THE two giant circular camera modules placed off-centre on the phone's back were what attracted me to know more about Huawei's latest release, the Huawei P50 Pro.
After months of delays due to the US sanction-related uncertainties, Huawei's P50 smartphone series finally sees the light of day — with an eye-catching design -- a new look for a smartphone.
OUTSTANDING QUALITY RESULT
The Huawei P-series have consistently offered some of the best mobile camera hardware in the industry.
Since its inception, each generation has offered the perfect blend of technology, aesthetics and smart photography. To date, it has maintained an unwavering commitment, with each generation representing the peak of mobile imagery innovation and at the same time, earning a place as a true classic in smartphone photography.
The Huawei P9 was the first smartphone to show the world the innovative Leica Dual-Camera design. And now, Huawei P50 Pro takes camera design back to its roots and introduces the all-new True-Form Dual-Matrix camera design.
The camera setup combines a large-sensor primary camera with a 13mm ultra-wide (f/2.2 aperture), a 90mm telephoto camera that supports AF (f/3.5 aperture, OIS), a 40 MP True-Chroma camera (MONO, f/1.6 aperture), and a multispectral colour temperature sensor -- 50 MP True-Chroma camera (colour, f/1.8 aperture, OIS) that optimises white balance and colour rendering.
The P50 sees the return of a monochrome sensor alongside the primary sensor that was last seen in the P20 Pro in 2018. The monochrome sensor improves the fine detail rendering and reduces noise, especially in low light conditions, as well as depth estimation for the simulated bokeh effect.
The new phone also sets a benchmark for zoom. Based on the tests conducted, the P50 Pro is currently the best smartphone for zooming both in and out, with image results from both the ultra-wide camera and the tele module are the best seen to date.
GENERAL OUTLOOK
The new Huawei P50 Pro comes with a 6.6-inch 3D curved display, centrally located hole punch, 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate, an overall thickness of 8.5mm, 4,360mAh battery and weighs 195g.
Compared with the previous generation, the P50 Pro has a bigger display and battery, weighs lighter and comes with an IP68 rating.
It supports the P3 wide colour gamut for richer, more accurate colour displays. Its screen supports 1.07 billion colours, allowing the phone to show colours in higher dynamic range.
OPERATING SYSTEM
The new Huawei P50 (in Malaysia, at least) runs on EMUI 12 — the latest version of Android-derived mobile operating system developed by the Chinese technology company.
Huawei has announced that it would be bringing the Harmony OS 2.0 update to more than 100 of its smartphones and tablets, and it has already been applied to over 65 devices. So, the use of the new version of its EMUI Android skin comes as a surprise. However, the latest version of EMUI comes with a refreshed UI that appears to be very similar to Harmony OS 2.0.
With the new EMUI 12, only the right person with the right devices will get access to the right data. The distributed security capability on EMUI 12 lays the security foundation for Huawei P50 Pro's cross-device authorisation. For example, once a smartwatch is set up as a trusted device, the Huawei P50 Pro can be unlocked via Face Unlock.
NO GOOGLE, NO PROBLEM
For most of us, not being able to run Google Mobile services may cause inconveniences and thus the reason to not consider a Huawei phone. I agree, especially when almost everyone you know are. However, Huawei has its own app store, where you can find most apps or links for them in its AppGallery.
Although the Huawei P50 phones can't run Google Mobile Services natively, the degree of restrictions vary from service to service. If you rely on Google Maps, for example, you still can launch it from the browser and you will still be able to navigate without any problem. The only drawback is that you won't be able to log into your account.
Other applications such as the MySejahtera app and other globally-used popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Grab, Shopee, banking apps like MAE and Touch'nGo e-wallet, all are working fine.
OVERVIEW
Overall, I personally find the new Huawei P50 Pro worth a second look. Don't let certain drawbacks hinder you from buying a smartphone, especially one with such photography calibre. After all, if you look closely, there's always a drawback regardless of the brand.
Available in two colour options -- Cocoa Gold and Golden Black, I must say whichever colour you choose, the phone is definitely fashionable with a refined twist.
Verdict: 4/5