huawei mate 9

Launched last November, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei’s Mate 9 model might look like any other phone out there. But it comes with one exciting feature – a camera that’s been certified by German camera experts Leica, arguably one of the most popular (and well-respected) names in the industry.

I’m no photographer, but the Huawei Mate 9’s lens makes my photos appear like they are professionally shot. The dual lens come with a 12-megapixel RGB camera and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor. What that all means? Photos that are true-to-life and are able to capture the most intricate details.

Prolific Instagrammers will definitely appreciate this souped-up version of a mobile phone camera, apart from the phone’s other nifty features (there are time-saving ones like rapping your knuckles hardon the screen to take a screenshot, or using two Whatsapp numbers without installing two different SIM cards).

Here, we narrow down the cool photo-taking and photo-editing tools fashion fiends will dig:

 

The pro camera

Close-up shots taken of a Dolce & Gabbana dress don’t compromise on colour or texture.

We tested out the pro camera function – aka what you’ll get in a DSLR with toggable features like ISO and aperture – and snapped a few close-up shots like the ones you see above. The level of detail and richness of colour was pretty outstanding. And it was marvellously easy to use – just swipe up at the bottom of your screen when you log into the camera app to enable this.

 

The bokeh effect

This Chanel number’s multi-coloured tweed details stand out even more in a depth-of-field shot.

Photo editing maniacs would appreciate the time-saving wide aperture function, situated on the top bar within the camera app. You can adjust it before or after you take your shot.

The perfect selfie

A sneak peek at what goes on in a Female photoshoot – and yes, this unedited shot was taken by the Huawei Mate 9.

The coolest thing about this function? It’s a setting the phone will remember so you don’t have to keep re-editing your photos. All you need to do: Take three shots of yourself (a front-facing shot, your side profile and a shot of you looking down), and the camera will bring you to a screen that allows you to edit everything from skin tone and clarity to the size of your eyes. Once you save these edits, this “prettified” version of yourself will appear, no matter if you’re taking a selfie, an OOTD, or snapping a photo with friends – yes, it’s that intuitive.

 

The Huawei Mate 9 is available in champagne gold and space grey, and currently retails for $898 at major telco retailers. 

 

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