Huawei’s impressive P series is better than ever.
Huawei’s P series of smartphones has always been focused on providing the best possible camera experience. The P20 and P20 Pro excelled in these regards, and with this year’s P30 and P30 Pro, Huawei’s aiming to best itself.
That’s no easy task considering we called the last year’s P20 phones “camera kings”, but it looks like the company managed to do just that.
The latest Huawei P30 news
April 15, 2019 — B&H opens pre-orders for Huawei P30 and P30 Pro in the U.S.
While it’s a shame that Huawei isn’t officially selling the P30 series in the United States, getting your hands on one in the counry won’t be much of an issue thanks to B&H.
The popular online tech retailer just opened up pre-orders for both the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, with prices being $600 and $900, repsectively.
Both phones come with free expedited shipping, three months of Mint Mobile service, and should work just fine with T-Mobile and AT&T’s 4G LTE networks.
See at B&H
March 26, 2019 — Huawei P30 Pro receives highest ever 112 score from DxOMark
The camera package is one of the biggest reasons to buy the P30 Pro, and according to DxOMark, the cameras deliver on the promises that Huawei’s making.
DxOMark gave the P30 Pro a photo score of 119 and a video score of 97, resulting in an overall score of 112 — making it the highest-rated phone camera DxOMark has tested to-date.
The P30 Pro was praised for its low-light performance, detail, and exposure, with some of its weaker aspects being color rendering and artifacts.
Read the full DxOMark review
March 26, 2019 — The Huawei P30 and P30 Pro have been announced!
Yep, as of today, Huawei’s officially taken the wraps off the P30 and P30 Pro.
Keep on reading below for more info on the phones.
All the big details
Check out our hands-on preview
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GHSfH9fvQg?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
Huawei announced the P30 and P30 Pro on March 26 at an event in Paris, and in the city of love, we got a chance to go hands-on with the new phones to see what all the hype is about.
From a design point of view, the P30 series is a nice evolution of last year’s phones. The glass back comes in striking colors and the notch is smaller than ever. Internally, Huawei’s phones are running the latest available tech to ensure they’re as fast and fluid as can be.
Unsurprisingly, the real star of the show is Huawei’s camera tech. While the P30 and its three rear cameras are impressive, the four cameras on the P30 Pro enable a 10x hybrid zoom feature that promises 10x zoom without any loss in detail.
For more details, check out the video above and our written preview linked below.
Huawei P30 + P30 Pro preview: The new best phone camera?
Here are the specs
Being flagship phones, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the P30 and P30 Pro come equipped with bleeding edge specs.
Huawei designed these phones to be ridiculously powerful today, tomorrow, and well into the future. Here’s a quick glimpse of what you can expect.
| Screen | 6.1-inch OLED19.5:9, FHD+2340×1080 pixels | 6.47-inch Curved OLED19.5:9, FHD+2340×1080 pixels |
| Chipset | Kirin 980 with Dual NPU | Kirin 980 with Dual NPU |
| Memory | 6GB RAM128GB storage | 8GB RAM128GB / 256GB / 512GB storage |
| Expandable storage | Yes, Nano memory | Yes, Nano memory |
| Battery | 3,650mAh25W Huawei SuperCharge | 4,200mAh40W Huawei SuperCharge15W Wireless Quick ChargeReverse Wireless Charging |
| Rear Camera 1 | 40MP SuperSpectrumWide angle, f/1.8 | 40MP SuperSpectrumWide angle, f/1.6, OIS |
| Rear Camera 2 | 16MP Ultra wide angle, f/2.2 | 20MP ultra wide angle, f/2.2 |
| Rear Camera 3 | 8MP3X Optical zoom, f/2.4, OIS | 8MP Periscope5X Optical zoom, f/3.4, OIS |
| Rear Camera 4 | None | Time-of-flight camera |
| Camera zoom | 3X Optical Zoom5X Hybrid zoom30X digital zoom | 5X Optical Zoom10X Hybrid zoom50X digital zoom |
| Front camera | 32MP, f/2.0 | 32MP, f/2.0 |
| OS | Android 9 PieEMUI 9 | Android 9 PieEMUI 9 |
| Dimensions | 149.1 x 71.36 x 7.57 mm 165 g | 158 x 73.4 x 84.1 mm 192 g |
Huawei P30 + P30 Pro specifications: 10x hybrid zoom, Kirin 980, new colors
Which color should you get?
