There are a lot of great smartphones out there, but which is the best smartphone? The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a fantastic phone: it’s high on our list for the best Chinese smartphone. Even though it doesn’t rank as high on our lists for the best dual sim phone or best low light camera phone, that doesn’t mean the phone isn’t worth checking out. Huawei’s proprietary Kirin 980 processor is smooth and snappy, and everything looks absolutely stunning on its huge display. Even though the camera doesn’t perform quite up to par with the latest iPhone, especially in low light situations, it still manages to produce fabulous photos more times than not. If the Mate 20 Pro fits your needs, and you’re sure you can get it to work on your network, it’s definitely worth your attention.
Why We Like It – Huawei Mate 20 Pro
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is yet another in Huawei’s lineup of fantastic smartphones. With amazing battery life, a beautiful display, super-fast performance, and a new triple-camera system, it’s no wonder people love this phone.
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- Gorgeous OLED display
- Fantastic battery life
- Snappy processing power and performance
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- Nano memory is still expensive and hard to find
- Camera is so-so for the price
- Can’t purchase in the US
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Overall Performance
If you’re trying to find the best phone for vlogging, you probably want something fast and with a fantastic camera. Consider, then, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Overall, the majority of reviewers found the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to run quickly and smoothly with the occasional minor hiccup or lag. Huawei’s Kirin processors always run fantastically, and the new Kirin 980 processor is yet another significant improvement to Huawei’s line of mobile CPUs. Huawei has also managed to improve their EMUI operating system this time around, though it still retains some frustrating elements that distract from the otherwise streamlined Android experience you get on the Google Pixel 5. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is also one of the first mobile phones to integrate an in screen fingerprint sensor: it works well for the most part but requires some getting used to. If you can’t use the fingerprint sensor, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro also offers face unlock for added security. Huawei also upped the number of cameras from the P20 Pro, so the Mate 20 Pro has a 40MP lens, a 20MP ultra wide angle lens, an 8MP telephoto, and a 24MP front camera. The triple camera setup is a welcome addition, but the Mate 20 Pro’s photos don’t quite stack up to those taken on the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Battery Life
Reviews overwhelmingly praise the battery life of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy A50, this battery lasts an extraordinary amount of time, lasting into a second day for many reviewers even when tested with video streaming via wi fi. Whenever the time does come to charge your phone, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is incredibly fast charging via the USB Type C port on the bottom. Huawei claims the Mate 20 Pro can charge the phone up to 70% in just 30 minutes, and the vast majority of reviewers found this to be true. This phone also supports wireless charging, and it’s also one of the first to offer reverse wireless charging so you can charge other Qi-supported devices in a pinch.
Display
The huge display on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is absolutely gorgeous. Everything on this OLED screen is bright, vibrant, and super-sharp; the pixel density far out does that of the iPhone XS Max. Huawei’s display also mimics Apple’s True Tone by adjusting the color temperature of the screen according to the ambient light around it, a feature that is both easier on the eyes and more pleasurable to look at. This display is curved, which some reviewers found both uncomfortable and cause for some screen distortion and warping. One other issue several users point out is the tendency of this screen to appear green at a lower brightness setting, especially after a few months of use. Newer versions of this phone shouldn’t have this problem, though, as it was specifically an issue with the LG panel used on earlier models.
Durability
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro boasts many of the same durability features as its competition, like damage-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back. The phone is also IP68 certified water and dustproof, a nice extra feature that provides some peace of mind. Even so, it’s probably still best to find a protective case for this phone to keep it safe. But should you decide you want that lovely textured Midnight Blue or Emerald Green backside completely exposed, one could hardly blame you.
Value
When it was first released, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro retailed for over $1000. Thankfully that price has come down substantially, making this phone a pretty good value overall. One major potential downside to this phone comes from Huawei’s decision to forego the standard microSD card for their new, proprietary nano memory card. This is still relatively new technology, and few developers have taken the leap to nano memory, meaning the cards are both expensive and difficult to find. Another issue, these cards take up one of the dual sim card slots, making you choose between a second sim card and extended memory. I would, of course, also be remiss to forget mentioning the difficulty of getting and using a Huawei phone in the US: if you do decide to purchase one, be prepared for higher taxes and trouble connecting your phone to your carrier of choice. You also need to consider security of your device and what better way than to get the Blackphone.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro Wrap Up
Trade issues aside, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is an excellent phone that can now be had at a fairly decent price. US users should be certain they can use the phone with their carrier and be ready to potentially pay extra to actually get the phone across the border. Nano memory is a cool concept in theory, but time will tell if other brands decide to test these so far uncharted waters. Finally, the camera is not quite as good as some we’ve seen on other mobile phones of this caliber. Otherwise, though, this phone is an absolute delight: the battery life is superb, the display is stunning, and, most importantly, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a beast when it comes to processing power.
