Huawei P30 Pro: The new flagship challenger

NEW DELHI: The P30 Pro packs in a few features that differentiate it from the slew of high-end smartphones available in India. For one, its rear camera comes with 5x optical and 50x digital zoom.

Huawei

has also rid its handset of the earpiece. Instead, it uses proprietary tech that vibrates the top-half of the screen’s surface to convey sound to the user’s ear. These aural vibrations are barely noticeable when touched, yet the resulting audio quality is surprisingly clear and crisp.

In keeping with its premium status, the handset’s build comprises a metal frame and a glossy back panel with an iridescent effect. It carries an IP68 rating, which means it can survive a dunk in up to 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes; you get an on-screen

fingerprint

sensor for security, and an almost edge-to-edge display with a dewdrop notch for the front camera.

Importantly, the P30 Pro is fronted by a scratch-resistant display that curves off seamlessly at the edges to meet the frame. It is bright enough to be legible under direct sunlight and is capable of sharp image renders, complete with vibrant hues. You can, of course, adjust the screen’s colour profile—to normal or vivid, warm or cold—via Settings to suit your preference.

User Interface & Performance
Like all Huawei devices, the P30 Pro runs EMUI—a customised version of Android 9—that lets you choose the way you navigate the handset, whether it’s via gestures or the standard three-button interface.

You can configure the handset to answer calls when you lift it to your ear, ignore calls when you flip it, take screenshots when you knock twice on the screen, etc.

EMUI lets you run dual instances of WhatsApp and Facebook; you can record phone calls, use the handset—thanks to its infrared blaster—as a universal remote for your TV, set-top box, AC, etc; you can lock apps with a passcode or fingerprint, encrypt your data, store login credentials in a secure “password vault”, and even connect the device to a wireless display to use the latter as a second screen.

Besides these features, the P30 Pro comes preloaded with Optimiser for storage management and virus scans, SOS to send alerts to pre-configured numbers, HiCare for handset troubleshooting and contacting customer support, as well as Health to store your fitness data.

The smartphone delivers a flawless experience and performs on a par with the best Android flagship phones like OnePlus 6T, Google Pixel 3 and Samsung Note 9.

It can handle 4K video, 3D games like Real Racing 3 and Flight Pilot, and multitask between apps smoothly.

Network connectivity is excellent and its call-recording feature saves clear audio from both ends.

When it comes to movie watching, you are presented with great colour contrast and deep blacks. Audio, routed via its USB Type-C port—optimised by Dolby—sounds crisp, balanced and with a punchy bass.

On the battery front, you get almost two days of use; it can be charged up to 70 percent in just 30 minutes; it supports Qi wireless charging and can even charge another compliant gadget wirelessly.

Cameras
The pièce de résistance of the P30 Pro is its four rear shooters: a 40MP main sensor, a 20MP ultra-wide-angle camera, an 8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom—all of which come with Leica lensand a Time of Flight (ToF) camera that is used for depth sensing in portrait photos,

augmented reality

apps and games.

The P30 Pro is versatile enough to capture stellar images and even 4K videos in different settings. Photos exhibit vibrant colours and are sharp enough for 4x6-inch prints. Captures with bokeh show clean outlines and little softening along the subject’s edges. However, every picture goes through software processing, which at times over saturates the colours.

While the primary camera can shoot wide-angled 40MP stills, you have to stepdown to 10MP to use the 5x optical and 10x hybrid zoom. Overall, the photo quality is quite impressive for a smartphone.

For those so inclined, this handset can even click pictures at 50x digital zoom. You will however need to use a tripod to avoid blurry photos at this range. That said, the P30 Pro is capable of detailed macro pictures, and low-light snaps are one of the best we have seen: In Night Mode, the cameras click multiple frames at varying exposures to create a composite image with very high dynamic range.

For selfies, you get a 32MP front camera, which shoots crisp mug shots with natural colour tones and detail. You also get a beautification mode to smoothen out blemishes and make your face slimmer.

Verdict
The

Huawei P30 Pro

falls within the price bracket of other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S10+, Apple iPhone XR and the Google Pixel 3 XL. It checks all the right boxes—top-notch hardware, innovative features, as well as a versatile and impressive camera system—making it a worthy challenger, and then even beating most of the usual heavyweights