BERLIN—Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co. entered the high-end smartphone market on Wednesday with the launch of a new flagship phone ahead of the IFA Consumer Electronics trade fair in Berlin.
The Mate S, a 5.5-inch smartphone, is the most expensive handset Huawei has ever made, said Kevin He, president of the company's handset division. The price tag marks a strategic shift for Huawei, the world's third largest smartphone maker after Samsung Electronics Co. SSNHZ 0.00 % and Apple Inc., AAPL 3.19 % which was previously known for value-for-money handsets in the mid- or low-price segment.
The Mate S is priced between €600 ($673) and €750, depending on the size of memory and the quality of the case, Mr. He said. This compares to the €500 price tag of Huawei's previous flagship phone, the P8, which was launched earlier this year
Huawei has built several new features into the Mate S which weren't part of its previous models, including a technology similar to the Touch force used in the Apple watch. For example, it's possibly to enlarge photos by pressing on the screen with one finger. Still, this feature won't be included in all markets.
Huawei has also improved the Knuckle Sense technology, which was first used in the P8. By drawing a "C" on the screen with the knuckle, the phone opens the camera. Drawing an "I" opens the Internet browser, Mr. He said.
Huawei's Mate S also features an 8 megapixel camera in the front with a built in flash to improve the quality of so-called selfies, and a 13 megapixel camera on the back. The phone supports a standard protocol for wireless printing, which makes it compatible with 875 printer types across 16 leading brands. The Mate S also supports fast charging, a feature that Samsung and other high-end smartphone manufacturers have built in to their high-end phones.
Huawei doesn't intend to sell the Mate S in the U.S. because it plans to launch other phones there, Mr. He said without adding specific details. Although among the top three smartphone makers in the world, Huawei is ranked 13 out of 21 vendors for market share in the U.S., equating to less than 1% according to industry research firm IDC.
The Mate S will be available in China and major markets in Europe, as well as The United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Africa, at the end of September. Other countries are expected to follow soon after..
The device is 7.2 millimeters thick, with side edges that are just 2.65 millimeters thick. The phone's arched back allows it to fit better in the palm of the hand, Mr. He said. The Mate S, which will come in a standard and a premium version in some markets, has a sapphire lens as part of the phone's seamless metal body. Among other colors the premium version will also be available in gold, which is popular in Huawei's Chinese home market. The most expensive Mate S has a 64 GB memory and a 3 GB RAM. All phones run on a modified version of Google Inc GOOG 1.97 % 's latest operating system, Android 5.1.
The launch of the Mate S comes ahead of the opening of the IFA trade fair on Friday, where Huawei will also showcase its new midprice phone, the 5.5-inch-screen G8. Huawei is expected to be one of the few major smartphone makers to present new models. Unlike in previous years, Samsung already presented its new flagship phones some weeks ago, while Apple, which never takes part in trade fairs, will present new products on Sept. 9.
Write to Archibald Preuschat at archibald.preuschat@wsj.com
Source: Huawei Enters High-End Smartphone Market
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