Huawei has introduced its finest hardware with equipped software in its latest flagship smartphones – Huawei Mate 20 series, which include the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 RS, and Mate 20 X, on Oct. 16 in London.
ALSO READ: Huawei Nova 3i Review [After 2 Months]; A Photographer’s Partner!
While the former two are Huawei’s flagship devices as expected, the Mate 20 RS is a high-end Porsche Design product and Mate 20 X is designed for a niche market of gamers. So, you’ll care more about Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro.
Huawei Mate 20 Series: The Kings Of Smartphones?
There were many flagship smartphones launched this year, which include Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, HTC U12+, iPhone XS Max, Google Pixel 3XL and in recent times, OnePlus 6T. After the specs, what people or in particular (as a photographer) what I care about the most is the camera on the smartphone.
Huawei has already proved its mettle on the camera department with the launch of its highly popular P20 Pro, last year, which had made noise with the triple camera setup and a DxO Mark score of 105. Just for you to know, it is still marked the top smartphone (in terms of the camera) by DxO Mark.
ALSO READ: What Is Huawei GPU Turbo Technology?; Smartphone Gaming Revolution?
Now, I know DxO Mark isn’t enough to justify the camera or its quality, especially when the P20 Pro came with triple camera setup and following the streak the Mate 20 Pro also (too), on the other hand, smartphones like iPhone XS Max and Galaxy S9 Plus has dual cameras and Pixel 3XL has just one. This is where we need to look at the overall commitments and standing of the smartphone.
Overall Picture: Before We Justify?
The Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro packs in a 6.53-inch Mate 20 and 6.39-inch Mate 20 Pro smartphones, powered by Huawei’s (own) latest HiSilicon Kirin 980 chipset (build on the 7nm process), which stand straight against Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. As the chipset is made by Huawei, the optimization of the smartphone is way more cheesy than the others.
Furthermore, these smartphones sport the largest batteries you can find in a flagship-end smartphone, 4000mAh in Mate 20 and 4200mAh in Mate 20 Pro. Not just that, the Mate 20 Pro can wirelessly charge another device, even its rivals iPhones, Samsung Galaxies and any other wireless-charging capable devices, which is bonkers.
ALSO READ: Huawei Kirin 980 Vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: What’s The Difference?
What about the camera you might say, well, the camera array on both phones are upgraded, adding a third 20-megapixel ultra wide angle lens to the 40-megapixel main camera and 8-megapixel 3X zoom lens.
Huawei is known for AI capabilities and now these smartphones can detect over 500 scenes in 19 categories. One thing for sure, the combination of sensors along with the software should allow for some truly incredible photographs, potentially going on par or besting what you’ll find on the Google Pixel 3XL.
ALSO READ: Huawei Mate 20 X With Kirin 980, Vapour Chamber Cooling, Leica Triple Rear Cameras Announced
Not only that, the China-based company also features a smooth user experience with EMUI 9.0, a smart operating system based on Android P. The software customizations delivers an “evergreen” experience, where evergreen is subjective.
Furthermore, the Mate 20 Pro is the world’s first smartphone to support the 4.5G LTE Cat. 21 standard, allowing consumers to experience download speeds of up to 1.4Gbps.
Here Is How Huawei Has Got Your Back!
In addition to Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 RS is another product of collaboration between Huawei and Porsche Design, aiming at the high-end market with its leather-clad design. Well, if you’re a gamer and looking for a gaming smartphone, Huawei has got you covered with the Mate 20 X.
Labelled as a gaming device, it features a (ginormous) 7.2-inch screen with powerpack internals with a cooling system. It features almost the same specs to that of its other Mate 20 siblings, but with an even larger battery of 5000mAh with TUV Safety Certified 40W Huawei SuperCharge, for faster charging.
ALSO READ: Are Gaming Smartphones Really Worth It?
Two Features That Are Worth Mentioning
Image Credits: AndroidCentral
- Notch styles; Unlike many other smartphone and variants, Huawei has got two different notch styles. The Mate 20 Pro has got the bigger notch and packs in a not only the front-facing camera, but also the earpiece and helpful sensors that allow Huawei’s take on Face ID to work. While the Mate 20 has a much smaller notch in the waterdrop style we’ve been seeing from some other OEMs.
Image Credits: CNET
- New colours; Huawei’s been dabbling with new and exciting colours for its past few smartphones, and with the Mate 20, that’s no different. The Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro are available in a total of four colours, including Black, Twilight, Midnight Blue, and Emerald. The Midnight Blue and Emerald are brand-new and features a subtle texture underneath the glass that helps reduce fingerprints, more or less adds a grip to hold the phone.
An Alternative
Now, what if you don’t want to spend a ton of cash on a new phone but still want the Huawei experience, the Mate 20 Lite comes into the picture and should easily be at the very top of your radar.
Image Credits: CNET
This was announced in late August during IFA 2018, the Huawei Mate 20 Lite comes equipped with a 6.3-inch Full HD display, Kirin 710 processor, dual 20MP + 2MP rear cameras, and a pretty solid 3,750 mAh battery. This is not quite impressive as the Mate 20 Pro, but can be considered as an alternative, as it comes at GBP(£) 379 (~Rs 34,600).
ALSO READ: Huawei Announces EMUI 9.0 Based On Android Pie With India-Specific Features
A Stat To Justify The Hype
Although the Mate 20 Pro won’t be sold in the United States, as the U.S. government and Huawei aren’t on the best of terms. it’s been extremely popular in other parts of the world even during its initial pre-order state. According to the company, the phone has topped its previous pre-order sales numbers by 40% over in Western Europe.
Previously, the P20 Pro was Huawei’s most pre-ordered phone for its first 10 days of availability, but the Mate 20 Pro has already overtaken it. However, it is unclear exactly how many units have been sold, but a 40% increase certainly is a good headstart.
ALSO READ: Huawei Caught Cheating In Benchmarks; A Well Explained Anecdote!
Now, you will be like, that’s not a lot when compared with Apple or any such OEMs? Yes, you right, but considering the brand has faced a lot of negativity over its manipulation on benchmark results, the “40%” is quite a good number.
Pricing: The King Might Fall Down?
This is where most of the smartphone fall down, well, Huawei might too. The pricing of the above-mentioned smartphones are;
- Mate 20 Lite at GBP 379 (~Rs 34,600).
- Mate 20 X at EUR 899 (~Rs 72,684)
- Mate 20 starts at EUR 899 (~Rs 72,684).
- Mate 20 Pro starts at EUR 1049 (~Rs 84812).
ALSO READ: Huawei Kirin 980 World’s First 7nm SoC With Dual NPU Announced
Verdict
Looking down to the design, build, specs, features and the insane camera and its features, the Huawei Mate 20 Series is more or less the king of smartphones considering what it offers, no denying pricing is another parameter in which the title depended on. Well, the Huawei Mate 20 series will launch in India on November 27 and will go on sale exclusively on Amazon.in.
What do you guys think? Is the Mate 20 series worth the hype? Is it really the King of smartphones? do share your thoughts in the comment section below.
BONUS VIDEO
For the latest tech news, follow TechDipper on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
