Why the Huawei Mate 20 will be a real success
Not everyone would have necessarily believed it, but in a few years, Huawei has succeeded in becoming one of the most popular manufacturers on the smartphone market. This wasn’t such an easy task because the Chinese manufacturers previously had a bad reputation and the first devices often looked like weak copies of iPhones or Samsung devices. But all that has changed now. The latest Huawei Mate 20 Pro was recently announced in London and is the epitome of this development: it’s one of the best Android smartphones right now.
Huawei, the innovative manufacturer
In the Android world, Samsung is probably still the smartphone manufacturer that is both the most revered and hated. Like it or not, the products are still selling very well, and despite its many haters, the Korean manufacturer remains the most popular smartphone brand worldwide. Nevertheless, it should be noted that its market share is gradually decreasing. OPPO and Xiaomi are partly responsible, but it’s Huawei above all that poses the biggest problem for the Korean giant. According to the IDC report on smartphone shipments in the first half of 2018, Huawei managed to move up to second place among the world’s top smartphone manufacturers, overtaking Apple in the process.
After several years in western countries, Huawei still has that youthful feeling. The brand is evolving and the differences between Huawei and its competitors no longer exist. Now a major player in the high-end market, Huawei is as much in demand as Samsung or Apple.
And Huawei is not only about sales figures, as the manufacturer relies heavily on innovation and this is one of the keys to its success. The manufacturer was one of the first to use a processor with an NPU for artificial intelligence. It was also the first to use a double and triple camera on its flagships. It has also improved its software interface, which was initially heavily criticized by users and the press. The launch of the new Mate range is in line with this strategy of innovation.
Yes, you’ll fall for the Huawei Mate 20 Pro
While some people may not be happy about the notch on the front of the device or its price, the Mate 20 Pro checks all the boxes of a perfect smartphone. Without seeking to make a revolution, Huawei has simply improved all the points that were missing from the previous generation.
The design of this year’s Mate range is based on the design of the P range. The new Mate 20 Pro offers something very successful. The notch allows Huawei to hide an infrared module, which like Apple’s FaceID, helps improve on Huawei’s facial recognition system from last year. The addition of new colors to the catalog will also delight users. Huawei has even succeeded in developing a technology called Hyper Optical Pattern that makes the Mate 20 Pro less slippery.
As for the specs, Huawei has some surprises in store. The Mate 20 Pro is the first smartphone to feature the new Kirin 980 processor and Android Pie as standard. Since the Kirin 980 is one of the fastest smartphone processors on the market, you can’t complain about the device’s performance.
A triple camera and an in-display fingerprint reader
One of the most talked about features in recent years is the in-display fingerprint reader. We expected to find it in the latest generation of the Huawei P20 Pro, but the technology was still quite expensive. Until now, Huawei had reserved this feature for the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS.
It took a few more months of waiting for Huawei to offer the in-display fingerprint reader to a model that is sold to the masses. The configuration may take a while, but the recognition is better and Huawei even claims that it is 20% faster than on the Mate RS! In addition to the aesthetic advantage, it’s a clever way to seduce tech geeks into loving the phone.
In terms of the camera, the Mate 20 Pro will certainly have some problems competing with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Huawei has opted for a triple camera. We already know two sensors of the P20 Pro: the standard 27 mm to 40-megapixel sensor (f/1.8 aperture), and the 83 mm telephoto lens with 8-megapixel optical stabilization. The black and white sensor has been replaced by a 16 mm wide-angle module with 20 megapixels. This sensor is particularly suitable for close-up photography with a minimum focusing distance of 2.5 centimeters. Our first tests were very satisfactory and it’s likely that our final test will confirm our good first impressions.
A high price but...
The device is officially available for 999 euros (around 1,150 dollars) with 128GB of internal memory. This remains expensive for a large majority of users, even with all the features offered. But you should keep in mind that this device offers all the best on the market in terms of technology and at the same price as its biggest competitors, Galaxy Note9 and iPhone XS Max. If you take into account Huawei’s market power and marketing strength (refund offers, advertising campaigns), there’s a good chance that the Mate 20 Pro will be a great success.
What do you think of Huawei? Are you excited about this new device?
Mate 20 pro, oem unlocking is greyed out. No go for enthusiasts.
On EMUI updates are slow. Long term support is lacking. I am not buying.
Updates?? FAIL!!
I don't see myself ever owning a Huawei. But I like the fact that it's putting a lot of pressure on Samsung. I own a Samsung now, but my next phone will likely be an LG or Sony. I think Samsung's dominant days are experiencing a steady downward spiral. The Chinese OEMs are much more exciting to watch.
eek! watch out for LG. quality control is not good. i learned that lesson the hard way... twice. sony rawks!
I don't see them getting much success in the US on this release. Sadly, the US market is still mostly driven by phones sold by the carriers on contract.
I've had 3 Huawei phones since 2014, loved them all. Being in the USA though, I don't think I'll be getting another one because I really doubt there will be much love for the America version, given how the government here treated them this past spring.
I've never bought one "brand new" during launch. I prefer to buy one AFTER they announce/launch a new one, then pick up last years, typically for 1/2 the price.
Considering how S-L-O-W they are about updating, usually the "last" off the line has about the most update firmware (LOL) and any hardware bugs are usually fixed.
I just can't see paying what these manufacturers want for these things, but, apparently some do, or they'd drop the price to a better range.
I am a fan of Huawei phones, but partially because the cost compared to similar phones from other giants has been lower. The one thing that none of the reviews covers is Android Auto. I have had three Huawei phones and none of them are compatible with AA. When I contacted their support group they sent back a form letter saying my Mate 10 isn't compatible. No future update information, or other helpful tips. This could be a problem going forward if they want to be popular with the tech savvy crowd.
BTW, I picked up my brown Mate 10 on Amazon for $500. The brown is more of a Gold, and I have a black case anyway, so the color doesn't matter much. The phone is my favorite Android phone so far. It's fast and smooth with a great camera, but no Android Auto.
I'm glad you made this comment about Android Auto. I've grown to need it as I drive and Huawei phones not compatible is a definite no go for me. Sucks because otherwise I'd love a contraband phone in the US.
A high price, but... still lower than Note 9 or XS. :)