Exclusive: Huawei Mate 20 Pro hands on review

Huawei has just announced the next variant of their Mate series here in London, the Mate 20 Pro and I have been given the opportunity to be one of the first to have a hands-on experience with the device. Check out the video I created to hear my first impressions.

Design

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro possesses a beautiful bezeless curved display which not only looks premium but feels premium as well. It weighs 189 g and is 8.6 mm thick. I’m not too keen on the camera’s design at the back, I personally believe that the Huawei P20 Pro’s camera placement is much better and feel Huawei should follow through with something similar in this department.

Huawei has sculpted the back of the smartphone into a curved design using glass and it feels comfortable to hold despite it being a device that has a massive 6.3” panel. I have to warn you that this phone is a fingerprint magnet, so you may need to keep a cloth close by at all times if you like to live on the edge and rock your phone without a case.

Performance and battery

This smartphone comes equipped with the Kirin 980 chipset which is the worlds first 7nm processor. It is extremely powerful and you will find that you won’t have any issues running the latest games or power-hungry applications. I have been really impressed with how fast applications launch and how swiftly you’re able to switch in-between apps. It will be really interesting to see how the Huawei Mate 20 Pro holds up against the competition.

This year Huawei has also bumped up the phones battery power by integrating a 4,200 mAh battery. There are also a host of battery saving features like Ultra Power Saving Mode and the option to darken the colours of the interface also known as ‘dark mode.’

Camera

Selfie lovers, as well as photography fanatics, will love the Huawei Mate 20 Pro for its camera. It has an array of features that enables you to take stunning shots regardless of the scene. I went around the giffgaff HQ and took a couple snaps and selfies and I was really impressed with the results. It also uses AI to detect the scene I’m focusing and determine the settings to get the best phone possible.

Tech Specs

6.3”, AMOLED QHD+ Display 3120 x 1440

Kirin 980 Chipset

6GB RAM

128GB Storage with Nano-Memory support

4,200mAh Battery

IR Blaster

Fast Charging Technology

Rear cameras: 40MP f/1.8, 20MP f.2.4, 8MP

24MP Front Camera

USB-C Charging Port

Android 9.0

IP68 Water and Dust Resistant

3D Qmoji - AR Lens

Face Unlock

Fingerprint scanner underneath the display

Price and availability

If you’re interested in checking or purchasing out the new Huawei Mate 20 Pro directly from giffgaff you can do so by clicking here

Conclusion

I’m not team Android or team iOS, I’m just a fan of innovation and this year I really believe Huawei has outdone themselves with this device. Sure, it isn’t a massive leap over the Huawei Mate 10 or the Huawei P20 Pro, however, it does have a number of interesting upgrades. Building the fingerprint scanner into the display of a smartphone is what consumers and science fiction fans have been dreaming of for a very long time and I’m just amazed that it’s finally here!

The phone has three great cameras which are great for those who are into photography or videography. Not to mention the bright and vibrant QHD+ AMOLED display that makes consuming media consent a pleasure.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is definitely on my list of the best smartphones for 2018 and I’m sure power users, as well as those who want to try something different to iOS, will not be disappointed.