Huawei tried to pass DSLR images as photos from their new Nova line

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Smartphone makers pull out all the stops to convince would-be buyers that the cameras on their devices are the best. For Huawei, this has meant running ads showing DSLR-like images taken with its mid-priced smartphones, the Nova 3 and Nova 3i. Unfortunately, the pictures shown in a recent video advertisement didn’t come from either of those smartphones. Instead, Huawei used images from a DSLR camera, according to Slash Gear.

First, here’s the ad:

https://youtu.be/2Kf7g2XEWwI

Published through the Huawei Eqypt’s YouTube channel, the ad focuses on each phone’s front camera, with a 24 megapixel f/2.0 sensor paired with a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Unfortunately for Huawei, Sarah Elshmy, the actress from the ad, posted a “behind the scenes” picture on Instagram. Neither the Nova 3 of Nova 3i is shown. Instead, we see a DSLR camera. Busted.

Take a look:

This isn’t Huawei’s first smartphone camera marketing blunder. As Slash Gear explains, in 2016, the company posted a photo on its Google+ page that hinted that an image of a beautiful sunrise was taken with a Huawei P9 smartphone. The EXIF data, however, told a different story. A Canon EOS 5D Mark III was used to make the photograph. Huawei later apologized.

Since the recent video went viral, Huawei told CNET that a disclaimer at the end of the video outlines the images and content shown “are for reference only.”

The Arabic text translates to: “Product characteristics and actual specifications may vary (including but not limited to appearance, color, size), as well as actual presentation contents (including but not limited to backgrounds, user interface, and controls).”

You can read more about Huawei’s latest blunder on this Reddit page.

Are you surprised by this news? Are you convinced other companies do stuff like this too? Let us know below. 

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