We were supposed to be enjoying our Huawei Mate 30 Pros a few months ago but thanks to the US tech embargo, we’ve had to wait. In that time Huawei have scrambled to fill in the void left by Google and aside from a few apps, they’ve done a decent job. As a result the delayed UK release of Huawei Mate 30 Pro isn’t the disaster some predicted.
Objectively Impressive Engineering
Huawei’s flagship hardware quality is at its best on Mate 30 Pro. The wraparound ‘Horizon’ screen, smooth corners and minimal bezel are objectively impressive. The precision of the manufacturing, slender dimensions and continuous device-round curve feel gorgeous in the hand. If a little slippy.
The aluminium outer frame and refractive mirrored glass rear give it a simple but stylish look. Our ‘Space Silver’ review model has an eye-catching pinkish hue (a rosy glow?). The circular camera arrangement is the device’s rear centrepiece and as such there is little other detail beyond a frosted circle surround it.
The Huawei and Leica logos on the rear are de-emphasised against the silver-pink of our review model to highlight the bold lens housing. That sort of attention to detail is particularly pleasing to me.
The front is dominated by that 1176×2400 OLED display and it’s something to behold. From straight-on, you can’t actually see any bezel either side of the screen.
The Waterfall screen means the volume rocker has been excised. It’s a cool concept – double tapping the upper half of the side of the display brings up the volume slider – but it’s sub-optimum in practice. Having to look at the device to change the volume is surprisingly inconvenient.
The power button sits just behind the edge of the screen and it’s only slightly more awkward than the regular edge-mounted power buttons of yore. Placing a volume rocker at the same angle wouldn’t have been a bad idea.
The screen is also notably more notched than semi-predecessor P30 Pro. Huawei Mate 30’s notch is broad but doesn’t protrude much into the screen’s real-estate. In exchange for this large notch, we do get a 3D face scanner.
Huawei’s Best Display So Far
Bright, deep and detailed – Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s OLED display is excellent. It doesn’t quite match the very best but it’s close. Samsung’s latest D-AMOLED screen has better contrast and brightness but considering the six-month delay, Mate 30 Pro is still competitive.
The aforementioned wraparound Horizon display looks amazing. It’s also not as easy to accidentally activate along the edges as you would think. I found the minimal bezel below the screen was a bigger impedance to one-handed use than the vertical edges. The sharp curves do produce dark slivers of inverted colour as the sides fall away. This isn’t a dealbreaker but you will notice it.
Supreme Stamina but Still Second-Best in Some Specs
The usability of Huawei Mate 30 Pro sits with the best. Offering a luxuriously swift experience for the everyday user and the Android abuser; Mate 30 Pro certainly feels premium.
In terms of raw power, Huawei’s own chips have come a long way but still lag behind the very best. Samsung’s Rest-of-the-World Exynos SoCs are simply quicker in every theoretical and practical measurement. Though the difference in-use is imperceptible for most tasks.
One area where Huawei handsets have excelled in the last few years is endurance. The hours that the Kirin 990 wrings from the 4,500mAh Li-Po battery sets a new standard for mainstream smartphones. I regularly went for 60+ hours; more than two-and-a-half day runs on one charge. And with the in-box 40W Supercharger, I was ready to go again in about an 75 minutes.
A power-user will obviously run the battery flat much faster than that but I would be confident it would make it to bed with an hour or two to spare after a day of hard use.
The Google Question
Being based on an an open-source platform gives Huawei Mobile Services a huge selection of compatible software. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are easy to find and install provided a user can enable third-party app installations and can confidently use third-party app stores. Most people don’t have that knowledge or confidence so Huawei Mate 30 Pro has been pushed into a niche market.
With Huawei P40’s launch, a new App Gallery experience will be available with easier replacement of user apps. But without that region-specific storefront and curated app selection, Huawei’s new ecosystem just isn’t ready for casuals.
And of course, you won’t find any of Google’s apps on Huawei Mobile Services. YouTube, Gmail, Docs and Maps are the most obviously deleterious absences but all bar one were satisfactorily replaced for me.
There are several worthy replacements for YouTube on App Gallery but none will let you sign in to your YT account. A few will let you bring your subscriptions over and receive notifications about new videos but no likes, new subscriptions or commenting. I’m not much of a YouTube commenter but I like to leave a thumbs-up and this particular absence genuinely annoyed me.
It’s obviously possible to use your browser for everything but the same could be said about Windows Phone. Microsoft’s failure in this regard highlights that the general public doesn’t want to have to use a workaround, no matter how simple, for basic functions.
The Usual Huawei Photography Ridiculousness
Huawei’s brand of stills mastery is alive and well in Mate 30 Pro. Combining four lens to produce stunning results in an array of scenarios. Building on the night-shot, macro, gigantic RYYB sensors and AI scene recognition of previous Huawei’s, Mate 30 Pro doesn’t have a marquee photo feature. But rather refines their already impressive hardware and software. The only previous innovation missing here is the periscope zoom – Huawei Mate 30 Pro uses a 3x optical zoom on its 8MP lens.
Improvements over previous smartphone camera champ, Huawei P30 Pro include better white balance, a less aggressive AI low-performance and much swifter low-light capture. While this list isn’t extensive, Mate 30 Pro addresses most of the issues with a nigh-on flawless snapper and the results are incredible.
If iteratively improving the excellent stills isn’t enough, Huawei Mate 30 Pro finally delivers Huawei’s first competitive video capture. Previous videography was good and wholly usable for YouTube and other vlogging but always sat a rung below Samsung and Apple’s best. Mate 30 Pro’s 4K60 capture is crisp, bright and handles less-than-ideal lighting well. Like its new videography peers, the options in this format are limited. It must be pointed out that the ultra-wide and main lens can capture at 4K60 while the telephoto tops out at 4K30.
The telephoto lens does support optical image stabilisation at 3x zoom and the improvement over previous Huawei zoomed video capture is obvious.
The super slow-motion 720p capture runs at an incredible 7680 frames per second. When used appropriately the effects are stunning but the maximum frame-rate is only really for special occasions. Explosions, popping champagne, huge splashes and the wheels of fast-moving vehicles – anything else moves so slowly as to stand still at that speed.
Specifications
- Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 990 5G
- CPU: Octa-core (2×2.86 GHz Cortex-A76 & 2×2.09 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.86 GHz Cortex-A55)
- Memory: 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM; 256GB 8GB RAM (reviewed)
- Expandable Storage: Huawei NM Cards up to 256GB
- Display: 6.53″, 1176 x 2400 OLED, 18.5:9
- Rear Camera: Quad-lens – 40 MP, f/1.6, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7″, PDAF, OIS; 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4.0″, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 40 MP, f/1.8, 18mm (ultra-wide), 1/1.54″, PDAF; TOF 3D
- Video Capture: 4K@60/30 fps, 1080p720, 720p@7680fps, EIS, OIS
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm, HDR, 1080p30 video capture
- OS Version: Android 10.0, EMUI 10 (Huawei Mobile Services)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct; Bluetooth 5.1 LE, aptX HD
- Battery: 4,500 mAh
- Dimensions: 158.1 x 73.1 x 8.8 mm
- Colours Available: Black, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, Emerald Green (not all colours are available in all regions)
Needs a Lot of Thought
The continued excellence of Huawei stills capture, the elegant beauty of the device and the class-leading stamina are undeniable. However, Huawei Mobile Services is still missing a few apps that Android addicts will miss. The extra steps that users will need to take to get the best from their Mate 30 Pro may scare a few potential customers away. For those willing to take the plunge, knowing exactly how to get the apps you want is essential.
