We had the pleasure of being one of the first in Malaysia to get our hands on the new Huawei P50 Pro. It was extremely exciting to experience this innovative smartphone and we were equally impressed by the quality and capabilities of the device.
The Huawei P series is known for its line of high-end, flagship smartphones with amazing designs, features and most importantly, camera quality. Huawei has stepped up since every P series’ release and the Huawei P50 Pro is no different.
Here are our early impressions and review on the new powerhouse from the Huawei P series – the Huawei P50 Pro.
Editor
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- What’s in the Box?
- Specifications
- Build and Design
- Display
- Performance (gaming)
- Camera
- Other Features
- Conclusion
What’s in the Box?
Looking at the box, Huawei has opted for a slimmer, more minimalistic box design, with no charger inside. On the front of the box, there is the “Powered by HarmonyOS” logo while the variant and storage information is displayed on the side.
Keep in mind that the model we received is the China commercial unit. Hence, the packaging and content inside the box for Malaysian or overseas variants might include a charger.
Inside the box, there is a SIM card ejector tool, a clear case, some paperwork including the reader’s manual and warranty information and finally the Huawei P50 Pro.
Specifications
- Processor: Kirin 9000 (5 nm), Octa-core, Mali-G78 MP24 GPU
- Display: 6.6 inches, FHD+ Flex OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1228 x 2700 resolution
- Memory: 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, 8GB + 512GB, 12GB + 512GB
- Rear Camera: 50MP + 64MP + 13MP + 40MP
- Front Camera: 13MP
- Battery: Li-Po 4360 mAh, non-removable, Fast charging 66W, Fast wireless charging 50W
- Connectivity: USB Type-C 3.1, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Infrared port
- Operating System: HarmonyOS 2.0
- Other Features: IP68 water and dust resistance, fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, colour spectrum
Build and Design
There are four variants in total which are Pearl White, Golden Black, Cocoa Gold and Charm Pink and the model that we got to experience was the Cocoa Gold variant. This variant looks brilliant and shimmers from different directions based on the lighting.
On the back of the phone, it looks like Huawei has opted for the “gas stove” persona for the camera module. It is divided into two units called the Dual-matrix design with main cameras at the top and a periscope camera with sensors at the bottom.
On the bottom, there is the SIM card and storage slot (up to 256GB), USB Type-C 3.1 port and bottom facing speakers. As usual, the power button and volume rocker are on the right side. There is also a top-facing speaker with an IR blaster on the top.
The phone feels very good in the hand with its smooth and silky curved edges. However, your index finger might brush against the bottom camera bump because of the Dual-matrix design. Although the design is very outstanding, the phone is, unfortunately, a fingerprint magnet. If you prefer your phone to be case-free, this might be something to worry about.
Display
The P50 Pro has a gorgeous 6.6” Flex Curved OLED Display with a high resolution of 1228x2700 px. It also has a very smooth display thanks to its 120Hz Refresh Rate with one billion colours and a 91.2% screen to body ratio. The display is vibrant, punchy, and sharp with 450ppi pixel density.
With such a quality display, consuming content on the phone is immersive and enjoyable. The colours are very pleasing to look at and come off naturally as the display supports True-Chroma P3 Wide Colour Gamut. From YouTube to Netflix, watching videos and movies on this display is a great experience, especially with higher resolution and admirable brightness levels.
The display is a curved display that further enhances the edgeless infinity experience. Content is visible with no issues in various lighting conditions, whether it is indoors or under direct sunlight.
Some of the features that come with the phone include Face unlock and In-screen Fingerprint Unlock. Users also have the option of choosing between different resolutions and refresh rates based on their preference and battery saving needs. All in all, the display feels very smooth when set to 120Hz refresh rate.
Performance (Gaming)
We tested out the 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage variant that is powered by the 5nm Kirin 9000 chipset. Keep in mind that this is the lowest-spec variant so the performance of other variants might be even better.
The Kirin 9000 is a very solid chip and can compete with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor. With specs like this, the phone feels great to use for multitasking and gaming without any lag or stutters.
Gaming also feels very good on the P50 Pro, with the specs and high refresh rate paired with a 300Hz touch sampling rate. We tested it with racing games such as Asphalt and the gaming experience was very enjoyable and immersive.
For the Operating System, the model we tested came with the HarmonyOS 2.0 instead of the usual EMUI on Huawei phones. However, globally launched models may have a different OS than the Chinese version but it is still a great UI.
HarmonyOS looks fantastic from our fortnight of testing. It seems like a combination of Android OS and iOS, with the best of both worlds combined into one. Every part of the UI feels nice, reactive, and well thought out.
Although the phone doesn't come with Google services and Playstore, users can still access important apps via the Huawei App Gallery. Check out our Huawei App Gallery guide on how to use mainstream apps and services without Google Playstore.
Camera
Perhaps the most emphasised aspect of the Huawei P50 Pro, Huawei has put more focus on getting the camera right. The phone comes with some pretty impressive hardware, and it apparently can compete with the likes of iPhone cameras.
As mentioned before, the rear camera comes with a Dual-matrix design where the upper model consists of:
- 13MP F/2.2 UWA Camera
- 40MP F/1.6 True-Chroma Mono Camera
- And finally, a 50MP f/1.8 True-Chroma Main Camera
The bottom module, on the other hand, consists of a 64MP f/3.5 Telephoto Periscope Camera with a laser focus sensor. As for the front camera, you get a 13MP f/2.4 wide punch hole selfie camera.
The rear camera can give you a zoom range from 13mm to 2700mm which is roughly a 200x zoom range, breaking the boundaries of distance on a camera. You might think that a zoom distance so large will result in blurry images but on the contrary, the camera can capture extraordinary details on zoomed-in pictures with the Huawei XD Optics imaging process. Check out the pictures we took on the P50 Pro below.
Above: Ultra Wide Angle and 10x Zoom
Above: Ultra Wide Angle and 100x Zoom
Above: Monochrome camera
Above: Portrait Mode
Above: Regular AI settings
From those few shots that we took with the camera, it is clear as day that Huawei has done a brilliant job with the hardware and software processing of pictures. It is safe to say that this is one of the best image processing on a smartphone as the shots are clear and punchy with great exposure control, HDR and colours.
As for videos, the video quality is sharp, and the Image Stabilization is excellent. Both rear and front cameras can record in 4k resolution, with the rear camera going up to 60fps and front camera up to 30fps.
Overall, the camera on the P50 Pro is impressive even for high standards as image processing is among the best in the market and the zoom capability is out of this world.
Other Features
The Huawei P50 Pro comes with a 4360mAh battery with 66W Super Change and 50W Fast Wireless Charging. With the wired Super Charge, the phone can charge from 0% to 100% in 30 minutes.
Besides battery performance, the phone comes with several neat features such as the Multi-screen Collaboration with MatePad. This feature allows users to access data across different Huawei devices for better productivity. The phone is also compatible with Huawei VISION which allows users to project videos or movies to other devices (such as the tv).
Conclusion
Because we only spent a fortnight spent with the Huawei P50 Pro, there were only so many tests we could do. However, the phone has proven that even without Google Play, it serves as one of the most promising models thanks to its quality camera, display and performance.
We look forward to more testing with the phone in the future (especially with its camera) to give a more in-depth look at the P50 Pro’s full potential. For now, the phone looks like a formidable opponent for all flagship phones in the market and might be worth a try once it is released globally.
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