Huawei Mate 9 makes US debut with Amazon Alexa
Huawei's Mate 9 originally launched back in November, but has only been available in parts of Europe and Asia until now. That changes on Friday, January 6th, as the 5.9-inch phablet is finally launching in the US. Not only that, but it will come pre-installed with an app that lets users access Amazon Alexa, marking the first smartphone partnership for the cloud-based voice assistant.
Just like with Amazon's Echo connected speaker, users will be able to have Alexa complete tasks simply by talking to it, including creating to-do lists, setting alarms, playing music, and getting news or weather info. Those who already own a Mate 9 need not worry, as Huawei says it will be releasing the Alexa app as an over-the-air update shortly after the US launch.
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The Mate 9 will be priced at $600 in the States, with a color option of Space Gray or Moonlight Silver. Users will be able to pick one up at Best Buy stores or online from Amazon, Newegg, and B&H Photo.
Along with the huge 5.9-inch 1080p display, the device comes equipped with Huawei's Kirin 960 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 4,000 mAh battery. There's a Leica-branded dual-camera setup on the rear, featuring 12MP and 20MP shooters, along with an 8MP front-facing camera. There's also a fingerprint sensor and it comes running Android 7.0 Nougat, albeit skinned with Huawei's EMUI 5.0.
SOURCE Huawei