Huawei Mate 30, 30 Pro, 30 RS hands-on review

Introduction

Huawei has promised the US-China trade war will not affect the Mate 30 launch and indeed it didn't stop the maker from going full steam ahead with its plans. Huawei has announced the Mate 30 series on September 19 in Munich, and the new phones are looking very intriguing, with or without Google's services framework.

The Mate 30 lineup includes three flagship devices - the Mate 30, Mate 30 Pro, and the Porsche Design Mate 30 RS - all three of these boasting the latest Kirin 990 chip and new Leica multi-camera setup. And alongside those smartphones Huawei has unveiled Watch GT2 with 2 weeks of battery life.

The star of the show was the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, which is jam-packed with bleeding-edge tech. The Pro model has a new 6.53 curved "Horizon" AMOLED with support for M-Pen and various gestures that replace the volume keys, runs on the new Kirin 990 chip with 5G modem, and has a beefy 4,500 mAh battery with super-fast wired and wireless charging - in both directions at that!

Of course, the new Mate 30 Pro introduces an upgraded Leica camera, this time around with focus on video. It's a quad-camera arrangement with a 40MP 27mm f/1.6 OIS main camera (RYYB filter), an 8MP 80mm f/2.4 OIS tele snapper for 3x zoom, a TOF camera, and a brand-new 40MP 18mm f/1.8 ultrawide cine camera (RGGB filter) with 3:2 aspect.

Video recording finally gets some proper attention - it supports up to 4K 60fps video capture, but frame rates go even higher in slow-motion mode, the phone can do a mind-boggling 7,680fps at 720p. Another fun thing to try is 4K time lapse with HDR+ colors. For shooting in low light, the video camera can go up to ISO 52,000. AIS is available on all three snappers, and OIS + AIS work together where available. The snappers can use the TOF sensor for rendering real-time bokeh in video.

The Mate 30 Pro also has a 32MP f/2.0 selfie shooter at the front, accompanied but a 3D TOF sensor. Check the full specs sheet below.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro specs

• Body: dual Gorilla Glass 6 with metal frame; IP68-rated for dust and water resistance
• Screen: 6.53" AMOLED, 1,176 x 2,400 px resolution (409ppi); HDR10, gesture and M-Pen support
• Chipset: Kirin 990 5G chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.86GHz + 2xA76 @2.36GHz +4xA55 @1.95GHz), Mali-G76 MP16 GPU, 3-core NPU
• Memory: 8GB RAM, 128/256GB UFS3.0 storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 10 with EMUI 10;
• Camera: 40MP 27mm f/1.6 OIS (RYYB filter) + 8MP 80mm f/2.4 OIS lens (3x optical zoom) + 40MP 18mm f/1.8 (RGGB filter) ultra-wide + ToF camera; 4K@60fps video capture, 720@7680fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 204,800, 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom, Super Macro Mode, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, Night Mode. HDR video, video ISO up to 52,000.
• Selfie cam: 32MP, f/2.0 Leica lens + 3D TOF camera; Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 4,500mAh; Super Charge 40W; 27W wireless charging; reverse wireless charging (40W/27W)
• Security: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical)
• Connectivity: 5G(5G model only)/4G/3G/GSM; Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.1 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, acoustic display acts as earpiece, bottom-firing loudspeaker

The Huawei Mate 30 is quite interesting, too. Just like previous years the Mate 30 has a smaller notch on its display, is just splash-resistant, has a 3.5mm audio jack, and has some changes in the camera - in this case it lacks the 40MP cine snapper.

So, the Huawei Mate 30 has an even larger but flat 6.62" OLED screen of 1,080 x 2,340 pixels with a smaller notch. But while the cutout size shrunk, it still houses a 32MP selfie shooter and a 3D TOF snapper.

Then the Mate 30 packs the same Kirin 990 chip with 5G modem for the 5G model. It has a somewhat smaller 4,200 mAh battery with the same blazing-fast wired and wireless charging speeds in both ways.

