Huawei Mate P20 Pro review
The mate 20 pro is an amazing phone because it was designed with great features and enclave by a beautiful slim and light body. Huawei has been able to prove over the years that they can produce good phones. The mate 20 Pro is the Chinese firm’s first truly cutting-edge device that comes with a triple camera, 3D face unlocks and an on-screen fingerprint sensor. One of the main things that is outstanding about this phone is the battery life. Huawei ensures that they deliver extra regarding the battery.
This was the Company’s most powerful phone when it was released, it was a labelled as a great phone for taking pictures. No doubt the Huawei P30 Pro and P40 Pro are now the top of the range in terms of design and specifications, but all the same the P20 is still a great phone worth giving all the attention. Since the introduction of later models, the P20 Pro is now a lot more affordable and greater for photography.
The P20 Pro was competing with the likes of Galaxy S9 plus and iPhone XS upon release, although both are more powerful, this was more affordable. There are some quirks regarding the design and software in order to get used to them. The remarkable work done on the camera still makes it one of the most versatile camera phones irrespective of if you are a happy snapper or an amateur enthusiast photographer.
The mate 20 Pro offers the best feeling one can get from a phone, the most premium device that was made. It is incredibly:
- Solid
- Smooth
- Well built
- Manageable compared to other phones
An attractive glass at the back and repels fingerprints that makes it stay beautiful. This device could be placed between the iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy9+. Some of the features are:
- Curved edges
- Metal band
- Well-designed screen
- Crips 6.39inch display
- Striking
- Easier to handle
It feels smooth with a silky touch feeling, if you run your nail over it will sound like a record. A shinning glass at the back, masks fingerprint which makes it less slippery, although if it drops the glass will smash. There is a slim slot at the bottom of the phone and a USB-C port which seem weird but quite handy.
Huawei Mate P20 Pro review – Specification
- Processor – octa-core Huawei Kirin 980
- RAM – 6 or 8GB of RAM
- Operating System – EMU 9 based on Android 9 pie
- Screen 6.39in QHD+OLED (538PPI)
- Storage – 128 or 256GB plus nano memory card
- Camera – Triple rear camera 40MP, 20MP ultra-wide angle, 8MP telephoto, 24MP front facing camera + 3D depth sensing camera
- Connectivity – LTE, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 5 and GPS (Dual-sim available in some regions
- Water resistance – IP68
- Dimensions 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm
- Weight 189g
The USB-C socket also serves as the speaker output, which is at the bottom of the phone. This is the first phone to use the Huawei’s NEW Kirin 908 processor. The company says it is a significant improvement and is one of the first chips produced using 7mm processes. Apps are launching quicker and switching between them was rapid without interruptions during launch. The gaming performance is also brilliant that turns up the processor to the maximum. The game performance is also brilliant both in smooth frame rates and in battery consumption. A shadow gun legend run for about 30 minutes will consume 9 percent of the battery. Performance is might even be better for games that support the firm’s GPU turbo system.
Battery
- An excellent battery,
- Heavy usage will last for about 35 hours
- Hundreds of emails,
- Messages
- Push notifications
- Lots of browsing
- Five hours of Spotify via Bluetooth headphones
- 60 minutes on Netflix
- 30 minutes of gaming
- Shooting about 120 photos in a day
A lighter general usage will last up to 48 hours between charges and will last
longer with the ultra-power saving mode. It will last for three days with light usage. The phone charges under one hour with the 40W charger, hitting 30 percent in 13 minutes. It can charge up to 15W wirelessly, with a flip switch will charge other devices such as other phones and headphones.
Huawei Mate P20 Pro review – EMU 9
The smart phone runs a customised version of Android called EMUI based on the latest Android 9 pie. Love and hate go hand in hand, while some love this other hate it. EMIU 9 is the most polished version with refined animations and action, but still comes with some odd quirks. The app drawer uses an old school button with a complete theming support. It is easy to change the colours, icons, and the wallpaper. It is also getting the Huawei’s version of the Google lens called Hi vision. It does image and product recognition using Amazon, which is a load of knuckle-based gestures for things such as:
- Opening apps
- Screenshots
- Mini display mode
The mini display mode shrinks what is on the screen in the right or left bottom corner making it easier to reach. EMUI 9 still maintains the standard Android navigation button that Google ditched for the pixel 3. It also comes with a weird floating navigation dock come joystick and full swipe gestures options.
A beautiful idea is the swipe from the left to the right edge of the screen to go back. Huawei also has its own version of Google digital wellbeing tools that shows you:
- The duration of your phone usage
- The apps you launch at certain times
- The number of times the phone is unlocked
- The ability to set limits
One of the downsides of the customisation option is the status bar. The notch in the screen is quite wide which allow room for icons. The battery, time and vibrate symbols can only be fit through the right-hand side if your phone is set to vibrate only. The room for blue tooth icon is replaced when a mail or similar notifications pops up.
The power saving feature is a Huawei biggest change to Android. The system is very aggressive in blocking apps from running in the background compared to Google’s battery system. This is very good, but you might have to whitelist some of the apps such as strava to ensure it works correctly.
Huawei Mate P20 Pro review – Camera
The camera apps work well, but lacks the automatic HDR mode or the quick switch buttons to switch off the company’s master AI system on and off. The triple camera for the mate pro 20 this time around comes with the monochrome camera from the P20 Pro swapped for an ultra-wide angled camera.
- The main camera is 40 megapixels
- The ultra-wide is 20 megapixels
- Third eight-megapixel telephoto camera
The trio works in conjunction to shoot 10 megapixels images by default which can go from 0.6 to 5x hybrid zoom and out to 10x with the digital zoom at the top. This is a potent combination; the ultra-wide camera can be used at 0.6x more zoom than normal. The 1x, 3x and 5x zoom levels are very good and gets you closer to the action compared to a standard 2x zoom
The super macro mode is also great because it brings an object closer with a sharp focus on the object, you will love this if you like taking macro shots. The general images are almost as the same as the excellent Pro 20 Pro and it provides the same amount of detail and colour accuracy. The dynamic range is not the same, though in challenging lighting conditions as the pixel 3. The low light performance is great, and the night mode is awesome.
There has been an improvement to the master AI from P20 Pro but still has to suggest tweaks to photos occasionally. This tends to over saturate some elements, therefore giving it an Instagram look. You have the option to cancel the changes with a little toast notification that pops up on the screen but before taking a shot.
Images taken by the 24 mega pixel front facing selfie are relatively soft in detail without activating the face thinning mode or skin smoothing. There’s also the 3D live emoji’s using the front facing camera to mimic your expression.
In Conclusion
The mate 20 Pro is nothing but a magnificent gadget, it’s a refined piece of hardware that manages to accommodate tech gurus wish list into an impressive phone. The beautiful attributes such as:
- Display fingerprint sensor
- 3D face recognition
- Powerful Processor
- Awesome screen
- Wireless charging
- Triple camera system
- Great battery
The above helps the phone to perform at a higher level by meeting all your technology needs in a timely manner that helps you to achieve more in less time.
This cutting edge device provides the benefit of effortless high performance and comfort, thanks to an outstanding innovation. The secret behind this stunning device is the amazing design which provides much functionality with effortless power. The device offers an amazing feeling of comfort and control.
