IN the presence of around 500 media, VIP guests and partners from around the region at the Madinat Jumeirah Dubai, Huawei unveiled their latest flagship devices — the Mate S and W1 Huawei Watch. The evening soiree included an entertaining program of special performances with the dramatic, high-tech shows and presentations for the night reflected the products launched as they combined innovation, art and style. Commenting on the Huawei Mate S and W1 Watch, Sandeep Saihgal, Middle East vice president of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said, “The Middle East is a very strategic market for our business. We strive to grow and offer our customers products that impact and enrich their lives. In designing the Huawei Mate S, we wanted to develop a smartphone that offers a personalized experience with the power of touch; we once again took a revolutionary approach and reimagined how people interact with their devices, adding innovative features that enhance ease of use, functionality and creativity. “Adding to the currently launched standard Mate S version, we will be launching soon the force touch version of this device, which will add more innovative dimensions to the user's interaction with the device whilst enhancing their experience. With the launch of the Huawei Watch, we have created a bespoke timepiece that expresses consumers varied preferences in technology, fashion and lifestyles, whilst maintaining technological innovation.” These latest additions to the market feature a combination of brilliant capabilities and stunning visual appearance. The Huawei Mate S' touch screen control technology offers an unconventional design that strikes a balance between the phone's brilliant capabilities and its stunning visual appearance. Touch is a core of the Huawei Mate S, creating a new experience for users that enhances their interaction with the device. When viewing photos, they can be quickly previewed and enlarged by pressing the screen with one finger, streamlining the operations of a traditional phone. Earlier this month at IFA technology show in Berlin, Huawei revealed the new pressure-sensitive technology which can be used to weigh small objects. Huawei cleverly did this by placing an orange on the screen, with the Mate S revealing its weight of 280g. The phone is equipped with Fingerprint 2.0, an upgraded version of the advanced chip level security and one-key unlock technology in the Huawei Mate 7. Fingerprint 2.0 improves recognition speeds by 100 percent, with more accurate self-learning functions. It can also be used to control the notification bar, double-click to erase unread notifications, slide to preview pictures, and hold and take phone calls. All of these options improve the one hand operation of the phone. Fingerprint 2.0 and Knuckle Control 2.0 — first introduced in the Huawei P8 — simplifies how users switch between app operations and take screenshots. Building on the revolutionary Huawei Mate 7 smartphone, the Huawei Mate S features a 2.5D floating screen that is 5.5 inches long and 7.2 millimeters thick, with side edges that are just 2.65 millimeters. The arched back cover fits perfectly into the palm of a hand, while its curved surface features solid pressure and weight, making the phone less likely to be dropped. The Huawei Mate S is equipped with a camera that considers users' needs in everyday life: a professional camera and settings that incorporate contrast, texture, and distinctive tonality. The 13 mega pixel rear camera features a RGBW sensor, optical image stabilizer, Dual color-temp LED flash lights, and independent image signal processor camera units, which combine to capture higher quality pictures faster. The Huawei Mate S takes camera capabilities one step further by offering an 8 mega pixel front camera with soft, front lights to improve selfies. This algorithm ensures users capture the clearest, most beautifying images possible. The professional camera mode allows manual adjustment for ISO, exposure compensation, exposure time, white balance and focusing, and functions such as the grid, and flash-assisted focusing. The real time black and white filter mode provides multiple levels of density and real-time intensity adjustment. The Huawei Mate S takes regular recording functions to the next level by creatively implanting three microphones that support Huawei's smart direction algorithm. The Huawei Mate S' beam-forming algorithm allows all three mics to focus on the sounds coming from where the phone is facing, enabling a clear recording with minimal background noises. For consumers on the go, the Huawei Mate S also supports Mopria printing general protocol, which includes 700 printer types across 29 leading brands. Huawei continues to break new ground in the wearables space by unveiling the Huawei Watch, powered by Android Wear and IOS. The fully circular watch features a 1.4-inch touch-sensitive AMOLED display, scratch-proof sapphire crystal lens, cold-forged stainless steel frame, and comes with a built-in heart rate monitor and 6-Axis motion sensors. The Huawei Watch is the first smartwatch in the Huawei wearable family. Designed by a team of experienced watch designers that have a rich history in creating fashionable and timeless watches, the attention-to-detail becomes apparent upon first glance as the device boasts a sparkling AMOLED 1.4-inch display at 400 x 400 pixels resolution in 286 ppi at a 10,000:1 high contrast ratio, making it the most vibrant Android Wear smartwatch in the world. Powered by Android Wear, receiving SMS, email, calendar, app, and phone call notifications has never been easier or more convenient. Compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 or higher, Huawei Watch boasts a powerful Qualcomm 1.2GHz processor for optimal performance, includes 4GB of storage, 512MB of RAM and Bluetooth 4.1. For the sports enthusiast, or just those interested in tracking fitness levels, Huawei Watch features a heart rate monitor sensor, 6-Axis motion sensor, and barometer sensor that automatically detects and tracks in real-time if a user is walking, running, biking, hiking or sleeping. Specifically, users can monitor everything from the number of calories burned, to heart rate, climbing height, steps taken, and distance traveled. The Huawei Mate S and the Huawei Watch are now available across select retail outlets across the region. — SG
