After checking out the Huawei P30 Pro in a quick hands on review, we also went to the same store that provided us with the Pro for a redo. This time we got lucky and played with an Aurora Blue version of the Huawei P30 this time. The device is priced at around $800 or so and we analyzed it after the break.
So basically the Huawei P30 is a smaller Huawei P30 Pro, at 6.1 inches in diagonal. It’s easier to wield, hold and grip, fits better in the palm. It feels like the answer to the iPhone XR and Galaxy S10e, judging by the diagonal. The color choices are pretty much the same as the P30 Pro ones. There’s Aurora Blue, Sunrise Red, Breathing Crystal, black and pearl white.
I’m not going to list specs, just mention differences from the Huawei P30 Pro, or similarities. For starters the strong CPU is the same, a Kirin 980, the same chip we’ve seen on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro by the way. The screen may be smaller, but it keeps the OLED panel and Full HD+ resolution. This time Huawei didn’t put the speaker in the screen, but kept it at the top, right above the teardrop notch, that integrates the 32 MP selfie camera.
Aside from the screen, the battery also drops from 4200 mAh and 3650 mAh. While the two phone share the 32 MP selfie camera, the triple back camera is surely changed. First of all, there’s no more quad camera or Time of Flight sensor. We do have the 40 MP main camera with the new yellow pixels, but the ultra wide cam drops from 20 MP to 216 MP.
The telephoto cam no longer has a periscope, prism or 5X optical zoom. It does remain solid, with a 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom and a crazy 30x digital zoom, which I actually tested and enjoyed a lot. I actually zoomed towards a panel in the store with special offers, which I was barely seeing in the distance and it looked very crisp.
The software remains the same as on the P30 Pro: EMUI 9.1 and Android Pie, with a new file system, that starts apps faster and also takes up less storage. From what I saw the camera UI has the exact same options as the P30 Pro, a lot of them. We have Super Slow Motion filming, Night Mode, lots of Bokeh filters, a Super Macro mode and Monochrome mode too.
Oh and by the way, the phone lacks IP68 certification and the OLED screen is now flat, like the Galaxy S10e one. I feel that this phone is going to make a lot of people happy, those who want a hardcore zoom without spending $1100 on a phone.
