A new set of photos has cropped up online showing off what is alleged to be a prototype of Huawei’s long-rumored P20. Unfortunately, the images have the device housed in a hybrid protective case, so there isn’t a lot that can be gained from them. Moreover, even if they do portray a real-world look at just such a prototype, it is likely that the device will have changed quite a bit before the final version is completed. With that said, the images bear at least few distinctions that differentiate from earlier rumors about a Huawei P20. That, at very least, raises interesting questions about which direction Huawei might go with the handset.
Probably the most obvious step away from previous rumors about Huawei’s P20 and the new images is that the device was expected to ship with three rear cameras. Those are notably absent in the images, with only a standard dual camera setup shown in a horizontal orientation. There’s also only a single camera at the front and an LED flash is shown for both front and main cameras. Another set of sensors is embedded between the camera and flash on the front side of the device, purportedly being tied in with the device’s facial recognition features. Meanwhile, those are housed inside of a notch which bears some resemblance to other devices which have opted to fill almost the entire front of the device with the screen. Physical buttons sit along the right-hand edge, which presumably consists of the power and volume keys, though it is difficult to tell with such a bulky case on the handset.
It should also be noted that more recent rumors have suggested that there will be at least three variations on the Huawei P20 – namely, the P20, P20 Lite, and P20 Plus. That means that nearly all of the speculation up until this point could turn out to be true but for different devices. Thankfully, things shouldn’t take too much longer to clear up. Huawei is expected to both have a big presence at MWC 2018 at the end of February and to host a separate event at the end of March. Either event could ultimately reveal one or more of these devices, putting rumors and speculation to rest.
