A Huawei-made device identified by the model number EML-L29 that’s believed to be the upcoming P20 was listed in the database of mobile benchmarking tool Geekbench earlier today, with its testing results being indicative of a full-fledged flagship. The handset completed its synthetic tests while running Android 8.1 Oreo and is equipped with 4GB of RAM, as well as an octa-core chip whose energy-efficient cluster is clocked at 1.84GHz, according to the newly uncovered listing. Those figures are indicative of the Kirin 970, the latest SoC produced by Huawei’s subsidiary HiSilicon that’s also its first module to be equipped with a neural processing unit designed to allow for on-device artificial intelligence computing.
The Kirin 970 debuted with the Mate 10 series late last year and is widely expected to also power the P20 lineup, much like the Kirin 960 launched in late 2016 with the Mate 9 family and ended up being featured inside the P10 several months later. As was the case with the Mate 10, Huawei is likely to focus on the AI capabilities of the Kirin 970 with the P20 series and attempt to leverage the chip in order to enhance the imaging experience offered by its upcoming Android smartphones, in addition to enabling other features. Mobile photography should be the other main selling point of the P20 and P20 Pro, as evidenced by a number of recent teasers shared by Huawei. The company already heavily hinted at a triple-camera setup that’s likely to be found on the back of at least one of its upcoming smartphones.
The P20 family was originally planned to debut at Mobile World Congress in late February but Huawei is said to have delayed its announcement in order to avoid a direct clash with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus which launched in Barcelona. The series that’s expected to consist of the P20, P20 Pro, and the P20 Lite mid-ranger is now scheduled to be officially announced on March 27 in Paris, France. The trio should start retailing in Europe and select Asian countries by mid-spring, thus following an availability pattern that’s similar to the one Huawei opted for with the P10 lineup last spring.