Huawei has removed a promotional photo from Google+ after it was revealed that it was not taken with a P9 smartphone. That is what the accompanying text implied. The photo turned out to be taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III with an EF70-200mm lens, a combination with a total value of around 4550 euros.
That Huawei took that photo with the Canon camera and lens was apparent from the exif data of the image that Android Police looked up. The photo was on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+, but only Google’s social network retains the EXIF data. The 5D Mark III is in the Pricewatch for almost 2700 euros, the EF70-200 mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens costs around 1870 euros.
Huawei did not explicitly claim that the P9 smartphone had taken the photo, but the text did suggest that. “We were able to witness a beautiful sunrise with Deliciously Ella. The Huawei P9’s dual Leica cameras make low-light shots like this a joy.”
In a statement, the Chinese manufacturer says it has removed the photo and that it was not the intention to mislead the public. “We should have been clearer in the caption. We apologize for that.”
It is not the first time that a smartphone maker has been caught putting out a misleading ad to promote the camera in its device. Nokia made a video for its Lumia 920 to show optical image stabilization, but used a professional set-up. Then Nokia published a demonstration that was taken with a Lumia 920.