China’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Huawei, is going to launch its G9 Lite in Beijing on May 4. Unconfirmed specs on the handset were leaked online recently.
According to Huawei Device’s Sina Weibo account on Tuesday, this new smartphone’s name will probably be G9 Lite, but people believe it is simply another P9 series handset with lower specs at a lower price.
After the P9 and P9 Plus, this new phone was already released as the P9 Lite for EUR 299 (USD 345) in Europe in April. The most notable feature of this 5.2-inch phone is its 13 megapixel back-facing camera, instead of a dual-lens one, and that it is powered by a Kirin650 processor.
These changes in G9 Lite’s specs will probably lead to a decrease in its price. The phone is believed to be priced at under RMB 2,000 (USD 306). This may help Huawei compete with China’s mid-range smartphone offerings including Xiaomi’s Mi5 and Meizu’s Pro6.
According to a January report by American research firm IDC, Huawei ranked third among the world’s top five smartphone vendors with 106.6 million shipments in 2015.
Another IDC report in April indicated Huawei is continuing to dominate the domestic market with 27.5 million shipments made in Q1 2016.
(Top photo is screenshot from Huawei Device Sina Weibo)
