Huawei P30 Pro Review - Is It All It's Hyped To Be?

Huawei P30 Pro Review: The Huawei P30 Pro is hands down one of the best-looking smartphones out there, especially in this breathing crystal version which sometimes looks white, it can look blue in some instances, and you can even see it go purple sometimes. Elsewhere, I like the side button placements, I particularly like how easy it makes it take selfies using the volume key. for those who're still interested in controlling your TV and set-top boxes using your phone, you even get an IR blaster.

If I have anything bad to say about the P30 Pro's design, it would be that one, it's very slippery so you better get a case for it, the curved edges are eye-pleasing aesthetically, but it serves no extra function like the Samsung S10+, although I like that you can expand the storage using Huawei's own nano memory card, you don't get an adaptor for it should you need to transfer files without a cable. Huawei has also replaced the traditional top earpiece with a vibrating tech that's underneath the screen and while that is very useful in crowded areas, it, in turn, means you only have one proper down-firing speaker at the bottom that doesn't sound loud in comparison to the S10+, oh and you lose the headphone jack, but you do you get a USB C adaptor in the box but means you have to decide what you want to do more of when you wanna charge it.

Finally, it's IP68 water and dust resistant which is useful. The P30 Pro is durable and even with a glass front and back, I've dropped mine a few times and it's still standing and unlike the Samsung Galaxy S10+, the screen doesn't have scratches after a few months of use. The P30 Pro's in-screen fingerprint sensor works really well and the face unlock is faster than ever.

The P30 Pro's screen is excellent although sometimes suffer from glare in day time but it's very vibrant and looks accurate in my opinion.

Another area the P30 Pro reigns supreme is the battery life, with 4,200 mAh battery and AI trickery, the P30 Pro lasts all day comfortably with some battery left for the first half of the next day even with my type of usage. The only downside to this tho is that background apps sometimes suffer, they can sometimes be stopped so apps like messenger can sometimes not show any notifications until you manually open the app, this happens even when you toggle the background apps activity. Oh, you can also charge other devices with the P30 Pro and it also supports fast charging.

Software is still an issue for me when it comes to Huawei, it's not that close to a pure Google Pixel Android experience, it has some bloatware in this day and age, and the gestures aren't that seamless, it works sometimes, and at times it conflicts with other swipe functions when using apps. I also get frustrated with the notification area where tapping the twitter notification won't take me to twitter, I have to expand it then select a single tweet notification to open it. Having said that tho, it has come a long way, and there are some improvements there.

For processor performance, it's one of the best out there, the Kirin 980 combined with 8GB RAM and a dual NPU, it really does deliver, it doesn't lag at all and still feels just like it was when I first switched it on. When gaming, it's also very good at handling and Android games you throw at it but it can get a little warm after a while.

Finally, the reason I've always been conflicted between what device to use as my daily driver is that even if I hated everything else to do with the P30 Pro, which I don't, I could never leave the camera. It has one of the best lowlight capability with software AI hacks and large sensors. Huawei also introduced the RYYB tech which Huawei says improves its low light capability but if that's true, it's not something I can place a finger on for its success. The P30 Pro camera is not all signing and dancing tho, it does have its flaws; first, the video function still needs work, it doesn't support 60fps when shooting in 4K and for some reason, you can't zoom when in 40MP resolution. When filming or even taking photos, you'll notice the changes in colours and consistency in quality when switching between lenses too. Shooting in 50x hybrid zoom is very tricky, you will need a very steady hand and if you try it with videos, good luck. Besides that, the P30 Pro might need you to toggle AI on/off to make sure what you're capturing is the best you can. If all else fails, there's a pro mode to do just what you want it to do.

To summarise, the P30 Pro is a beautiful device, it has all it takes on paper to be more than it can, but I think in Huawei's ambitious efforts to make it the best smartphone camera there is, consistency has been compromised. It's the reason I still find myself carrying my S10+ as a backup. I'll be switching to the OnePlus 7 Pro as my daily driver next, so stay tuned for that review.

#Huawei #HuaweiP30Pro #HuaweiP30ProReview

[Beats-]

Hey, great review! Is it possible to change the strength of the vibration motor with the latest OS update? Or is it strong enough in default mode to not miss any calls or notifications while it's in your pocket? Thanks!

[melburgess]

Thing is though it only goes blurred when you zoom in so far because it's so hard to keep your hands still and keep the phone focused onto the subject. Which is why I think you should use a tripod if your going to be zooming in so far so it can stabilise the video or photo for you.

[avenuePad]

I love the phone. I've had it since launch. It's not perfect, but it's the closest to perfect I've ever owned.

[GadgetsBoy]

I like Huawei cameras, but this one I wasn't that impressed.

[Gadgetsjon]

P30 Pro definitely nice improvement on the last one.

[ivandrago]

Been an Apple user for years but fancy something different. Think I’ll buy this. 😯

[amused]

If you look at a breathing crystal P30 of angle it goes orangey