But the Mate 30 makes changes on the camera. It has the same 40MP main snapper but lacks OIS, the 8MP 3x tele with OIS stays untouched, the TOF is gone, and the ultrawide shooter is just a regular 16MP f/2.2 snapper - no special treatment here. The Mate 30 still does 4K at 60fps but loses the 7680fps slow-mo and cool ultrawide timelapse options. Of course - all these changes made for a considerably lower price.

Huawei Mate 30 specs

• Body: dual-glass with metal frame; IP53-rated for dust protection and splash resistance
• Screen: 6.62" AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,340 px resolution (389ppi); HDR10
• Chipset: Kirin 990 5G chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.86GHz + 2xA76 @2.36GHz +4xA55 @1.95GHz), Mali-G76 MP16 GPU, 3-core NPU
• Memory: 6/8GB RAM, 128GB UFS3.0 storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 10 with EMUI 10;
• Camera: 40MP 27mm f/1.6 OIS (RYYB filter) + 8MP 80mm f/2.4 OIS lens (3x optical zoom) + 16MP 17mm f/2.2 ultra-wide; 4K@60fps video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 204,800, 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom, Super Macro Mode, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, Night Mode.
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens + 3D TOF camera; Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 4,500mAh; Super Charge 40W; 27W wireless charging; reverse wireless charging (40W/27W)
• Security: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical)
• Connectivity: 5G(5G model only)/4G/3G/GSM; Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5.1 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, bottom-firing loudspeaker

And a Mate launch event can't be complete without a Porsche Design model and of course we got a Mate 30 RS, too.

It is the same phone as the Mate 30 Pro, but with an exclusive Porsche-inspired leather back and comes with 512GB storage and 12GB RAM.

Finally, Huawei Watch GT2 also premiered in Munich. It's a beautiful smartwatch with round 1.39" OLED screen and a promised 2 weeks battery life.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro hands-on

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is the most important smartphone of the trio and that's why we are starting with it. The new Mate 30 Pro has so many new things and we can't wait to get it for a proper review.

For starters, the Mate 30 Pro has a completely new 6.53" AMOLED screen with extremely curved edges at 88-degrees. We know what you are thinking - that would be a nightmare to hold, but Huawei promises some very smart edge detection and palm rejection - and we are beyond happy from what we experience while handling the Mate. Indeed, the phone did not get fooled even once by our palms and always registered our fingers instead of our palm.

The screen is quite wide - 19.5:9 aspect - and has a resolution of 1,176 x 2400 pixels or 409ppi. It supports hovering gestures - something that Samsung had years ago on its Galaxies known as Air View. But the more important thing about this curved screen is that it made impossible for the volume keys to co-exist with it on the frame and they had to go.

And with the volume rocker gone, Huawei has implemented a new gesture system for adjusting the volume. There is this semi-transparent line across the edge, very similar to Samsung's edge panels, and you slide on it up or down. It works just as advertised, and while it is not ideal at first, once you get the gist of it - you should have no issues with it.

There is a power key, though, so don't you worry about that. It barely fits on the frame on the right side, but it is there, and it clicks nicely.

The fingerprint scanner is under the screen, of the optical kind. The display also supports Huawei's M-Pen with 4,096 levels of pressure.

The screen has a notch, a rather big one at that. It houses the 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera - same as on the Mate 20 Pro - and a 3D TOF snapper. The two work for secure Face Unlock, but it is also a great combo for quality portrait shots. There is no earpiece in this notch, just a couple more sensors are hidden inside.

Just like on the P30 Pro, the Mate 30 Pro has an acoustic display - meaning the whole upper part of the screen vibrates to create sound when you are in a call. It works just like on the P30 Pro and we can't really complain of it. But we'd still prefer a stereo-speaker system rather than this, though that's just us.

