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HUAWEI Mate 9 US launch slated for January 6: Evan Blass

Evan Blass has tweeted a render of the HUAWEI Mate 9, with on-screen time and date that indicates a CES 2017 launch, possibly with U.S. carriers.
By
December 10, 2016
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The HUAWEI Mate 9 is one helluva phone. It’s huge, it’s beastly and it’s apparently going on sale in the U.S. on January 6, according to Evan Blass. Of course, you can already order the phone on Amazon for $799, but an official U.S. release might finally mean carrier subsidies and monthly installment contract options. Maybe.

Porsche Design HUAWEI Mate 9 hands on: the dream machine
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Blass tweeted a render of the Mate 9 which employs the familiar Android tactic of using the on-screen time and date to indicate its launch date. That time and date is 9 AM on January 6 in Las Vegas. This likely means we’ll see a CES announcement, but for a phone that has already been launched internationally, we’re hoping this might mean some carrier news is on the way.

There’s also every possibility that a U.S. release will follow the same pattern as previous HUAWEI device releases: unlocked availability online, now via Huawei’s U.S. online store. But despite HUAWEI’s proclamations about carrier contracts being outdated, we already know there has been carrier interest in the Mate 9 and that HUAWEI has been pushing hard to position the Mate 9 as a Galaxy Note 7 alternative.

HUAWEI Mate 9 going on sale in the US on January 6th. pic.twitter.com/V879xArtkP
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 10, 2016

In the past, HUAWEI lacked the brand recognition required to have any real cache in retailer and carrier stores. Heck, it wasn’t long ago that HUAWEI told jokes at press events about Americans not even being able to pronounce the company’s name. But things have changed since the Nexus 6P, Mate 8, HUAWEI P9 and Nova series. HUAWEI is seen much more as a global brand now.

We’ll just have to wait and see what January 6 brings and whether we’ll see any U.S. carrier deals announced (Canada’s Rogers has already picked up the Nova Plus). If you can’t wait that long you can always hit the link below to snag an international unlocked version for $799 from Amazon, just be sure to cross-check network compatibility with your carrier first.