Huawei Mate 30 Pro is official: amazing cameras, 5G support, but no Google apps

Horizon Display, 5G support, no Google apps

The Mate RS Porsche Edition became Huawei’s first flagship with a curved edge display when it was announced in early 2018. This design was eventually carried over to the Mate 20 Pro and, more recently, the P30 Pro and it seems Huawei is pretty pleased with the reception. So much so that it has now taken the curved edge display concept to a whole new level.

Marketed as a ‘Horizon Display,’ the Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s new 6.5-inch screen features edges curved at 88-degree that leave little room for physical buttons. Because of this, Huawei has ditched the volume rocker entirely in favor of a digital implementation that can be activated by double tapping on either side of the display and running your finger along the edge.

Huawei’s new OLED panel supports a standard 60Hz refresh rate and Sound-on-Display technology which essentially removes the need for an in-ear speaker. The downside to this, however, is the lack of a stereo speaker setup. Huawei has also downgraded the resolution of the panel from 3120 x 1440p to 2400 x 1176p but this change may result in improved battery life.

Speaking of battery, Huawei’s latest flagship is equipped with a massive 4,500mAh cell which supports 40W SuperCharge technology and a new 27W SuperWirelessCharge implementation. Like the Mate 20 Pro and P30 Pro, the Mate 30 Pro also supports an improved reverse wireless charging that's 3x faster than before. This allows you to charge the new FreeBuds 3 by placing them on the back or even an iPhone 11.

This is all coupled with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage as standard although expansion via a nano-SD card slot is supported. Powering the device is the newly announced Kirin 990 5G which supports eight different 5G bands. The Galaxy Note 10+, for comparison, supports only three. If you're not that bothered about 5G, a 4G LTE-only variant will also be available.

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro ships with Android 10 pre-installed alongside the EMUI 10 custom interface. As previously announced, the flagship doesn’t have access to Google Play Services or any of the company’s apps. Huawei is going to provide a workaround, but it hasn't yet revealed any details.

One of the most popular features on last year’s Mate 20 Pro was its 3D facial recognition system. The Face ID rival was praised by both reviewers and customers for its speed and accuracy and this year’s Mate 30 Pro simply builds upon it all. The latest iteration, which sits within a wide notch above the display, is faster than last year’s setup.

Although face unlock is undeniably a great technology, many people still prefer to use fingerprint scanners. Apple doesn’t offer this option on its latest iPhones and Google’s Pixel 4 isn’t expected to either, but Huawei does. The Mate 30 Pro is equipped with an optical in-display fingerprint scanner that’s now faster than ever. 

Circling back to the notch, it’s worth pointing out that it also houses a 32-megapixel selfie camera that supports FHD+ (2288 x 1080p) video recording, Portrait Mode, Panoramic Mode, Smart Filters, Time Lapses, and voice-activated selfies. Additionally, there's a dedicated Gesture Sensor that supports a variety of air gestures include swipe to scroll and grab to screenshot. It also follows your eyes to automatically rotate the screen when necessary. Huawei calls this Smart Rotate.

Four rear cameras including two 40MP sensors

The industry as a whole seems to be moving towards vertical or square camera setups but Huawei has taken its own path with the Mate 30 Pro. Specifically, it has equipped the flagship with a huge circular camera module that’s surrounded by a large, highlighted ring. 

Present within the module is a 40-megapixel f/1.6 primary camera which supports optical image stabilization. This is paired with a Time-of-Flight sensor and an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto shooter that supports 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom, and up to 30x digital zoom. Also part of the package is a new 40-megapixel super-wide-angle Super Sensing Cine Camera with f/1.8 aperture. This introduces support for an even wider field of view and therefore gives users the opportunity to capture much more in a single shot.

The camera setup as a whole supports 4K 60fps video recording and Super Slow Motion 960fps video at a 1080p resolution. Thanks to software wizardry, a crazy 7680fps ultra-slow-motion mode is available although the recording is limited to 720p. Lastly, Huawei is introducing live bokeh and Super Night Scene mode which builds upon the company’s existing Night Mode.

Huawei's newest flagship will be available to purchase in multiple colors – Emerald Green, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple, and Black – in addition to two new Forest Green and Orange variants that use vegan leather on the back instead of glass. The 4G Mate 30 Pro costs €1099 while the 5G variant retails at €1199. The release date and availability is yet to be confirmed.