Huawei P30 Pro review: The phone to beat in 2019

2018 brought us the eye-catching P20 Pro from Huawei that featured a mesmerizing Twilight finish, a notched display, and perhaps more importantly, a trio of rear cameras that conspired to turn night into day. Taking handheld pictures in low-light conditions had never before yielded such fantastic results without the use of a tripod. And while Huawei seemingly threw in the kitchen sink with the Mate 20 Pro with wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and a fashionable wide-angle rear sensor in place of the dedicated monochrome sensor, the P20 Pro is still able to hold its own.

As you might expect, though, the smartphone world has moved on in 2019, and even caught up in some instances with phones such as the Galaxy S10+ and OnePlus 7 Pro that also feature a trio of rear cameras, as well as the Nokia 9 PureView that incredibly has five rear cameras. In response, the P30 Pro has three rear cameras, including a periscope lens that is capable of 10x lossless zoom, an ultra-wide lens, a telephoto lens, as well as a 3D Time of Flight sensor, making for a total of 68 megapixels in total.

We've been fortunate enough to spend some quality time with the P30 Pro since its launch, so join us after the break for our review of Huawei's newest flagship.

Hardware

Design

Having noticed that rival brands were taking inspiration from its stunning Twilight finish that first appeared on the P20 Pro and then the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei retired the color theme from its repertoire and launched the P30 Pro in Amber Red, Aurora, Breathing Crystal, White, and Black color schemes. Our review unit is in the frankly stunning Aurora finish, which starts off green and gradually turns to blue as the light hits it. It's a unique shimmery effect finish that turns heads, although you'll need to use a transparent case to make the most of the blingy color and add some much-needed grip.

Build quality is as we would expect from Huawei, and the all-glass design fits snugly in hand with the rounded edges on the front and back panels that merge seamlessly into the aluminum frame. The top and bottom are diamond cut and squared off in contrast with the curvy nature of the rest of the P30 Pro.

You may have noticed that the dewdrop-shaped notch is missing a speaker grill; this is because Huawei has used Acoustic Display Technology to output the sound through screen vibrations, similar to what LG did with the G8 ThinQ.

The volume rocker sits above the power button that features a red stripe to differentiate it on the right-hand side.

The top of the phone houses the IR blaster, a pair of antenna cutouts, and a microphone while the SIM tray, speaker chamber, and USB Type-C charging port reside on the bottom of the phone. Unusually, the P30 Pro doesn't have a 3.5mm audio jack although the smaller P30 does, likely because Huawei had to find space for the periscope lens.

Performance

The 6.47-inch OLED display has FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 along with excellent viewing angles. The display's temperature is over-saturated or vivid by default, but you can adjust this in Display Settings to a more cooling level. I mentioned earlier that the screen has curved edges, and while it looks pretty cool, it can result in false touches at times.

Shortly after launch, Huawei rolled out a software update that enabled the appearance of notification icons on the Always-on-Display (AOD), which come in handy since the P30 Pro doesn't have an LED sensor.

As with the Mate 20 Pro, the powerful Kirin 980 octa-core processor with its dual NPU's produces a smooth user experience. The addition of Huawei's new file format means that apps and games open up lickety-split, all the while maintaining the chip's ability to sip power in standby.

Something that is noticeably improved over the Mate 20 Pro is the in-display fingerprint sensor; it's much much accurate to use with a 30% quicker unlock rate. This has been achieved by using a new algorithm as well as upgrading the sensor itself. While the phone doesn't have the 3D face unlock sensor that is present on the Mate 20 Pro, using Face unlock is slightly quicker than using the in-display fingerprint reader for the most part.

We don't place much stock in benchmarking apps, but we've put the P30 Pro through its paces in GeekBench 4, 3D Mark, and Antutu so you can get a general idea of how the Kirin 980 performs.