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is an exceptional looker. It is water-proofed smartphone with dual-Gorilla Glass 6 design and a metal frame. There are four color options - Black, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple (ours), Emerald Green. Those are massive fingerprint magnets, not that we expected otherwise. Smudges stick in seconds and regular cleaning is a must for the Mate 30 Pro.

There will be also a special edition with vegan-leather back that will be available in orange and forest green. We played for a few minutes with this edition and while it sure looks like weather, it feels like plastic.

The quad-camera setup is arguably the most important feature on the Mate 30 Pro and it has changed since the P30 Pro. The setup has moved back to the center of the back and sits within a round glass. The Mate 30 Pro has the same 40MP RYYB main camera with OIS as on the P30 Pro, while the telephoto shooter stays the same as on the Mate 20 Pro - an 8MP snapper with OIS for 3x optical zoom. The ToF camera is here to stay, too.

What's new is the so-called Cine camera - another 40MP unit (RGGB filter) behind f/1.8 18mm ultrawide lens with autofocus. This camera still outputs 10MP shots, but its prowess is actually in video. Not only you can shoot 4K at 60fps with the Mate 30 Pro, but you can also capture 720p at 7680 fps and some exceptional 4K HDR+ timelapse videos. Meanwhile, thanks to the TOF snapper - bokeh videos are available, too.

Everything that was available on the P30 Pro as camera modes - such as Night Mode, Light Painting, Variable Aperture, among others - is available on the Mate 30 Pro, too.

And while we are still looking at the back of the Mate 30 Pro, let's talk about the battery. The Mate 30 Pro has a large 4,500 mAh battery that supports 40W Super Charge and you will find this charger within the retail box. The phone supports reverse wired charging, so you can use it as a 40W powerbank, if you want. Huawei also offers a 40W car charger, in case you need one.

The Mate 30 Pro also supports fast wireless charging at 27W and you can use 27W reverse wireless charging, too. How about that, Apple?

The Mate 30 Pro will be available in 4G and 5G variants. The 4G model runs on Kirin 990 chip and octa-core processor - 2xA76 @2.86GHz + 2xA76 @2.09GHz +4xA55 @1.86GHz, Mali-G76 MP16 GPU with GPU Turbo, and a 2-core NPU.

The 5G model has Kirin 990 5G with a slightly faster octa-core processor - 2xA76 @2.86GHz + 2xA76 @2.36GHz +4xA55 @1.95GHz, same Mali-G76 MP16 GPU, and a 3-core NPU.

Now, let's talk about the OS. The Mate 30 Pro runs on EMUI 10 that's based on Android 10. The phone lacks Google's Services Framework and instead comes with Huawei Mobile Services and its own AppGallery. Huawei's own store has 390 million monthly active users and served 180 billion downloads last year. Plus, the company has invested more than 1 billion to stimulate more developers to publish their apps on the AppGallery. It has also promised that Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp are coming in shortly.

Finally, Huawei's CEO said that the moment when China and US become friends again it will distribute the Google services to all Mates in 24 hours. If those two make up with each other, of course. We guess Mr. Trump's Twitter account is the best place to get answers on the subject.

Anyway, the Mate 30 Pro looks spectacular as is. It has so many new features and possibilities, that we still can't wrap our heads around yet. Hopefully, we will be able to explore everything in detail once our review unit arrives.

The Mate 30 Pro is coming in China today, while the global market will allegedly get it in October. We are yet to see the chosen markets outside Asia, but Huawei will sell the Mate 30 Pro for €1100 when it launches in Europe.

Huawei Mate 30 hands-on

The Huawei Mate 30 is a more streamlined version of the phablet with a few missing features in favor of a lower price tag. But it is just as good-looking and as powerful as the Pro.

So, the Mate 30 isn't being that much on display. It has a 6.62" OLED screen of extended 1080p resolution. The screen is neither acoustic, nor curved. It has a smaller notch than the Pro model and it houses a 24MP selfie shooter, still accompanied by a 3D TOF snapper for Face Unlock and bokeh effects.

