Huawei Li Changzhu talks about the charm of the Mate 20 series

Huawei, which announced the flagship model "HUAWEI Mate 20" series in London in October, has attracted attention for its various new functions. I had the opportunity to conduct a group interview with Mr. Li Changzhu, Vice President of Huawei Consumer Business Group's Handset Business, at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen.

Mr. Li Changzhu Now, you are holding the Mate 20 Pro in your hand and taking pictures.

-The quality is good enough for coverage. (* All photos in this article are taken with HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro)

Thank you Li Changzhu. This Mate 20 Pro is recommended not only for taking photos during interviews, but also for its excellent recording function. We have just started the service, but there is a business that automatically transcribes Chinese text using the recording function installed in our smartphones. In the future, we plan to make it available not only in Chinese, but also in English, German, and French.

In the first place, the Mate series is made for business people. Therefore, it can be used as a voice recorder when interviewing, and if you take a picture at the same time, it will be recorded as a marker. While playing back, the photos taken at that time will appear. Since it is a product that incorporates the needs of the business scene, it is packed with functions that can be reached in specific situations such as meetings and interviews.

--Although there are three cameras like the P20 Pro, the configuration has changed significantly, and it has changed to monochrome and is equipped with an ultra-wide-angle camera. Why was it configured that way? "How did you devised the creation of the picture?" "Also, what kind of conversation did you have with Leica?"

Mr. Li Changzhu First, the configuration of the camera lens. was For example, even if you go out for a short trip or live in an urban area, you can capture more information with a wide-angle lens. We've always wanted to incorporate an ultra-wide-angle lens as part of the setup.

Previous black-and-white cameras certainly let in a lot of light, so they were able to enhance details in low light and low light conditions. Today, lenses are of the matrix type. The image processing algorithm developed by our company has greatly improved the processing power. A new chipset called Kirin 980 also contributes to that. I didn't use a monochrome camera, but I was able to achieve a performance that improved the effect of monochrome more than ever before.

There are many users who prefer to take black and white photos, so the current model still has a mode that allows you to take black and white photos. This mode has been fine-tuned together with the Leica development team, so you can take very high-quality, Leica-style monochrome photos.

-Will future models also have this kind of camera configuration? Also, could you tell us about the positioning of the Mate series?

Mr. Li Changzhu I can't say that I will never use a monochrome camera in the future. The current matrix lens combination was installed with the aim of maximizing the user's benefits. This is the goal of any lens configuration. Any combination may be used. We have not stopped researching monochrome lenses. Similarly, sensors are also evolving rapidly. I don't think you can say that there is absolutely no possibility. In the future, the performance of the camera may be greatly improved by installing a monochrome camera.

Huawei has two flagship models. One is the Mate series and the other is the P series. First of all, the timing of the announcement is different. The P series is announced every spring from March to April, and the Mate series is announced every autumn from October to November. Due to the different launch timings, the Mate series launching in the fall will always feature the latest Kirin chipset of the year. The next year's P series will also adopt this chipset following the Mate series.

In addition, we want the P series to have an active and light image, so the overall construction is very thin, fashionable, and a little more feminine. So the P series also has a twilight color.

The Mate series was very well received by business people when it was first released. This user group has a strong demand for battery life. We often go on business trips and use it at work, so we also give top priority to battery life. Therefore, the Mate series always has a battery with a maximum capacity of 4000mAh or more. At the same time, it has to be a little more sophisticated and slim, and it has to be fashionable. I want to have both elements, so it's a big challenge.

――I think the P series was previously positioned as a camera-focused model, but has that position changed?

Li Changzhu In theory, yes. As you say, when we made major innovations in camera functions, we first installed them in the P series. But now, whether it's the P series or the Mate series, the camera functions are making great strides each time they're released. This is because users have high expectations of cameras. In our laboratory, we have put a lot of effort into research and development in camera computing power and algorithms, so we have a lot of experience in this field. As these new technologies mature, they will be installed in the latest P series or Mate series and delivered to the world. Whether it's the P series or the Mate series, the latest model always comes with something new and an improvement over its predecessor. By constantly making progress, you can widen the gap between you and your competitors. We would like to lead in this field as well.

As a supplement, Huawei is particularly focused on cameras and is making various innovations. We are creating new elements one after another in all directions, not just one aspect. We will innovate everything related to the entire life cycle, including the various ways in which users use camera functions. For example, sensors, optical modules, designs, algorithms, the ability to take Leica-style photos, etc. We are constantly creating new things. Our goal is to innovate from the user experience to photography culture, including the quality of the photos.

We work with Leica to create the best optical modules for the best quality of shots, and partner with Sony to equip our products with the best sensors and to create the best image quality. Tuning in cooperation with Leica. For example, the ability to focus far away and focus on multiple objects was achieved through algorithms, etc., and DxO Mark Mobile scored high. The product is packed with functions that suit the user's various scenes, such as in the workplace, in everyday life, and in various other situations.

However, we are not good storytellers, and it is difficult to convey such stories to everyone. I'm assuming. From now on, I would like to strengthen the publicity side and convey it.

Two years ago, I started a new project called Next Image. I use this as a place for exhibitions, exchanges, and communication related to new photography. As part of this, we held a photo contest. There were also posts from Japanese users, and more than 400,000 photos were collected in total. A selection of award-winning works will be exhibited at Paris Photo, the most prestigious exhibition in the field. Huawei is also Paris Photo's highest ranking sponsor. The venue will have a Huawei booth and a space for displaying photos taken with Huawei smartphones.

As a smartphone maker, it was the first attempt to exhibit photos taken with a smartphone. I believe that photos taken with smartphones will play an important role in photography culture in the future. In this regard, our partner is the ICP (International Center of Photography) in New York.

This year, Paris Photo was held at a venue called the Grand Palace. This is the venue where the P20 and P20 Pro were announced. Many photography enthusiasts and gallery staff participated in the event, and our exhibition space has a light box and a panel, and the display displays more than 1,000 photographs one after another. It was supposed to be A lot of people come in front of it and take pictures. And we are happy that so many users are happy with it. I was also honored to meet Daido Moriyama, a famous Japanese photographer.

-This time it has 3 cameras, but in the future will it increase to 4, 5, 6? On the contrary, will it decrease with the help of AI, please tell us about the future direction. Also, it seems that Sony supplies Huawei with fairly good sensors. Please tell us about your relationship with Sony.

Mr. Li Changzhu First of all, the selection criteria for what kind of technology to incorporate are whether it can solve the user's usage problem and whether it can improve the user's shooting experience and video viewing experience. Another is the good looks. I've seen things on the internet with 6 or 13 cameras, and of course everyone has their own likes and dislikes, but in my opinion the design isn't good. Smartphones are now the most important gadgets for people, so I believe that they must be functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Both our Mate series and P series have a curved surface, adopt new colors, and are very ingenious about the housing. After all, I think that good design, practicality, and functionality must be well balanced.

Huawei has close strategic partnerships with many suppliers, including Sony. We all share the same challenge goals. Taking on a challenge means taking a certain amount of risk and having the determination to face it. Of course, there is a high possibility of failure, so we will take that risk, and if we succeed, we will be able to offer many surprises to consumers around the world. Win-Win is very important for strategic partnerships. We believe that we must secure financial returns to our partners when our products sell well.

What will happen to foldable smartphones?

Mr. Li Changzhu Our company continues research to bring about innovation in ID (Industry Design). Folding also belongs to the ID category. However, I'm going to repeat myself, but the criteria for introducing some new innovation to the market and actually getting users to use it is whether or not it greatly improves the experience. There are many possibilities in terms of folding design and design, and the difficult part is not only technical, but also safety, how many times it can be folded, and the weight of the product. Most important of all is the inclusion of new elements in the UX and UI as well.

――I think the P10 camera was supervised by Leica. Recently, an increasing number of manufacturers are promoting AI for shooting functions. Where is Huawei's AI advantage?

As Li Changzhu said, the P10 had Leica's certification, and that crown was removed with the P20. It's not that anything has changed in terms of quality or standards. There are two main business alliances with Leica. One is the design of the optical lens, the other is to be able to take Leica-style photos. The in-camera is similarly compliant with Leica standards. However, selfies demand a different taste. That's a different direction than the Leica, so we didn't agree with it, so we removed it.

If you have time, I would like to explain how to extend the shooting function with AI technology for about an hour (laughs), but I would like to focus on three points.

First of all, it is to help users to take beautiful pictures more easily using AI functions. Today's AI functions are able to identify different shooting scenes and different subjects. For example, when taking flowers, AI has already learned hundreds of millions of flower photos. Since we have the knowledge about what kind of flower photos are beautiful, we can make adjustments according to the lighting conditions of the actual shooting environment to create an effect that anyone can see as a beautiful flower photo. I can get it out.

The second point is that we want to use AI to create effects that were not possible with conventional equipment and technology. With the Mate 20, using AI, it is now possible to shoot videos in which the surrounding background becomes monochrome while only the subject person's color is preserved. With a conventional camera, this kind of effect cannot be achieved without various post-processing processes. It's a feature that requires a lot of imagination.

The third is also a technology with great potential. In a nutshell, it means that it shows you more than what you actually see.

For example, the camera on this smartphone shows the texture, pores, wrinkles, blemishes, etc. of the skin in great detail. Identifying it will tell you what care is needed. Not only can you use filters to make your skin look better, but you can also give constructive feedback on how it actually looks.

When I take pictures, I often take pictures because I want to keep the moment forever, but I also often take pictures just for recording. If there's a movie I want to see, I snap a poster of it, or if there's a poster for a book, I take a picture of it and then go buy it later. When I think that the voice recorder here looks good and I want to buy it, I take a picture first. After taking a photo, a two-finger press takes you to Alibaba's e-commerce site. It will tell you the price and where you can buy it. In China, we have business alliances with major e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD. In the future, we will be able to form such business alliances with local e-commerce companies around the world, such as Yodobashi Camera and Amazon Japan in Japan. Using AI, you can turn your thoughts into actions in one second from intention to behavior.

Although other manufacturers are also claiming various AI functions, at our company AI is only for solving actual problems, and for improving work efficiency and quality of daily life. We want users to fully enjoy the benefits of AI. Richard Yu (CEO of Consumer Business Group) also showed a demo using the ability of AI at the launch event, and people who speak English, Chinese, and French can It was a demonstration that you can use it to talk in real time. This is also achieved with dual NPUs and real-time computing power. We already have AI capabilities in our company, whether it's algorithms, computing power, or applications. However, we are aware that the application side has just started, and we have only been able to apply it in a straightforward manner.

-On the Mate 20, there was an X in addition to the Pro. Please tell us why this was born and why there are more variations.

We researched the reason why Mr. Li Changzhu X was born. It turns out that there are quite a few users who want a large screen. There are three main things to do with the big screen: reading and replying to emails, watching videos, browsing, and playing games. These people need screen size and battery capacity. Since there is such a user base, we released a large screen X to meet this expectation.

--Equipped with a wireless reverse charge, I was charging my iPhone at the recital. I don't think it was installed to charge the iPhone, but what was it installed for?

Mr. Li Changzhu Any feature is meant to solve a user's real problem. In the first place, it was not developed for iPhone charging. The purpose of installing this function is that many smartphone accessories such as earphones support wireless charging, but the battery does not last long, so we want to be able to charge the accessory when necessary. Since our smartphones have sufficient storage capacity, we would like to be able to charge these accessories in an emergency so that they can be used at any time.

Of course, wireless reverse charging also considers safety and adaptability. In order not to run out of battery by just charging other things, it will automatically stop charging when it drops below a certain percentage, or it will judge by itself even if there is something that does not need charging. , charging and stopping.

-Is the in-screen fingerprint authentication function installed in the Mate 20 Pro optical? Will it be affected if the screen gets scratched during use or if a protective film is put on it? "Do you have any plans to comply with FIDO for settlements?"

Mr. Li Changzhu Optical. As you said, if the screen is scratched or dirty, fingerprint authentication will be affected. If you stick the genuine film that our company will release from now on, you will not be affected by that. Fingerprint data is taken into the smartphone, but the safety is the same as before, and it is firmly protected according to the appropriate standards.

We do not sacrifice or neglect security for convenience. Our fingerprint authentication has just become compatible with WeChat's payment function, but the reason why we did not support it from the beginning was that the payment process did not meet our security standards. I declined. We reached an agreement that the WeChat team should work together to create an agreement process for us, and we are now able to respond. We never risk safety or user privacy for convenience. Because we have very strict safety standards in our company.

--Please tell us why you chose the NM card. Also, how do we create an ecosystem?

Mr. Li Changzhu In fact, despite the fact that smartphones have plenty of internal memory, some users always want external memory. It exists as a need, such as wanting to use it for backup. We cannot ignore it. However, when it comes to smartphones, even a very small space of 1mm square is a valuable presence in smartphones. I had the idea of ​​making the memory card the same size as the SIM card, and finally made the NM card. One nano SIM card size slot can hold 2 SIM cards, 1 SIM card and 1 NM card, depending on user needs.

The contents of the NM card are actually the same as the conventional ones. Only the packaging is different. So, we are trying to reach out to a lot of memory card makers and get them into this ecosystem.

--There are Pixel and iPhone XR that realize portrait mode with a single lens, but what do you think about it?

Mr. Li Changzhu Different manufacturers use different methods and different algorithms. The actual effect is also different. For example, when shooting a person in portrait mode, the background is blurred, but the difference is actually very large, so please compare if you are interested. First, make sure the person's hair is neat and second, take a picture with your hands on your hips. It is whether or not it is cut out cleanly. At our company, the outline of a person is judged firmly based on the depth. Please try to compare.

I think that technical competition is about how to improve the details. This technological competition also benefits consumers, and we welcome it.

Finally, let me ask you a question. Huawei has been in the consumer goods business not too long ago. In particular, the Japanese market is still in the growth stage. We would like to deliver to everyone a product that brings together the best of our technology. In addition, we would like feedback from Japanese users. I would like to ask the members of the media to point out any shortcomings or things that should be done in this way so that we can grow further in the future. Also, Japan has a photography culture. Japan has produced many famous photographers. For young people today, photography means shooting with a smartphone. Therefore, the challenge is how to attract young people in their 20s and 30s to our products. Do you have any good ideas?

-In Japan, there will be no discounts on terminals due to the intention of the government, so I think it is important to continue to release products with high cost performance and high camera performance. All Japanese people are starting to think that iPhones are expensive, so I think it's a pretty good chance.

Thank you Li Changzhu.

--The docomo version of P20 Pro has become too docomo specification, and there are places where the Huawei specification has been cut, so it would be better for consumers to make it a little more Huawei specification. I also think.

Mr. Li Changzhu will continue to fight (laughs). Certainly, there are requests for customization from Japanese telecommunications carriers. There is a request from consumers in the background. We think that if we can understand Japanese consumers better, we will be able to communicate and negotiate with carriers.

--You said earlier that the camera has a lot of functions, but users are not using them, but the UI of the camera is still complicated in some areas. It recognizes various scenes and switches to auto mode, but on the other hand, it's a bit complicated, such as the night view mode. If that becomes simpler, I think everyone will be able to use various functions naturally.

Thank you Li Changzhu. In fact, we are also thinking in the direction of making it simpler.

――I would like you to devise ways to nurture users with gamification using AI.

Mr. Li Changzhu Yes. Through gamification, we would like users to understand the functions properly, and to be able to take the photos they want according to their wishes.

--I don't know the difference between wide aperture and portrait mode, so it might be okay to combine them.

Mr. Li Changzhu Actually, portrait mode also has a beautiful skin effect.

――The AI ​​recognizes various scenes, but the mode is changed too much. There is also a place where I am using too much and I need to do something a little more.

Mr. Li Changzhu AI cannot be trusted and entrusted with everything. Further evolution is needed. thank you very much.

-Thank you.