Huawei has launched Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro flagships -- its first smartphone line-up without Google’s proprietary smartphone OS Android. Both the smartphones are powered by HiSilicon Kirin 990 mobile platform that was launched recently. The chipset comes integrated with a 5G modem. They also have Leica rear camera setup in a ‘Halo ring design’ circular module. Just like last year, the phones are camera-centric devices and the Pro variant comes with 30x zoom capabilities.
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro with the 4G modem is priced at 1100 euros (approx Rs 86,000) and the 5G variant will be available for 1200 euros (approx Rs 94,600). The Huawei Mate 30 will retail for 800 euros, which is approximately Rs 63,000). These smartphones will be available in Emerald Green, Space Silver, Cosmic Purple and Black colours.
As mentioned, both the phones a few common specs and features. They both have Kirin 990 processor that comes with a 5G modem, and will run EMUI 10 operating system. When it comes to services, the phones will run Huawei Mobile Services -- a substitute for Google Play Services. The app store will be called AppGallery, and Huawei has announced that it has created a $1 billion investment fund to support and grow it. Huawei claims that the app store already has 390 million monthly active users and it saw around 180 billion downloads last year. Those who purchase the phone will have to create a Huawei ID that will give them access to Huawei ecosystem, including Huawei Mobile Cloud.
This has been done because Google had to cut ties with Huawei after the US government put the company in ‘Entity List.’ The Trump Administration does not allow US-based firms to do business with the companies that are included in this list.
When it comes to hardware, the Pro variant features a 6.53-inch OLED display with a notch. The display extends to sides and offers 1176 x 2400 pixels resolution with HDR10 support. Interestingly, the curved edge of the Mate 30 Pro's display can work as virtual keys that can be mapped for volume adjustment, gaming and camera set-up. We have already seen this technology in Vivo Apex and Vivo NEX 3 that was launched earlier this week.
The Kirin 990 processor is clubbed with 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage options. Buyers can expand the storage by 256GB Huawei NM card. The Mate 30 Pro packs a 4500mAh battery, which supports 40W Huawei SuperCharge, and 27W wireless charging. It comes with an IP68 rating, which means that the phone is water and dust resistant.
The Mate 30, on the other hand, comes equipped with a 6.62-inch OLED display. The panel offers 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution and just like the Pro variant, it also comes with HDR10 support. The Mate 30 packs a 4200mAh battery, and is splash-proof.
On the optics front, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro comes equipped with a quad-camera setup which includes two 40MP cameras, an 8MP telephoto lens and a 3D ToF depth sensor. The first 40MP sensor, called ‘Cine Camera’, is primarily used for capturing videos. It has an RGGB pixel setup and f/1.8 ultrawide lens. The second one is called ‘SuperSensing’ camera and is primarily used for capturing high-resolution photos with the RYYB pixel setup. The setup was first introduced with the Huawei P30 Pro launched earlier this year. The 8MP telephoto camera is able to capture images with 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom and 30x digital zoom. The Huawei Mate 30, on the other hand, comes with a triple camera setup. The primary camera has a 40MP SuperSensing sensor with a f/1.8 lens, there is a 16MP ultra wide-angle camera with f/2.2 lens and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens.