So much of the P30 story is about the camera, but the phone comes in five delightful colors, each of which has a unique look and feel. From the bright and optimistic Amber Sunrise to the subtle but still striking (and ridiculously named) Breathing Crystal, there’s plenty to like in each of these hues.
What color Huawei P30 should you buy?
The cameras are a big deal
As we hinted at above, the cameras on the P30 and P30 Pro are a big deal. The P30 brings a lot to the table with three cameras, one offering an ultra wide angle lens and the other a 3x optical zoom. However, if you want to take your photography game to the next level, you’ll want to get the P30 Pro.
The P30 Pro has a total of four cameras as noted in the spec sheet above. There are a lot of draws to this setup, but the biggest one is easily the zooming capabilities. The 5x optical zoom lens is impressive enough on its own and more than what we’ve seen on competing handsets, but when you switch to 10x hybrid zoom, Huawei says you can zoom in 10x without losing any detail in your shot.
Huawei also reworked the 40MP main camera to deliver more color, better lowlight performance with f/1.6 aperture, and optical image stabilization.
Huawei P30 Pro vs. Pixel 3 Camera Comparison: Which takes better photos?
How does the P30 Pro compare to other flagships?
The P30 Pro was designed by Huawei to showcase its best and most powerful technologies, and on its own, it’s really damn impressive. But just how does it compare to other flagships?
We’ve pitted the P30 Pro against some of the market’s best smartphones, and over time, we’ll add more comparisons here to help you see how it stacks up to its fiercest competition.
- Huawei P30 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S10+: Which should you buy?
- Huawei P30 Pro vs. Mate 20 Pro: Which is right for you?
We also pitted the P30 Pro’s camera against some of the best in the business.
- Huawei P30 Pro vs. Pixel 3 Camera Comparison: Which takes better photos?
- Huawei P30 Pro vs. iPhone XS Camera Comparison: Android vs. Apple
- Huawei P30 Pro vs Galaxy S10 Plus Camera Comparison: Top flagships go head-to-head
When and where can you buy the phones?
You can purchase the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro right now in a variety of configurations. Here’s what the pricing for the different models looks like:
Huawei P30
- 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage (€799)
Huawei P30 Pro
- 8GB RAM with 128GB of storage (€999)
- 8GB RAM with 256GB of storage (€1,099)
- 8GB RAM with 512GB of storage (€1,249)
Buy in the U.S.
While the Huawei P30 Pro isn’t officially being sold in the United States, you can purchase an international model and import it into the country.
If you’re interested, we’d recommend checking out B&H. It’s selling the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro for $600 and $900, respectively. The models being sold are technically Latin America variants, but you’ll still get LTE speeds on T-Mobile and AT&T.
See at B&H
Another option is to buy from Sobeonline1 on eBay. They have a 98.6% positive feedback review with well over 40,000 ratings. You can buy the P30 Pro in Black, Aurora, and Breathing Crystal for $984. The phone is in new condition, has an optional 2-year protection plan, and is backed by eBay’s Money Back Guarantee.
$984 at eBay
Buy in Canada
Both the P30 and P30 Pro are available in Canada at a number of carriers, including:
- Bell
- Rogers
- TELUS
- SaskTel
- Videotron
- Fido
- Koodo Mobile
- Virgin Mobile
The phones range from between $0 and $150 on a 2-year plan, and between $900 and $1200 outright, depending on the carrier.
Buy in the UK
All of the big UK carriers are selling the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro, along with Amazon, which sells it SIM-free.
- EE
- Vodafone
- Three
- Carfone Warehouse
- O2
- Amazon
Pricing ranges from £39.99 per month with £29.99 down to £899.00 outright. Each pre-order comes with a free Sonos One speaker, which is pretty rad, too.
Make sure to pick up some accessories
There’s a lot to love about the P30 and P30 Pro on their own, but if you want the ultimate experience, you’ll want to pick up some cases and accessories.
We’ll be creating lists of our favorite gear to use with the phones, and as soon as they’re finished, we’ll add them here so you can find exactly what you’re looking for.
- The best cases for the Huawei P30
- The best cases for the Huawei P30 Pro
- The best screen protectors for the Huawei P30 Pro
