With its new Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, the manufacturer is hitting hard and further asserting its position as number 2 on the smartphone market. He pushes innovation even a little higher and hopes soon to be able to compete with the champion Samsung. A month after the official release of the latest Korean Galaxy S10, Huawei responded at the end of March 2019 with a conference in Paris by unveiling 2 new smartphones. Here is our opinion on these Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, as well as a complete guide on the performance of the phone.
Best price for the Huawei P30 Pro
Huawei P30 Pro at the best price Base price: 999 € Aliexpress -54% 462 € Consult the offereBay -48% 517 € Consult the offerCdiscount -45% 549 € Consult the offerAmazon -20% 797 € Consult the offer See more offersEvery year, Huawei has become accustomed to unveiling a new range of Mate smartphones at the end of the year, and at the beginning of the following year a P range. This time, there are 2 new flagships called P30 and P30 Pro which are positioning themselves as the major references of the group (and of the market?) for the months to come. Below you will find our review of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro in detail, as well as their prices and detailed technical characteristics.
As you can see from our review of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro below, the two phones are quite different in terms of features, and you shouldn't just hope for a difference in size (as is the case with the Pixel vs the Pixel 3 XL, or the iPhone XS vs the iPhone XS Max). Such a difference was already observed on the previous range made up of the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro.
Let's start our review of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro with the design of the two phones.
Huawei P30 and P30 Pro design
Screen design, size and performance
For this new generation of smartphones, Huawei has decided to standardize the quality of its screens : for the P30 and P30 Pro, this is an AMOLED screen whose size varies depending on the model: for the P30, this is a large 6.1-inch screen with 2340 x 1080 pixels, compared to a 6.47-inch diagonal screen (and still 2340 x 1080 pixels) for the Huawei P30 Pro.
The latter, however, seems larger since it is curved on the edges on the same principle as the Mate 20 Pro. The Huawei P30 is content with a flat screen without being curved, but which is still very good. In the video below from our Huawei P30 review, you can see all the shapes of the two new smartphones.
As for the size of the case, the Huawei P30 is 149.1 x 71.4 x7.5 mm, the P30 pro is 75.4 mm wide. The two phones are taken in hand without any problem, although like in many phones, there are visible fingerprints on the back. It's related to the glass that makes up both the front and back of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro.
As with the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei has decided to integrate the fingerprint sensor placed under the screen (optical sensor). The back of the phone is thus lightened of the fingerprint sensor found for example on the back of the Pixel 3, the Mi Mix 3, or the Honor View 20. The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro are thus distinguished from the models previous models of the P range which still had a button at the bottom of the front of the smartphone which served as a fingerprint sensor.
The P30 and P30 Pro differ from the Mate 20 Pro in the notch. The Mate 20 Pro has a 3D facial recognition sensor which is ultra secure, and it is not present on the P range. This does not prevent the P30 and P30 Pro from having a basic facial recognition tool thanks to the photo sensor located in a small bubble on the front of the phone. We find the same technology on the more classic Mate 20.
Last little detail at the bottom of the phone: the presence of a 3.5mm jack on the P30, which is however not present on the P30 Pro. On the other hand, both Huawei models have a USB Type-C port on their case. For comparison, the Mate 20 also had a 3.5mm jack, and the Mate 20 Pro had already skipped it. Let's continue our test and this Huawei P30 and P30 Pro review with the colors available in France.
Huawei P30 and P30 Pro colors
For its two new P30 and P30 Pro, the giant Huawei has once again decided to harmonize the colors. The two smartphones will be available on the French market in three different colors: black, blue and crystal. The first 2 colors are quite standardized and are reminiscent of those of the previous Mate range. Note that two other colors (Aurora and Amer Sunrise) will be available on other markets, but not in France initially. It's a shame, in our opinion.
In terms of colors and the glass finish on the front and back of the P30 and P30 Pro, Huawei is largely within the usual industry standards. Once again, Huawei and Samsung are ahead of the competition on the finish of their products – beyond having very convincing technical characteristics. They are a step ahead of other smartphones under the Android OS, although Xiaomi with its Mi range (and the Mi 9) is very seriously retracing their steps.
