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Huawei has made several smartphone announcements over the last couple of months.Both the Mate S and the Mate 8 have been unveiled, the first in September of last year and the second in December, but fans are still waiting for the Chinese company’s next flagship.The Huawei P9 has been the subject of rumours for several months, with many reports suggesting it will be unveiled this month, succeeding the P8 that launched in April 2015.

With plenty of speculation surrounding the new flagship, we have put the rumoured specs of the Huawei P9 up against the Huawei P8 to see what the differences are and what potential new features the next-generation of the P series could bring. The Huawei P8 measures 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm and weighs 144g, making it a very slim and light device. It has an all-metal build with a wide plastic antenna strip at the top of the device on the rear, where the camera is situated, and a thinner strip at the bottom. The Huawei logo sits towards the top of the device and it comes in Titanium Grey and Champagne Gold colour options.

There are currently no measurements rumoured for the P9 but we wouldn’t be surprised to see very similar numbers to the P8. Based on the leaked images, it looks as though the same metal build will be present, with the wide antenna strip at the top and a slightly slimmer strip at the bottom.

The P9 should see some design differences over its predecessor though, including a fingerprint sensor that appears to sit towards the top of the device on the rear.

This would push the Huawei logo down slightly if the leaks are accurate. It also looks like there will be dual rear cameras so assuming the leaks are correct, the P9 will be easily distinguishable from the P8 from the back at least.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P8 display

The Huawei P8 comes with a 5.2-inch display offering a Full HD resolution for a pixel density of 424ppi. Based on the rumours, it sounds as though the Huawei P9 will be offering the same size at least, but the resolution is currently up in the air.

Some reports have claimed we will see a Quad HD resolution on the P9, putting it in the same field as the recently announced LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7.

Other rumours have said Huawei will stick to Full HD, however, with the justification being that the company doesn’t believe consumers want to trade battery life for resolution.

If the Huawei P9 arrives with a 5.2-inch display with a Full HD resolution, you can expect a very similar display experience to the Huawei P8. If it jumps the resolution up to Quad HD, it would mean a pixel density of 565ppi. This would result in crisper and sharper images on the P9 by comparison but whether the human eye could detect this at this size is questionable.

Huawei P9 vs Huawei P8 camera

The Huawei P8 offers a 13-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilisation on board. The company made a big deal about the camera when the device launched, which means expectations for the next device will be high.

Based on the rumours, the Huawei P9 might meet these expectations though. It has been reported the P9 will offer dual rear cameras and all the image leaks have supported this idea. It’s something Huawei’s cheaper brand Honor has done in the past and LG recently made the dual-lens rear camera idea more mainstream after launching the feature on its G5.

Huawei P9 vs P8 hardware and specs

The Huawei P8 features the company’s own Kirin 930 chip, supported by 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The battery capacity sits at 2680mAh and charging takes place via Micro-USB.

As you would expect, the Huawei P9 looks like it will offer a faster processor and upgraded specs. There is no word on what battery capacity the P9 will offer, or the amount of internal storage but both the chip and RAM have been speculated upon. The Kirin 950 chip has been reported, which is the same processor as the Mate 8, but other reports have also suggested the Kirin 955.

Huawei P9 vs P8 conclusion

The Huawei P9 has been heavily leaked over the last couple of months. Assuming the more recent leaks are accurate, it looks as though a similar design to the P8 will arrive but with the addition of dual cameras on the rear, a fingerprint sensor and USB Type-C.

You can expect an improved camera experience and a faster, upgraded processor, as well as the latest software but a familiar experience. – Pocket-Lint.