Chinese Smartphone brands like Huawei and Xiaomi are, slowly but surely, making their presence felt in the international market. Xiaomi International VP Hugo Barra recently announced that they are planning to penetrate the US, while Huawei is on a steady roll in their own right.
There's no denying that Samsung is still the heavy favorite among Asian manufacturers despite the misfortune that stained their reputation. The South Korean tech titan still has enough juice to compete with long-time rival Apple and, admittedly, other Eastern upstarts. Huawei is one of those that could disrupt their streak: the Mate 9, the company's soon to be flagship, is bulging the rumor rack with something shiny and elegant.
Game N Guide recently included a link depicting an artist's render on what the Huawei Mate 9 should come out. According to the video, Huawei's upcoming device will ship with what seems to be a "gold metal shell". As good as it may sound, the link is not official; there's no direct word coming from Huawei whether the Mate 9 will come with a gold color option or if the device is gold-plated. Either way, the website said that the device has "real gold" mixed in its chassis.
If this is the case, the Huawei Mate 9 would go beyond the expectations of many. Gold is a material usually associated with royalty, or something only the rich and famous are capable of having. Aside from this, the Huawei Mate 9 will stretch in a variety of RAM and storage options, starting from the basic 4GB RAM, 64GB/128GB internal storage options in China, to a hefty 6GB RAM/256GB onboard memory for its international version. Combine these with the "gold" rumor, and it's no surprise that the Huawei Mate 9 will shoot up to more than its alleged $800 price tag.
Phone Arena meanwhile said that pre-orders for the Huawei Mate 9 will start on November 4 in China. The phablet is also rumored to don a 5.9inch display screen, a Kirin 960 SoC and a pristine dual-camera setup courtesy of Leica that should live up to the popular #NoFilter hashtag.
