Huawei P11 Rumor: Upcoming Smartphone To Have Triple-Lens 40MP Camera

Leaked marketing materials may have revealed some new interesting information about the Huawei P11. Apparently, Huawei’s next flagship Android smartphone might arrive with a triple-lens camera system.

The rumor on the Huawei P11’s camera was based on some images from a digital artist that’s working at one of Huawei’s creative agencies, according to notorious leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks). The images are part of “PCE Series” ads, and they appear to confirm that Huawei is once again working with Leica, the German company known for high-end cameras and lenses.

The involvement of Leica with the Huawei P11 isn’t a huge surprise since Leica has already co-engineered the dual-camera system on Huawei’s previous smartphones. What’s really surprising here is that the Huawei P11 will apparently have a triple-lens camera system.

To be more specific, the Huawei P11 is said to arrive with a 40-megapixel camera on the back that’s equipped with three lenses. This 40MP camera will also have a 5x hybrid zoom feature. If that’s not enough, the camera up front is no slouch either. It is said to be a 24MP shooter, which Leica will also co-develop with Huawei.

Blass says the images' source has already been taken down, which is indicative that the ads may have been legitimate. The leaker also said that he believes that the Huawei smartphone that’s being teased in the ads is part of the P-series because the Huawei P10 is used as the placeholder handset in all of the images.

The ads also teased a couple of new features for the Huawei P11’s camera system. The first is the Pro Night Mode, which enables the sensor and the optics to capture 100 percent more light. This will allow users to take “gorgeous” night photos without using a tripod.

The second camera feature teased in one of the ads is a Pro AI Camera Assist. This new feature means that the Huawei P11 cameras will have Instant Scene Recognition and Auto Framing, so users will always have the correct settings and camera modes while taking photos. Huawei will be using artificial intelligence in order for this new feature to work.

The inclusion of an AI-powered software isn’t a big surprise since Huawei is already using that technology on one of its new smartphones. The Huawei Mate 10, which was first announced back in October, arrived with integrated AI features for its dual cameras. The Mate 10 is also the first Huawei Android phone to come with the Kirin 970 processor, which houses a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

With the Huawei P11, it looks like the Chinese phone maker is once again trying to advance mobile camera technologies. Android Authority points out that Huawei was one of the early adopters of dual cameras by introducing the Huawei P9 back in 2016. For the Huawei P11, it seems like the company is trying to take the lead with a triple-lens camera system.

Huawei hasn’t announced anything official yet on the P11’s launch, but it might make its first appearance sometime in February 2018. The Huawei P10 was announced in that same timeframe this year.