Huawei P30, P30 Pro launched: 40MP triple camera, 5x Zoom, P42k price

After Samsung set the bar for flagship phones in 2019, Huawei tries to match it by bringing the rules that will change photography. Without further ado, let’s welcome the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro. The company’s flagship duo has gone official in Paris and is already available starting at $799 USD (~Php42,000) and $999 USD(~Php52,000) respectively.

As expected, both devices run on the latest Kirin 980 chipset with identical designs on the front and back. However, there are slight differences that you might need to know especially when you plan on getting one.

Check out: List of Samsung Galaxy A Series in the Philippines, Price, Spec, Availability

Huawei P30

The Huawei P30 is a relatively small device with its flat 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED display. With its small size comes with not-so-small battery at 3650mAh. That, of course, is supported by 22.5W fast wired charging. Furthermore, it has a headphone jack located on the bottom. It comes only in one particular variant; the 6GB/128GB model.

As for the main highlight, there are three sensors located on the back and a single 32MP sensor located on its small notch. The triple camera setup features a 40MP f/1.8 wide + 16MP ultrawide + 8MP telephoto. The zoom lens can provide up to 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom, and 30x digital zoom.

Huawei P30 Pro

In contrast to the P30, the Huawei P30 Pro is a large phone packing a curved 6.47-inch FHD+ OLED display. Similar to the Mate 20 Pro, it has the same 4200mAh battery with 2.5W reverse wireless charging. However, it can charge itself at 15W wirelessly. But when it comes to cabled charging, it supports up to 44W. Unlike the P30, it does not come with a headphone jack. It also lacks speaker grilles as the company decided to transmit audio by vibrating the display. Spec-wise, it supports up to 8GB RAM and 512GB onboard storage.

It’s not just about the number of sensors

Moving to photography, it has the same 32MP selfie camera while the main camera packs quite a lot of hardware. The cameras on the back feature a 40MP f/1.6 wide + 20MP f/2.2 ultra wide + 8MP f/3.4 telephoto. The zoom lens has more capability as it provides 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and 50x digital zoom. Unlike any zoom lens, that 8MP sensor is actually a periscope camera; hence the square viewport. As for the 40MP “superspectrum” sensor, Leica has turned the RGB lens into RYB to make it more light sensitive. As a result, it boosts low-light photos with ISO reaching up to 400K.

Situated beside those sensors is the ToF sensor for depth mapping. Personally speaking, it’s great to see Huawei making its depth sensor separate and not treating it as another main sensor.

Although the design did not veer away that much from the P20 series, there are notable changes in some aspects. The smaller notch means that Huawei has removed 3D face mapping, opting for a less secure 3D facial recognition. On the flip side, the P30 series come with on-screen fingerprint scanners.

Both the P30 and P30 Pro come in Pearl White, Aurora Blue, Black, and Amber Sunrise colors. The latter will have multiple variants:

8GB/128GB = $1000 USD (~Php52,000)
8GB/256GB  = $1099 USD (~Php58,000)
8GB/512GB  = $1249 USD (~Php66,000)

The Philippines could get the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro as early as April. We also expect at lower price points than what we have estimated right now.

Huawei P30 specs, price, availability in the Philippines

• Display: 6.1-inch FHD+ 1080x 2340 OLED, 85.8% screen-to-body ratio, teardrop notch, DCI-P3
• Design: 3D curved glass (back) and metal, IP53 dust and splash resistant
• CPU: HiSilicon Kirin 980 (7 nm)
• GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
• RAM: 8GB
• Memory: 128GB expandable via NanoMemory slot of up to 512GB
• Camera: 40 MP, f/1.8, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7″, PDAF/Laser AF + 16 MP, f/2.2, 17mm (ultrawide), PDAF/Laser AF + 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), 1/4″, 3x optical zoom, PDAF/Laser AF, OIS
• Selfie: 32 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
• Connectivity: 4G LTE-A, Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP aptX HD LE, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C port, audio jack(32-bit support), Dolby Atmos Sound
• Battery: 3650mAh, Fast Charging 22.5W
• Security: On-screen fingerprint, 2D Face Unlock
• OS: Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.1
• Release date: April 2019 availability in the Philippines
• Price: Huawei P30 for $799 USD or P42,000 est.

Huawei P30 Pro specs, price, availability in the Philippines

• Display: 6.47-inch FHD+ 1080x 2340 OLED, 88.6% screen-to-body ratio, teardrop notch, vibrating display, DCI-P3
• Design: 3D curved glass (front & back) and metal, IP68 dust and splash resistant
• CPU: HiSilicon Kirin 980 (7 nm)
• GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
• RAM: 8GB
• Memory: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Camera: 40 MP, f/1.6, 27mm (wide), 1/1.7″, PDAF, OIS + 20 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.7″, PDAF + Periscope 8 MP, f/3.4, 125mm (telephoto), 1/4″, 5x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF + TOF 3D camera
• Selfie: 32 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
• Connectivity: 4G LTE-A, Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP aptX HD LE, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C port, Dolby Atmos Sound
• Battery: 4200 mAh, Fast Charging (40W – wired, 15W – wireless), Reverse Wireless Charging at 2.5W
• Security: On-screen fingerprint, Face Unlock
• OS: Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.1
• Release date: April 2019 availability in the Philippines
• Price:Huawei P30 Pro for $999 USD or P52,000 est.