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 that’s precisely what Huawei managed to do.
The P30 and P30 Pro are both reliable handsets, but the P30 Pro especially stands out as something special. Even so many months after it was first released, it continues to be one of our favorite Android phones on the market.
Ready to learn more? Here’s everything you need to know!
- Read and watch our review
- Get familiar with the specs
- Pitting the P30 Pro against its competition
- The P30 Pro has jaw-dropping cameras
- Battery life is legendary
- Huawei went all out with the colors
- You can buy the P30 Pro right now
- We recommend getting some accessories
Get More P30 Pro
Huawei P30 Pro
$900 at eBay
£899 at Amazon UK
$1200 CAD at Huawei
- Huawei P30 Pro Review
- Best Huawei P30 Pro Cases
- Best Screen Protectors for Huawei P30 Pro
- Best Heavy Duty Cases for Huawei P30 Pro
Check out our review!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7MCp7bJVS4?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
The Android flagship space is home to a lot of great smartphones, but one that manages to stand out as a special gem is the Huawei P30 Pro.
The P30 Pro absolutely nails the basics, offering speedy performance, legendary battery life, super-fast charging speeds, a great display, and a striking design that we cannot get enough of.
Above all of that, however, the P30 Pro’s greatest strength is its camera package. The images we’ve been able to capture on the P30 Pro are some of the best we’ve ever seen. And, on top of the sheer picture quality, the flexibility that’s offered with the 40MP primary sensor, 20MP wide-angle camera, and 8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom is unmatched.
For a deeper dive into why we’re so smitten with the P30 Pro, be sure to check out our video review and multiple written reviews.
- Huawei P30 Pro review: A long-distance relationship
- Huawei P30 Pro review, 3 months later: The best phone I have ever used
- How the P30 Pro became my accidental favorite phone
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
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 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. Google Pixel 3 XL: Which should you buy?
- Huawei P30 Pro vs. Mate 20 Pro: Which is right for you?
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 primary 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?
- 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
Battery life is also impressive
Huawei makes a big deal about the P30 Pro’s cameras (and rightfully so), but another massive win for the phone is its battery performance.
Offered here is a massive 4,200 mAh battery, and in our testing, the P30 Pro’s proven to be one of the longest-lasting phones you can buy in 2019. In his review, Daniel Bader had this to say:
I’ve used the phone for over two weeks now and I don’t recall a single day where it dropped below 50%. Some days it was at 65%.
That’s impressive enough on its own, but the cherry on top of this package is Huawei’s 40W wired charging. After just 30 minutes of charging, the P30 Pro will go from 0% to 70%. If you need to go from 0% to 100%, it’ll take just about an hour. That’s stupidly fast.
The Huawei P30 Pro’s battery life and SuperCharge feature will change your life
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?
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, your best bet is to buy the phones on Amazon. The Huawei P30 has a list price of $750 for its international model, but you can often find it discounted for just a little over $500. Alternatively, the P30 Pro costs a hefty $855.
Before buying either phone for use in the United States, just keep in mind that there are two significant drawbacks to international phones:
You don’t get a manufacturer warranty
Not all LTE bands work, meaning worse coverage in large buildings and rural areas
If neither of those things gives you pause, however, the P30 and P30 Pro are absolutely worth owning in the U.S.
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
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.
Rather than sending you off into the wilds of Amazon to randomly search for the best gear, we’ve created a few guides to highlight some of our favorite picks.
- Best Huawei P30 Cases in 2019
- Best Huawei P30 Pro Cases in 2019
- Best Heavy Duty Cases for Huawei P30 Pro
- Best Thin Cases for Huawei P30 Pro in 2019
- Best Screen Protectors for Huawei P30 Pro in 2019
- Best photography accessories for the P30 Pro
Get More P30 Pro
Huawei P30 Pro
$900 at eBay
£899 at Amazon UK
$1200 CAD at Huawei
- Huawei P30 Pro Review
- Best Huawei P30 Pro Cases
- Best Screen Protectors for Huawei P30 Pro
- Best Heavy Duty Cases for Huawei P30 Pro
