The Mate 10 Pro. Image: Huawei
Huawei claims built-in AI will make Mate 10 Pro a game-changer.
The new Huawei Mate 10 Pro – which the Chinese tech giant insists is not a smartphone, but rather an “intelligent machine” – goes on sale in Ireland today (7 December) exclusively through Vodafone.
The device opens up a new front in smartphone competition whereby as well as the CPU and GPU, it will feature a neural processing unit (NPU) that will add artificial intelligence (AI) to the Mate 10 Pro’s firepower.
It comes as Apple’s iPhone X features the new A11 X Bionic chip, Face ID’s ability to detect 33,000 IR dots on the human face, and machine learning in the camera to compose perfect shots before they are even taken.
AI changes the smartphone game
Mate 10 Pro is not a smartphone, it’s an intelligent machine, says Huawei. Image: Huawei
The Kirin 970 chip – obviously Huawei’s rival to Apple’s A11 X Bionic chip – is built using an advanced TSMC 10nm semiconductor manufacturing process and features an octa-core ARM Cortex CPU, a Mali-G72, 12-core GPU and its first NPU designed for a mobile device. It also has a new dual ISP for AI-powered intelligent photography.
The combination of the NPU with Huwaei’s HiAI mobile computing platform delivers a boost 25 times the performance and 50 times the energy efficiency of last year’s Mate 9.
The Mate 10 also comes with an AI-accelerated translator that works with Microsoft’s translator engine, as well as an easy projection feature that connects the device to a larger screen, turning it into a personal computer.
“As artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded into our daily lives, we’re delighted to be launching the Mate 10 Pro in Ireland,” said Thomas Mason, device director, Ireland, Huawei consumer business group.
“As the world’s first AI-enabled smartphone, it uses AI technology to give people a smarter, faster, more intuitive user experience, empowering them to unlock their potential and achieve their ambitions.”
The Huawei Mate 10 Pro has launched with an ad campaign entitled I Am What I Do, which showcases how AI technology can enrich people’s lives and help people do great things. Featuring tech-driven entrepreneurs Samantha Payne, co-founder of Open Bionics (which uses innovative engineering and 3D printing to revolutionise the prosthetic design and fitting process) and Steven Bartlett, CEO of Social Chain (which is connecting the world to culture thorough AI technology), it shows how the new Mate 10 Pro is helping make their vision possible.
The new Huawei device will be sold exclusively through Vodafone and will be available in titanium grey for €749.99 on pay as you go and €49.99 on contract.
