Huawei is one of the top 3 brands in the world today. It started off as a communications network hardware producer and later started producing smartphones and more. With a lot of focus on R&D so they can keep improving their products. Huawei also produces some of its own components and has also developed an OS that is not based on Android, after their issues with the USA.
The brand generally caters to a variety of price ranges, this allows for more people to afford smartphones. There are Huawei smartphones that are for a few thousand and there are smartphones that compete at the flagship level, costing a lot more. Among the many different smartphones is the Huawei P30 Pro, which was a hit and set new standards for the brand and the industry too.
The Huawei P30 Pro display
Huawei P30 and P30 Pro were launched in March 2019, the P30 Pro is aimed at taking on all the other flagship smartphones and does not disappoint with its aim. Built with a bezel-less 6.47 inch OLED display that has a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, which is bright and crisp to view. The display quality is visible and shines through when one is playing games or watching 4K videos. There is a notch on the top for the selfie camera, this is probably the only feature or design element that is slightly dated as other brands are trying to maximize the display space.
Protected by Gorilla Glass the screen is slightly curved at the edges for a better grip as this is a large smartphone even by today’s standards.
Performance & OS
There is a powerful chipset at the center of this device, the Kirin 980 which is built using the 7nm method. A method that is the latest commercially possible in chipset technology right now. It features two ARM 2.6GHz Cortex-A76 cores, two more Cortex-A76 cores running at 1.92GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores for power efficiency. With an integrated LTE modem to further that power efficiency and two “neural processing units” or AI accelerator blocks. The GPU is an ARM Mali-G76.
For tasking power, there is 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of storage. The brand introduced a new file system last year, known as EROFS (Extended Read-Only File System), with claims that it has a 20% better read time and more efficient usage of space. All these powerful internal components make this smartphone super fast in performance.
The OS is based on Google’s Android platform, using Android 9 Pie. A machine learning ready system that can learn the user’s patterns and pace up the smartphone’s performance in response. Layered on top of that is their own user interface or skin, known as EMUI 9.1. This is the first time Huawei used this version in a smartphone and it helps users have more customizations and options that the base Android 9 Pie does not provide for.
Cameras
A major selling point of this smartphone was its camera systems. Huawei has a partnership with the legendary brand Leica, they help develop sensors lenses and the camera modules. This gives them an edge that few others have. To be able to integrate technology from one of the best camera developing brands sets them ahead.
There is a quad-camera array on the rear that offers 5x optical zoom, the quality of which is unquestionable. Upping the zoom ability, with a 10x hybrid zoom and 50x digital zoom, the latter of which does compensate for some of the image clarity. The main sensor on the rear is a 40MP one, the secondary is an 8MP telephoto sensor, a 20MP ultra-wide-angle lens is the third and the fourth is a ToF (Time of Flight) depth-sensing camera. These 4 combined allow the camera app to make use of many different variations to add layers to one’s photography.
The main sensor has a unique new “SuperSpectrum” sensor with an R-Y-Y-B filter for each pixel instead of the R-G-G-B filters. This allows for 40% more light in comparison. Combined with the ISO level of 409,600, the sensor size of 1/1.7 inches, optical stabilization, and an aperture of f/1.6 means the low light photography is very well lit and clear.
On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera that takes excellent shots. Overall the camera is powerful, with one drawback that the 4K video can only be recorded at 30fps. AI integration means Huawei can include features such as HiVision. This is an attempt to identify objects, landmarks, text, and more. You can also get automatic translations, search online shopping sites, and even estimate the calorie counts of meals. This feature will be refined but is a huge first step for a camera system.
Other features
The smartphone is packed with the full connectivity and sensor range, including the fingerprint reader which is embedded into the display allowing or fast access. Also retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack for convenience. The phone packs a staggering 4200mAh battery that lasts all day. It uses a 40W SuperCharge adapter that can replenish the handset by up to 70% in just 30 minutes. The Huawei P30 Pro is also a reverse wireless charging device as it lets you charge other Qi wireless charging supported devices on its rear.
The Huawei P30 Pro was launched in multiple color options, these include Aurora, Amber Sunrise, Breathing Crystal, Black, Pearl White, Misty Lavender, and Mystic Blue. Given it is competing with flagship smartphones and is packed to the hilt with features and power the Huawei P30 Pro is fro around Rs. 157,000.