Huawei Mate 10, 10 Pro and 10 Porsche Design hands-on review

Huawei Mate 10 hands-on

Huawei Mate 10 brings a number of improvements - a new design, screen, chipset, camera, and EMUI version.

The new design is the first thing everybody will be noticing - Mate 10 features a glass-sandwich body, which has been the most popular this year. It's a combination of a metal frame and two glass panels - front and back.

Huawei Mate 10 in Champagne Gold

Huawei tried its best to make the Mate 10 unique, though, by a band underneath the camera assembly around the back. The glass back is curved on all four sides and the new band, which runs across, surely makes it instantly recognizable.

The front of the Mate 10 hosts the new 5.9" IPS display of 1440p resolution that also offers HDR10 support. The high-res screen was previously exclusive to the Pro model, but this time around it's only available on the regular version.

Huawei Mate 10 in Black

Huawei has noticeably reduced the bezels and the Mate 10 actually has a higher screen-to-body ratio than the Pro model. And that is despite the fingerprint scanner that is now embedded in the bottom bezel. The Mate 10 is also lighter than the Mate 9, probably having its glass back to thank for that.

Huawei Mate 10 in Pink Gold

The screen sits behind a glass ending on a slight curve. The back glass is what gets the most attention with the new 4-axis curve. This means all sides are curved towards the metal frame. The result is quite impressive in terms of looks and it boosts usability too.

Huawei wanted to highlight the Leica Dual Camera and went for a color band with a hue darker than the base color. We have to admit, it really works well and makes the phone stand out in a good way.

The RGB and monochrome cameras have tiny metal rims, bulging just a little bit over the glass. But don't you worry, the Mate 10 doesn't wobble when left on a table, and you can barely tell the humps exist unless you run your finger over them.

While the two camera sensors are the same as the last year, they have gained brighter lenses, dual imaging processors with motion detection, optical stabilization for the RGB one, and new real-time object and scene recognition.

If you look closer at the matte frame, you will spot the 3.5mm audio jack, which is only available on the regular Mate 10 this year. Huawei didn't exactly pull an Apple, but only retired the port on two of its three flagships this year. There also an IR blaster on top of the device.

Huawei Mate 10 in Titanium Silver

The Huawei Mate 10 feels very nice in hand, and the metal frame provides for splendid grip.

Huawei Mate 10 next to Mate 9

Finally, the Mate 10 has a beefy 4,000 mAh battery, which should provide two days of uptime.

The quick charge charging solution used in the Mate 10 series now has TUV Rheinland certificate for safety. Super Charge doesn't come with any performance improvements in this generation but it's already among the fastest out there - Huawei claims the ample battery can charge from flat to 58% in only 30 minutes.