Battery

Huawei's flagships are renowned for their incredible endurance when it comes to battery life, and the P30 Pro is another credible addition. The Kirin 980 chipset positively sips power, and it's a hard task trying to run the battery flat in a single day. It isn't out of the ordinary to get to midnight with 50% left in the tank, even with Always-on-Display (AoD) enabled and without the use of any power-saving tricks. If you disable AoD, reduce the resolution to 720p and enable the bog standard Power-Saving feature, you'll manage to get almost three days of usage out of the P30 Pro.

Once you've eventually run the battery flat, Huawei's 40W SuperCharge technology makes short work out of charging it back up to 100%. After just 30 mins of charge the 4,200mAh battery is already back up to 70%, and full in under an hour.

You can also use the 15W wireless charging to top up the tank, and the admittedly gimmicky reverse wireless charging to charge wireless accessories and even other handsets, although with a 2.5W output it's going to take a while to charge another smartphone to any reasonable amount. You'll need to head to Battery settings to enable the reverse wireless charging function.

Software

We've said a lot about EMUI in previous reviews of Huawei (and Honor) smartphones, and it almost always starts with something along the lines of great hardware, but the software is wanting. And I'm afraid that it's a similar story if you are a fan of stock Android, although even Google has moved on from that. If you are one of the many millions that are comfortable using Samsung's TouchWiz/One UI, or if you've previously used a Huawei device, then you'll be at home with the company's EMotion User Interface (EMUI) and all of its features and quirks.

The Android Pie-based EMUI 9.1 shows six rows of four app icons on the home screen by default although you can change this to 5 x 5 or 5 x 6 in the Home Screen Settings menu. You may also want to change the home screen style from the standard mode that litters icons across the home screens to the neater Drawer style that adds an app drawer.

One feature that deserves mention is the new Huawei Share 3.0 or OneHop function that makes sharing images, videos, and other files between the handset and laptop a breeze. OneHop also lets you share your clipboard as well as recording your laptop screen. There is a small hitch, though, in that OneHop is only compatible with Huawei (including Honor) handsets running EMUI 9.1 and the company's new, refreshed range of MateBook laptops. The phone pairs with the MateBook via NFC and once you tap the phone on to the specified area of the laptop (clearly marked by an NFC logo), the phone and laptop connect via OneHop, allowing you to share up to 500 images in a single minute. It's a great feature that is only let down by its exclusivity to Huawei devices.

One feature that I haven't been able to test is the P30 Pro's ability to act as a virtual key solution because I don't currently own one of the ten Audi models that support the function. When Audi sends me the necessary vehicle to review, I'll be sure to circle back to update the article.

There are a couple of niggly issues remaining with EMUI 9.1 such as Auto brightness being selected every time the phone reboots, which can be a tad annoying if you have a preferred setting. And while placing the dark mode theme in the Battery section does make some sense in some ways, surely it would be more user-friendly if it was located in the Display Settings.

In a nutshell, EMUI 9.1 is a long way from the trainwreck that it used to be many years and models ago, most will enjoy the layout and usability of the interface. If this isn't the case, you can always install a third-party launcher.

Camera

As impressed as we were with the P20 Pro, its successor offers an improved photography experience thanks to upgraded rear cameras and the addition of a Time-of-Flight sensor. As with most of its flagships in recent years, Huawei partnered up with Leica to develop and finetune the image-taking experience. The primary sensor is still 40MP, albeit with Huawei's Super Sensing camera that uses a new RYYB color array filter as opposed to the usual RYGB, achieving a 40% boost in light intake that results in improved low-light photography. The P-Series of smartphones concentrates on the photography experience, and here Huawei has somehow managed to improve on last year's P20 Pro in most areas. Whether its the Super Night mode or the fact that video now has optical stabilization at 4K resolution or the simply amazeballs 10x lossless zoom, the P30 Pro is, in my opinion, even better than the Pixel 3 XL. It also saves every single shot, which isn't something you can say for Google's finest.