Weight of the P30 and P30 Pro
The weight characteristics between the two models are quite similar with 165 grams for the P30 and 192 grams for the P30 Pro. For comparison, the iPhone XS weighs 177 grams, and the Pixel 3 148 grams. However, it remains at the level of other smartphones from the manufacturer Huawei since the Mate 20 Pro weighs 189 grams, and the Mate 20 weighs around 188 grams.
The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro have a slightly higher weight than its competitors, but their practical grip means that it does not really feel. Let us now move on in our opinion on the P30 and P30 Pro to the technical characteristics of these electronic devices.
Technical characteristics of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro
Performance of the SoC Kirin 980
It was during the launch of the Mate 20 that we were able to discover the new chip developed by Huawei, the Kirin 980. This took over from the 970 version with an inflated performance: a CPU that is 75% faster, and a GPU that is 46% faster. It is one of the fastest processors in Android today, far ahead of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 chip. It should be very close to the new Snapdragon 855 chip, without being able to compare them for the moment.
Obviously, the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro range also benefits from this Kirin 980 chip engraved in 7 nm. According to the manufacturer, this chip would even be more efficient than the A12 Bionic chip which was unveiled in the latest smartphones from the Apple brand. To go into the technical characteristics of the P30 and P30 Pro chip, there are 2 high performance Cortex-A76 cores, 2 medium performance Cortex-A76 cores and 4 low performance Cortex-A55 cores.
Let's now move on to one of the central points of this Huawei P30 and P30 Pro review: the photo.
Photo sensors and image processing
While the camera is becoming more and more important in the technical characteristics of a smartphone, Huawei has obviously not neglected this point. Already for its previous models, the high-end Chinese brand had strived to offer one of the best solutions on the market. Thanks to regular collaboration with the German photography specialist Leica, its latest Mate 20 Pro has become a benchmark in the field according to the DXOMark ranking. For these two new models, the Huawei P30 and the P30 Pro, Leica is once again called upon.
Whether it's the new Huawei P30 or the P30 Pro, these 2 phones have an even more convincing camera. Huawei's European head, Walter Ji, explained at the end of last year: "Next year, we will definitely see more innovations for cameras. Currently, we have three devices on the back. Imagine four devices next year”. Thing promised, thing due. The main sensor changes completely with 40% more light captured, and the P30 is able to go up to 409,600 ISO, the P30 to 204,800 ISO, it's really impressive.
The triple camera on the back has become almost a standard among high-end Android smartphones, and we find it again on the Huawei P30: 40 Mpx, 16 Mpx ultra wide angle and hybrid telephoto sensor of 8 MP with x3 optical zoom, 5x hybrid and 30x software. As a reminder, the previous Mate 20 Pro also had a 5x zoom, which again shows progress on the part of the Chinese on this point. The quality of 4K videos from the P30 and P30 Pro will also be significantly improved. Below in our Huawei P30 Pro review, the lens breakdown.
On the Huawei P30 Pro, we find – in addition to this triple photo sensor aligned vertically on the upper left part of the back of the phone – a fourth photo sensor aligned vertically under the flash: it is a ToF (Time of Flight), which is able to model 3D objects and will be very useful for augmented / virtual reality experiences. Note that the wide-angle sensor goes to 20 Mpx on the excellent Huawei P30 Pro, against 16 Mpx for the P30.
At the front, you will have guessed that the small drop placed on the upper part of the screen also corresponds to a photo sensor, ideal for selfies. This one is equipped with a 32MP (f/2.0) lens, a significant improvement over the previous Mate 20 Pro (24MP). Once again, Huawei wanted to improve its camera on all levels, and it was largely successful. Our review of the Huawei P30 Pro is very positive.
Waterproofing of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro
It has now become the standard for Huawei (and other premium manufacturers), IP68 certification is affixed to the latest P30 and P30 Pro. This was already the case for the previous Mate range, so it is logical to see that this standard is once again available on the new generation of the Chinese. This means that the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro are dust resistant, and they are water resistant.
Note, however, that the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro have improved compared to the previous generation of the P range unveiled a year ago since it was only equipped with IP67 certification. The latter was still resistant, but to a lesser extent (30 minutes in 1 meter of water, against 30 minutes under 1.5 meters of water for the IP68).
In any case, our opinion on the P30 and P30 Pro is that you have to be very careful and avoid putting it in contact with water as much as possible. With a smartphone that is approaching (see exceeds – see price of the P30 Pro below) the symbolic bar of €1,000, you have to remain very vigilant – even if it means bringing a series of accessories to avoid any damage. Here is now the part that we have dedicated to autonomy in our review of the Huawei P30.
