 4K and immediately enjoying the content on Z5 Premium, with the option of preserving any moment as an 8 MP quality image.” The Z5 Premium, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, is equipped with 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, with capacity for up to 200 GB via microSD card, and sports a 23 MP main camera and a 5 MP front camera. Sony states its Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact will launch globally from October, with the Z5 Premium to launch from November. Huawei’s Mate S, which will initially be available in more than 30 countries, will be available for pre-order in Western Europe from September 15. |