Inside the notch the Mate 30 pack a regular earpiece.

Just like the Pro, the regular Mate 30 also has an under-screen fingerprint scanner.

Because the display isn't curved the Mate 30 enjoys much thicker and thus grippier aluminum frame and it accommodates regular volume keys in addition to the power key. Audio jack is also around!

The Huawei Mate 30 is still a dual-glass smartphone but is just splash-resistant and not water-proof. Still, it gets to keep the cool looks of the Pro model and comes in the same Black, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, and Emerald Green colors. There are also the same orange and greenish vegan-leather editions for the Mate 30.

And being a glass phone with such glossy and reflective surfaces, the Mate 30 is the fingerprint magnet its pictures suggest. Beatty always has a price and its smudges everywhere for the Mate 30.

The main camera setup is not the same on the Mate 30, but you can't tell that at first because it also sits under the same round glass as seen on the Pro. The Mate 30 keeps the 40MP RYYB 27mm camera but loses the OIS, and it also drops the TOF camera. Then it gets to keep intact the 8MP 3x OIS tele shooter. The third camera is still an ultrawide one, but it's a 16MP f/2.2 on - not as premium and not a cine one. The fourth hole accommodates the laser-autofocus, which is absent on the Pro model as the TOF plays its role.

The Huawei Mate 30 is capable of shooting 4K videos at 60fps, while it slowmo maxes out at 720p@960fps.

As far as charging is concerned the Mate 30 has a 4,200 mAh battery and it supports 40W and 27W wireless charging in both directions - same as the Mate 30 Pro.

The Mate 30 is also available in 4G variant with Kirin 990 chip and a 5G model with Kirin 990 5G chipset.

Quite expectedly the Mate 30 runs on Android 10 with EMUI 10 and has no traces of Google services. Everything is replaced by Huawei's framework of services and its AppGallery until further notices. Or forever.

The Mate 30 was indeed easier on the eyes and felt better and more secure in hand. It is still slippery and gets smudged in a flash, but if we have to compare it with the Pro - the regular model just feels a notch better when handled.

The Mate 30 is priced at €800 and is expected to launch in October.

Porsche Design Huawei Mate 30 RS hands-on

The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 30 RS is a redesigned Mate 30 Pro. It comes with increased 512GB storage and the whooping 12GB of RAM.

The back is completely different on the Mate 30 RS, though. It is made of real leather and the camera setup, while the same, sits under a different glass.

The Mate 30 RS provides an immensely better grip than the regular Pro thanks to this leather back and does feel premium to look at and when handled.

The Porsche model comes with an exclusive Porsche-inspired theme that matches it looks, of course. It is expected to ship with a much richer retail bundle, but that's the least we would expect from a €2100 phone.

Huawei Watch GT2

Huawei unveiled its latest smartwatch with the Huawei Mate 30 series and it's the Watch GT2. It has a round screen and slimmer bezels compared to Watch GT, better battery life and a new Kirin A1 chip.

The Watch GT2 has a round 1.39-inch OLED screen and it's always-on. There are various cool watchfaces pre-installed on the GT2 model.

The watch has the new Kirin A1 chip that offers lower power consumption and more stable Bluetooth connection to the phone. Huawei says the watch has coverage up to 150m away from your smartphone.

The Watch GT2 has 42mm and 46mm version with 4GB storage. Those watches come with Bluetooth 5.1 support, GPS, and heart-rate sensors. The bigger model also offers a mic and a loudspeaker for taking or making calls. Fitness tracking is available, of course, and there is also sleep tracking.

Thanks to this new chip the GT2 should offer up to 2 weeks of battery life in typical usage, or up to 30 hours in non-stop GPS tracking mode.

The new watches are really beautiful, and they will be available next month for €229 (42mm) and €249 (46mm).

Let's block ads! (Why?)