Photography is all the rage in Huawei's P9 model, the company's flagship smartphone unveiled in London on April 6, Wednesday.
The smartphone's main feature that has been making headlines since its launch is the 12MP dual-lens rear camera co-engineered with German-optics maker Leica. This tie-up could bring the Chinese firm to the high end of the market, along with the likes of Apple and Samsung, according to analysts.
The P9 "captures monochrome and color images, and combines them to create more detail, depth and brighter colors than rival single lens cameras," Huawei executive Richard Yu was quoted as saying in a CNBC report.
While the P9 combines functions present in other high-end smartphones, it is the camera that has everyone's attention. The phone's other aspects, including the 5.2in display, Android 6.0 OS and narrow bezel, received less interest than the handset's picture-taking feature.
The launch itself was dominated by photographers, with the presence of professional photojournalists such as National Geographic's David Guttenfelder and Mary McCartney.
"Huawei has put great effort into its mobile phones' picture-taking function, which is one of the most important features for high-end smartphones," said Mobile China Alliance's Wang Yanhui, the Global Times reported.
Early reviews from photographers are also in favor of the flagship smartphone's camera features.
"The P9 adds a new part of creativity to mobile photography. It's the first smartphone which could really replace my pro camera," said Berlin, Germany-based photographer Alexander Kopke, who was granted an early access to the smartphone, in an interview with PetaPixel.
However, Huawei's partnership with Leica is not just another branding strategy.
"A lot of people would like to have our red dot and put it on their product," Leica's chief executive Oliver Kaltner said in an interview with CNBC.
"This is not what we are. We are the center of optical excellence worldwide, and we should take advantage of that knowledge," he added.