The next Android flagship lineup from Huawei will be bear the “P20” moniker, the Chinese phone maker confirmed on Friday. A short promotional clip meant to serve as a digital invite to the handset’s launch event calls consumers to “step into the light” and “see mooore [sic] with AI,” suggesting the firm’s focus on mobile photography and artificial intelligence is continuing. The three Os in the tagline of the promo and the fact that they’re presented in the form of images essentially confirms recent rumors about the P20 boasting a triple-camera setup on its rear panel, whereas the rest of the message clearly implies the camera software of the device will once again be powered by AI technologies, as was the case with the Mate 10 lineup introduced last year. The P20 series will be officially announced on March 27 at a dedicated product launch event in Paris, France, the clip seen below states, confirming the purpose of the happening Huawei first mentioned in late January.
The P20 product family is said to consist of the regular P20, P20 Plus, and the P20 Lite, with the latter model being expected to launch in the form of a mid-ranger. All three handsets should ship with 18:9 screens and at least one of them will have a display notch reminiscent of Apple’s iPhone X, according to recent reports. The triple-camera setup of the device should be exclusively featured on the back of the P20 Plus, whereas the other two smartphones are thought to be coming with more conventional two-lens systems. The Chinese tech giant likely once again collaborated with Leica in order to develop and optimize the imaging technologies offered by its latest flagships, with the German optics company already contributing to the camera hardware of multiple Huawei-made devices released in recent years.
Previous reports suggested Huawei was considering launching the P20 lineup at MWC 2018 next week, exactly a year after the P10 series debuted at the same trade show, but has ultimately opted to skip a Barcelona launch in order to avoid a scenario in which it has to compete for the spotlight with Samsung that’s already scheduled to introduce its Galaxy S9 series at the event. All three members of the P20 family are likely to begin retailing on a global level this spring, with the P20 and P20 Plus being expected to feature the HiSilicon Kirin 970, the same AI-focused chip found inside the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro.