The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Huawei is many things – the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world and a proud member of Forbes magazine’s World's Most Respected 200 Companies among other things – but now you can safely add ‘phone camera trendsetter’ to the list – or something a little catchier maybe.

While one of the new iPhone 7’s most lauded features is its dual-lens camera, if you step back a few months, you might remember a certain new phone series that was released in Egypt which had already introduced the dual camera concept – we speak of Huawei’s revolutionary P9 Series, which announced its arrival at a huge event at the Nile Ritz-Carlton in May.

Among an exclusive guestlist of attendees were some of the most accomplished photographers in the Middle East, all of whom were quick to put their stamp of approval on the incredible evolution of smartphone photography that the P9 Series introduced into the market with its dual lens camera, produced in collaboration with German expert camera-maker, Leica – one of the most respected names in the business.

Much was promised, but those promises have come to be met, and then some – particularly with travelers, funnily enough, with the folk at National Geographic even taking it for a spin and producing some rather breathtaking images.

But how does dual lens technology work?

It’s very simple and, actually, quite self explanatory. The P9 and P9 Plus use two 12 mega pixel rear cameras to produce one incredibly high quality image. Here’s where things get interesting, though; one of the cameras shoots in colour while the other one shoots only in black and white. Firstly, this means that it captures sharper and more natural black and white images than a black and white filter being applied, making for incredibly detailed monochrome photos.

But it also serves another function; it’s able to capture more detail and contrast than the colour camera, so in working together to produce and image, the two camera give vibrant, high contrast pictures. In addition, Huwaei's Hybrid focus technology throw speed and accuracy into the mix, while  the wide-aperture setting allows you to experiment with the range of focus.

There’s a reason the P9 Series has is the smartphone of choice for both the swash-buckling, adventure-seeking traveler and the meticulous, detail-oriented photographer – plus, the P9 Series front camera is a good mega pixel bigger than that of the iPhone 7. So there’s that, too.

Find out more about the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus on Facebook.