Review: Huawei makes strong case for “phone of the year” with P20 Pro

By: Curtis Sindrey –
Follow @Aesthetic_Mag

Huawei’s P20 is the iPhone X for people who love Android. With a stunning 40MP rear camera with 3x optical zoom, a 24MP front camera, a huge 4,000mAh battery, and much more, Huawei is the phone of the future.

Camera

Whether you want to take a Instagram-worthy selfie, or a photo at your favourite band’s concert, the P20 Pro’s camera can capture anything and everything with a brilliant 40MP rear camera and a reliable 24MP front camera.

For people who want a more professional feel to their photos, there’s “pro mode”, where you can shoot up to 40M (7296×5472), change settings like ISO, shutter speed, and even shoot in RAW like a pro.

Next is “Night Mode”, which takes low-light photography to the next level. Taking photos with a six-second shutter speed, Night Mode takes what would likely be an underwhelming photo with a mid-market photo and makes it any photo vivid.

Want to shoot slow-motion video? The P20 Pro has you covered with a 960 fps feature. While the only notable downside is that you’ll be shooting at 720p, which decreases the crispness of your video, the details and quality are exceptional.

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a big role in the P20 Pro’s camera capabilities. Used for facial and object recognition, AI allows your P20 Pro to recognize 19 different categories of scenes – everything from dog to blue sky – and will readjust your setting to suit whatever you want to shoot so you’ll get the perfect photo every time.

Design

Just like the rival iPhone X, the P20 Pro also doesn’t have a headphone jack, which might be a dealbreaker for some Android fans. Your only options are to use the included USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, or buy separate Bluetooth headphones. Upgrading from any older phone model with a headphone jack, it does take getting used to suddenly not having one.

The P20 Pro is also the first Huawei device with a notch. Made famous by the iPhone X, the P20 Pro’s notch is smaller and only includes a camera and speaker, unlike the iPhone X with its face unlock feature. Thankfully, if you’re not a fan of the now-trendy feature, you can darken the surrounding areas to hide it.

Display

The P20 Pro’s display is breathtaking. The all new Huawei FullView Display makes the phone come alive on a 6.1 inch OLED display that produces vibrant colours and vivid videos.

Battery

The P20 Pro’s battery life is one of the best on the market right now. With a solid 4,000mAh battery, which is 500mAh larger than the rival Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, the P20 Pro performs exceptionally well even during heavy use.

In addition, with the P20 Pro’s SuperCharge feature, you can charge your phone at lightning speed with a full 100 per cent charge taking around 1 hour 24 minutes and 45 minutes to charge from 0 per cent to 80 per cent.

Conclusion

With Huawei P20 Pro’s highly capable camera, long-lasting battery, beautiful display, and affordable price, you’d be wrong not to look at this device as nothing but as good or better in some cases as its competitors.