Is Huawei’s best mid-range phone still worth it? P30 review

Weeks ago I asked the good people of Huawei to send me the P30 Pro for reviewing, and they were very kind to agree to send me a phone, especially when I was eager to checkout the newly hyped proprietary SuperZoom Lens. What I received is the P30, not pro. At first I was inclined not to review this phone since I thought many of my audience will not be interested in the PRO’s mid-range little sibling. Boy was I wrong, and here’s why.

Quick Unboxing

The box itself is your standard Huawei branded white matted box. When you open the box you are greeted with nicely wrapped and secured P30,not pro. The phone comes with the new(ish) supercharging plug, uniquely named: SuperCharge. 

The charger boasts a charge speed of up to 70% in less than 40 minutes, 100% in just over 1 hour. This is extremely fast and it is due to the 40w charger. You will need to use the original cable that comes with the phone to get that kind of charging speed.

What surprised me is the most out of the box were the earphones. The P30, not pro (OK I’ll stop now), actually has headphone jacks! Yes, the earphones come with a 3.5mm jack plug, keeping with the traditional audio listening theme, which is amazing for anyone who still use other earphones, or these overpriced Beats by Dr Dre wired headphones. You know who you are…

Breathing Crystal Design

First thing you will notice is the vibrant colours of the back of the P30. That obviously depends on the colour you ordered. The one I received is called Breathing Crystal. I can only best describe it as a wave of pearly white into purple blue mixture, combo.  Maybe it’s best to visit your nearest Three/Vodafone shop and see for yourself. 

Buttons & Holes

The buttons, which are power button and volume control, are on the right side of the phone when the screen is facing you. Nothing too special about them, although I must point out how well designed they are. They have a physical clicking response that gives that feel good feedback and none of that battery draining haptic nonsense many other phones now use.

Hand Handling

I personally use Huawei Mate 20 Pro as my main phone and I must admit there is a nicer handling feel to the P30 in comparison. The screen size is a 6.1 inch display, easy to reach for the one-thumbers with more than average man sized hands like mine. 

Like any other glass back phone you will always get the dreaded smugging. The P30 is not exception. Imagine, mam rings and you have to pick your beautiful multicoloured phone with your fried chicken greased fingers.

Three Eyed Camera

This part of the review is best explained with pictures. Using my Huawei Mate 20 Pro as a comparison you can be the judge.

The camera comes with the following specifications:

Rear Leica Triple Camera: 

40 MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.8 aperture)

16 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2 aperture) 

8 MP (Telephoto, f/2.4 aperture,OIS), 

Supports autofocus (laser focus, phase focus, contrast focus), supports AIS (HUAWEI AI Image Stabilization). 

Front (Selfie) Camera: 32 MP, f/2.0 aperture

Note: In different photo modes, the number of pixels may be slightly different, please refer to the actual situation.

There is one annoying design feature, the bulging rear camera lens. If you decided not to buy a protective cover for you will notice how uneven the phone is when you place screen facing up on a flat surface. Very frustrating for an obsessive compulsive like me. 

FYI, I would totally advice a cover this and glass backed phones. My personal recommendation is the Otterbox covers from Amazon. 

Security Unlock

If you are like me, getting used to using facial unlock options or finger scanning, is a great option for more security than you standard PIN or pattern. The P30 comes with all of them where you can choose any of them, or none, which is madness!

Although there is only one front camera they seem to have developed a better facial recognition algorithm. Even with only one front camera the unlock is super fast. I tried it with a hat and my sunglasses on and it still unlocked.

[10 PIC]

The fingerprint ID impressed me the most with the unlock speed, especially that it is now embedded into the display panel. Although the P30 is considered a mid range phone, it still unlocked faster than my flagship Mate 20 Pro.

Price Compare

Ok you are now somewhat convinced that this is the right phone for you. Price is what will finalise your decision. The easiest option is check with service provider, like Three or Vodafone, to see if you are already out of contract. Vodafone has an offer at the time of this article for € 60 /month on RED Complete you will get the phone and a Huawei Smartwatch for free.

My personal favourite option though is to buy the phone out right. I have a SIM only contract with Three where I save up for the phone I want. Usually saves me a lot in the long run. I mostly check Amazon for best price. The price was €777 at the time of publishing this article, Click here to see more.

Elephant in the (News)room

There has been massive hype over Huawei as a Chinese company and the spying ‘Big Brother’ conspiracy. It is up to you how to perceive these allegations so here’s some food for thought, critically think the situation and ask yourself a few questions, like what is said, how it is said, by whom, and why now? 

About Huawei

Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries, and are used by a third of the world’s population. Fifteen R&D centers have been set up in the United States, Germany, Sweden, Russia, India and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers

smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables and cloud services, etc. Huawei’s global network is built on

almost 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest

technological advances to consumers around the world.

With that I will leave you with some fine wise words: “If not now, why tomorrow?”. Hope you find your new favourite phone. Be sure to follow my YouTube channel for Tech how-to guide and more by subscribing HERE. 

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