The 20MP ultra-wide angle camera pulls double duty by taking wide-angle images as well as pictures of subjects as close as 2.5cm away. The Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor aids the P30 Pro in detecting the edges of subjects, as fine as strands of hair, to achieve the bokeh effect with the blurred background.

Of course, the big talking point is the 8MP telephoto lens that is capable of 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and 50x digital zoom overall thanks to the periscope design of the lens. As a bonus, the telephoto lens is also optically stabilized, which when combined with the primary 40MP sensor that also features OIS, means that there is Dual-OIS support, which is further enhanced by the presence of AIS (AI Image Stabilization).

We've talked about the hardware, but is it any good? Extremely. During the launch, Huawei used the tagline of “Rewrite the Rules.” They weren't kidding. That shot of someone or something across the way that was too far away to get a decent picture of? Nope, it doesn't happen with the P30 Pro. The 5x optical and 10x hybrid zoom bring new ideas and methods on how and when to take a photo. Combined with the ultra-wide lens, the only excuse for not getting a good shot is that you've placed your finger over every lens. At the 50x limit, though, a lot of patience is needed to take a usable image as the focus shakes around.

Huawei has been at the forefront of AI enhanced photography, and the P30 Pro also benefits from the Kirin 980's dual-NPU's. Images taken with the Master AI feature enabled result in a more natural, but still enhanced, image. So if the grass lawn is actually brown, it won't magically turn bright green in post-processing, but it will look more grass-like. Night imaging is once again out of this world, the Super Night Shot is stupendously good, turning night into day. If for whatever reason, you don't want that, you can also use the Auto mode which also produces excellent results.

As you would expect, the camera app has a bunch of options ranging from Pro, Portrait, Night, and a whole lot more such as HDR, Panorama, Documents, AR, to name just a few. Video is much improved over the P20 Pro, with 1080 offering OIS, AIS, and 60FPS framerate and 30fps 4K video capture, it should be noted that the ultra-wide angle lens doesn't feature EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization).

Since launch, the P30 Pro has gained the Dual View video feature that allows the primary 40MP sensor and the ultra-wide camera to shoot video simultaneously. Imagine being at a sports stadium and being able to zoom in on a single player while still capturing the overall scenario. I've embedded an example below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxchlr6nVWA

Closing

Writing the conclusion to this review has been made much more difficult thanks to Huawei being blacklisted and then partially cleared to trade with American tech companies by the US government. For the moment, at least, Huawei is clear to resume normal trading practices, without worrying about access to Google Play Services or Android Q, which the handset maker has promised to roll out to numerous devices in the coming months.

On the negative side of things is a complaint that I had with the P20 Pro; the flagship of the P-Series needs a display with higher resolution than FHD+. The OnePlus 7 Pro has stepped things up to a QHD+ display, and the P30 Pro would justify its price tag with a higher-res panel. Huawei's EMUI 9.1 is still a little on the quirky side, and notifications still need working on although it is much improved over previous iterations. The omission of the audio jack will be a deal breaker for some, but if you've made a move over to wireless headphones, it generally won't be a factor you need to consider when purchasing the P30 Pro.

Elsewhere, the P30 Pro has a snazzy all-glass design that is comfortable to hold, the dewdrop notch is scarcely noticeable, and the in-display fingerprint reader is almost as slick and accurate as the sensors found on the back of other Huawei handsets. The OLED display, despite its FHD+ resolution, is bright and vibrant with excellent viewing angles. Battery life is as you would expect by now from Huawei, out of this world with 2-days of real-world usage. Plus, unlike the OnePlus 7 Pro, the P30 Pro has wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and a proper water and dust IP rating.

Should you buy the Huawei P30 Pro?

If you want a camera experience that is second to none in terms of quality and versatility, battery life, flagship performance, wireless charging, ultra-fast charging, and stylish all-glass design with premium build-quality, then the answer is a resounding yes. So long as Huawei is able to maintain its ability to access Google Play Services and the Android OS.