Autonomy and recharging of the P30 and P30 Pro
As always, Huawei distinguishes autonomy in each of the ranges between the classic versions and the Pro versions. This is still the case for the P30 and P30 Pro generation. In this case, the Huawei P30 Pro is equipped with a 4,200 mAh battery, the equivalent of what we saw on the Mate 20 Pro. As for Huawei's P30 model, it has a 3650 mAh battery. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S10 is equipped with a 3,400 mAH battery, and the S10e version has a 3,100 mAh battery.
Huawei struck a blow at the end of last year when it unveiled reverse charging on its Mate 20 Pro smartphone. The phone can thus be used as a stand to charge other wireless devices. As you can imagine, the Huawei P30 Pro is once again equipped with this cutting-edge technology that Samsung has been quick to adopt.
The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro are also compatible with SuperCharge 2.0 ultra-fast charging. Now let's move on to the last point on our Huawei P30 review: the price. This is one of the key elements where the Chinese giant stands out from the competition present in France.
Price of Huawei's P30 and P30 Pro
Huawei is now the top of the range of Android smartphones, and it is clear that prices are slowly approaching what we can see at its great rival Samsung. This new generation of P30 and P30 Pro is approaching, or even exceeding on one model, the symbolic threshold of €1,000. In this case, the Huawei P30 version has a single price of 749€ (original price) for a model with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
As for the Huawei P30 Pro, there are two versions available on the French market: a version with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage available at a price of €999 for the version with 8 GB of RAM and 128GB of storage – the same price as the original Mate 20 Pro (6GB RAM, 128GB storage). A version with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage takes a step forward since it is at the official price of €1,099.
On the Huawei P30 model, it is possible to add up to an additional 256 GB thanks to a micro SD reader. On the Pro models, it is possible to use nano-SD cards, a format proprietary to Huawei, to increase the storage capacity to 256 GB.
Below you can see the price for the P30 and P30 Pro. The e-tailers below all offer this ODR, and here's a guide to the best prices for the P30 and P30 Pro.
The best prices of the Huawei P30
Huawei P30 at the best price Base price: €799 Cdiscount -53% €379 Check the offereBay -37% €500 Check the offerAmazon -33% €533 Check the offer See more offersThe best prices Huawei P30 Pro
Huawei P30 Pro at the best price Base price: 999 € Aliexpress -54% 462 € Consult the offereBay -48% 517 € Consult the offerCdiscount -45% 549 € Consult the offerAmazon -20% 797 € Consult the offer See more offersWe will note in this Huawei P30 and P30 Pro review that the “Pro” version is 250€ more expensive than the classic version. This difference was already observed on the latest smartphones in the Mate range, and it once again seems perfectly justified. It is likely that this new generation of Chinese phones will give pride of place to the P30 Pro, which will unsurprisingly win over the long term against its little brother.
Our review of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro
We are now at the last part of our review of the Huawei P30. As you might expect, the focus on the photo is on this P30 and especially on the P30 Pro. On paper the shots seem excellent and we go to four sensors on the P30 Pro, but above all a main sensor capable of capturing 40% more light. In terms of technical characteristics, we find the advantages of the Mate 20 Pro.
The design is very successful with a lower part that resembles the Galaxy S10+ and a notch similar to the classic Mate 20. The difference is big with the P20 Pro, which had a fingerprint sensor on the front, and whether in terms of the screen or the case/screen ratio, the evolution is important, and welcome. This convinced us in our positive review of the huawei P30.
Huawei is also attacking the iPhone XR (for the P30) and the iPhone XS Max head-on, while offering a lower price than its direct competitors. The P30 is an excellent compromise between price and features, when the Huawei P30 Pro is a decidedly high-end phone. We will see all this in our test and opinion of the P30 Pro in video which will be published on our YouTube channel.
Huawei P30 review update in 2020: Since the writing of this sheet and our review of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, things have changed a lot. It is the last Huawei smartphone to be entitled to the Play Store, which reinforces its interest in the range of the Chinese manufacturer. Next year, things could change, and the Huawei P30 is certainly the brand's last smartphone that will be worth buying. The other models use App Gallery instead of Google services, and the experience improves.
What is your opinion on the Huawei P30 (as well as the P30 Pro)?