Huawei Mate 10
Johannesburg - Ahead of the launch of the Apple iPhone X, Chinese phone-maker Huawei has made a concerted effort to ensure it holds bragging rights for South Africa’s most expensive smartphone - the Porsche Design Mate 10 Pro.
After Apple announced its new slate of smartphones in September, Fin24 crunched the numbers to estimate the cost the iPhone X -which Apple is hyping as the "future of the smartphone" - to SA consumers.
The result? Around R18 000.
However, this steep smartphone price tag will be knocked into second place with Huawei launching is luxury 'vehicle branded' device at a whopping R27 000.
This is some R9 000 more than the price of the original Mate 10, which is available for about R18 000 in cash.
The Porsche Design Mate 10 Pro is emblazoned by the Porsche Design logo on the rear, with the words spelled out in full on its front.
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While a Toyota is just as likely to get its passengers from point A to point B at the same time a Porsche (at least, while both are in traffic), the pricey smartphone was made to be ostentatious.
It boasts no special extra features or major shape changes. It may come loaded with a few more background wallpapers, but it is first and foremost a "lifestyle" phone, according to Huawei.
Akhram Mohamed, Huawei SA product marketing director, told Fin24 that the Porsche Design Mate 10 will, however, be available on contract from network operators from R899 on a 24 month contract, significantly reducing the overall price of the device.
“We are expecting that when buying a device like this that consumers will want to have big packages of data and will want to have a premium experience. This will then be bundled with the device, and subsidised to bring down the monthly cost of the device,” Mohamed told Fin24.
The Mate 10 Pro original and Porsche Design models feature what Huawei has called "breakthrough AI".
“As we enter the age of intelligence, AI is no longer a virtual concept but something that intertwines with our daily life. AI can enhance user experience, provide valuable services and improve product performance,” said Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group in a statement.
The Mate 10 features a 5.9 inch screen with a 16:9 display ratio, and the 6 inch Mate 10 Pro boasts a 18:9 OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display.
Both devices are currently available in South Africa.