100 days with Huawei P30 Pro: a memorable smartphone with an uncertain future
Many people were fascinated by the Huawei P30 Pro right from the start, including me. But how has it performed these three months? Here's what you need to know about the last Huawei flagship after we've been together for 100 days.
The advantages of the Huawei P30 Pro
A versatile camera
The P30 Pro once again delivers on promises made in terms of the camera. Beyond the numbers (there are four sensors on the back: a 40MP Super Spectrum, a 20MP wide angle, an 8MP periscope, a ToF depth of field sensor), the P30 Pro offers an intuitive, fast and easy to use camera app. Portraits, night shots and zoom-ins are not a problem at all, but rather the strong points of this smartphone. And with the zoom you can have a lot of fun: the best results in terms of detail and no noise are obtained at 5x zoom, but even photos taken at 10x zoom are not bad at all. On the P30 Pro there is then the wide angle, which after the Mate 20 Pro, finally comes to the P series and that makes the photographic experience even more complete. I've always appreciated the presence of a wide angle lens on LG V smartphones, and finding it on the P30 Pro is a pleasure for me. I love to capture urban views.
Unlike on the P20 Pro, you can turn off the AI with a tap, a feature that I find really convenient especially with some landscapes such as scenes of green meadows (with similar colors the AI goes a little over the top). I suggest you take a look at the function that allows you to choose between standard, sharp and delicate colors (opening the camera app, you will find the icon at the top left of the general settings).
Excellent autonomy
The P30 pro is an excellent companion for adventure, work and recreation. The built-in 4,200mAh battery never runs out before the end of the day, which keeps me away from the charging plug. I generally charge my Huawei P30 Pro the afternoon of the following day in the office, and in some cases, the smartphone still has more than 30% charge left.
Fast charging at 40W then gives you the extra boost when you need to power up your smartphone in a short time before you leave the house. The P30 Pro also supports wireless charging up to 12W and reverse charging, a feature I've never used before but might still be useful to help out friends.
An all-round display
With the display, the P30 Pro offers a really good experience. The 6.47-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels is outstanding in terms of color representation, contrast and viewing angles. Even with polarized sunglasses, you will have no problem reading the screen.
With a form factor of 19.5:9 and a dewdrop notch, the P30 Pro's display is perfectly suited for gaming and multimedia viewing thanks to its support for HDR10 technology and DCI-P3 color gamut. The different customization options in the menu dedicated to the display allow you to adjust temperature and color intensity, activate the eye protection mode and control the Always On Display, a convenient alternative to the LED notification not present on the P30 Pro. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 but I recommend using a protective film against possible scratches, mine already shows some...
What I don't like about the Huawei P30 Pro
Face unlock does not work in the dark
Unlocking the P30 Pro quickly is not a problem, it needs to be said. Unfortunately, however, Huawei has decided not to integrate a 3D facial recognition system, which means that you can't unlock the device in the dark, something you can do with the Mate 20 Pro. You're also stuck with a less secure unlocking system. I don't know about you, but I often want to unlock my smartphone with my face while in the evening I watch Netflix on my couch at home or, for example, while I'm in a club. And in those situations I regret the absence of the 3D face unlock...
The alternative is to unlock it using the fingerprint reader integrated into the display. The latter method works without any problems, unless you have wet hands, but personally, I think that the best experience is offered by a 3D face unlock. Too bad...
A smartphone that suffers the heat
Made of glass and metal, it is easy to imagine how the P30 Pro can suffer from high temperatures. The frame and in particular the bodywork become very hot when the temperatures rise. On these unexpectedly hot spring days when the temperature exceeded 30°C, my P30 Pro was glowing, even when it was hidden in my bag. It's probably not a beach-going phone...
An uncertain future
The Trump ban imposed on the Huawei group can only raise some doubts when buying this smartphone. The main concern is related to software updates: the P30 Pro will receive Android Q? What about Android R?
Updates are taken for granted for a flagship released in 2019 but at the moment we don't know how this story will end. The latest rumors raise the spirits of those who already own the P30 Pro and those who are considering buying one: Huawei is working hard to ensure the release of Android Q on 11 of its devices, including the P30 Pro. For now, the only certainty is that the P30 Pro will continue to receive monthly security updates, but for the larger ones, the question mark remains.
Conclusion
After these 100 days together I can say that I am satisfied with the Huawei P30 Pro because, without any surprises, it is a smartphone that is both beautiful to look at and high-performing at the same time (in our review you can find more information related to performance). I would have preferred a slightly smaller body, like that of the Mate 20 Pro or P20 Pro, but in these three months I have gotten used to its size and even handling it with one hand is not a big deal. If you decide to buy it, you can be sure to put in your pocket a smartphone capable of keeping you company for more than a day during gaming, whilst watching Netflix and YouTube, and able to capture the best of your memorable moments (it is not by chance that, along with Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, it dominates the ranking of DxOMark).
The only question mark is the USA vs. Huawei issue: investing on a high-end device like the P30 Pro also means having long-term guarantees on the updates side and for now, there is no certainty. I personally hope that this situation will soon be resolved because it would be a shame to deprive our market and users in general of a similar device. It will probably be August before we find out more, but if you're still deciding which flagship to buy, take a look at our list of the best smartphones currently on the market.
And no official support for bootloader unlock for Root, TWRP, Magisk, Xposed, and ROMs.
A consumer device, not for enthusiasts.