Huawei Mate 9: US release (finally!) confirmed
The release of the Huawei Mate 9 in 2016 proved to many that the Chinese company was finally in a position to be counted as a manufacturer of high-end Android devices. That said, US-based Huawei afficionados were forced to wait and wonder when (or even if) the Mate 9 would be released to the US market. Happily, the wait is now over.
It's not even the end of the first week of 2017 and already Huawei is seeking to leave its mark on the smartphone industry, announcing the official US release of its flagship device at CES 2017: the Huawei Mate 9. The Mate 9 was first released in November 2016 in certain regional markets (Europe, Asia and the Middle East), and the company has finally confirmed that the phablet will be released in the US on January 6. The launch of the Mate 9 was part of a wider effort on the part of Huawei to challenge the dominance of competitors such as Samsung in producing a high-end smartphone.
As the US is the world's biggest market for high-end smartphones, Huawei is hoping that the US release of the Mate 9 will have a positive impact on the company and win over those customers who have grown disillusioned with manufacturers such as Samsung. There's every chance the Huawei Mate 9 may help them achieve these goals, as the US version of the device will include some features which will make it standout against the competition. The US Mate 9 will include Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, making it the first smartphone to be enabled with this technology. Users will be able to set alarms, make notes, check the weather or public transport information using simple voice commands.
The Mate 9 will be available for sale in the US for $600 and most major retailers will stock the device. Early indications are that Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and B&H will be selling the Mate 9 from January 6 onwards. For the moment there is no indication of which US cellular providers will have the Mate 9 available for their users, but we're anticipating that the major carriers will warm to the device once customer demand becomes more apparent.
Have you been waiting for the US release of the Huawei Mate 9? What features are you most looking forward to using? Let us know in the comments below.
Something about the pro version?
No news about the Mate 9 Pro coming to the US, unfortunately.