Huawei Technology (SHE: 002502) presented on Friday a new virtual reality (VR) headset in Shanghai. It functions with the two P9 phones and the Mate 8, the latest smartphones presented by the company. The new gadget offers “360-degree sound field” when plugged to headphones.
The new VR headset has a similar mechanism as the Samsung Gear VR, users need to secure their smartphones on the front part of it while running the VR app, said Engadget in a report. It comes with a touch panel, one back button, and volume keys to adjust settings.
People cannot wear their own glasses while using the Huawei headset, however, its lenses can adapt to the myopia of down to -7.00. It features a low latency of 20 ms and a degree field of view of 95 degrees. Meanwhile, the Samsung headset has 96 degrees and the high-end HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, 110 degrees.
Huawei may be in disadvantage when talking about hardware specs. However, the launch of the VR headset will come with more than 4,000 free movies, of which just a segment are VR videos. It also includes 40 free games, 350 panoramic images, and 150 panoramic tours, said Engadget.
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced. The main competitor of Huawei in the VR segment would be Samsung, which sells the Gear VR for $99. It is expected that Huawei will offer a cheaper price since it has just arrived at the virtual reality world.
Huawei P9 and P9+: the product a magnificent collaboration with Leica
Devices compatible with the new VR headset were presented last week in London. The P9 is the first smartphone co-engineered with Leica, a german company that builds powerful optics for cameras. The new device includes a dual-lens camera.
“Huawei is excited to give P9 users the best smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group in a press conference.
One of the two lenses is specialized in capturing color while a monochrome camera is used to capture details, offering images with superior detail, depth and color, even in low-light conditions, said Huawei in a press release.
The camera comes with three film modes developed by Leica. Users can also select the monochrome mode, to take real black and white images that are not processed with a filter.
The exterior design of the phone is minimalist, constructed of glass and “aerospace class aluminium” with diamond-cut edges. Hardware specs include a 1080p display, a 3,000mAh battery, and the Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor.
“Leica and Huawei share an uncompromising commitment to imaging excellence, and our partnership will put outstanding photography into the hands of more consumers around the world,” said Oliver Kaltner, CEO, Leica Camera AG.
The P9 has a price of $676.57 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB version and $734 for the 4GB RAM + 64 version. On the other hand the P9 plus, with a 3,400mAh battery and Press Touch can be acquired for $847 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB version.
Last year, Huawei became the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer, by selling 108 million smartphones.
Source: Huawei