Is this Huawei's next big phone?
CNET has obtained images of what may be the next smartphone from Huawei.
IFA, the huge Berlin tech show that's Europe's equivalent of the Consumer Electronics Show in the US, opens in early September, just a few weeks away. And that means it's high time for rumors, speculation and leaks of the tech to be announced there.
To that end, CNET has obtained two photos from a person familiar with Huawei's plans for the show. The photos (displayed here) reveal only the rear and side of what appears to be a large-screen "phablet" -- a phone-tablet hybrid.
If the photos look familiar to followers of Huawei's phones, it's because they bear a striking resemblance to a phone shown in a video (and resulting screengrabs) at Nowhereelse.fr and 9to5google. Those sites speculated that the device -- which appears to be the same one pictured here -- was the next phone from the Google-branded Nexus line.
Huawei, based in China, is the top-ranked telecommunications equipment company in the world by revenue and the fourth-largest smartphone vendor by market share. Last year, it opened an online store to sell phones directly to consumers in the US. It sells smartphones in the UK and Europe under the brand Honor .
While it's certainly possible the phone shown here is indeed the next Nexus phone, it's worth noting that Huawei has already scheduled its IFA press conference for September 2 -- and that the company is vigorously looking to ramp up its brand presence outside China. (Google does not hold a press conference at IFA, but would likely announce any new Nexus devices at its own event.)
Whichever the eventual brand -- Nexus, Huawei, Honor or any combination of the three -- it's a safe bet that we'll know more on September 2, one way or the other. CNET will be delivering in-depth coverage of the entire IFA show from Berlin starting September 1. Stay tuned.