Huawei Mate 20, 20 Pro, and 20 X hands-on review

Introduction

Huawei has two major events annually - the P series are refreshed in the spring, and the Mate lineup - in the fall. And with the way the P20 lineup shook up the premium market earlier this year, we had every reason to be excited about the Mate 20 lineup.

The new Mate 20 and 20 Pro duo not only packs the first 7nm Android chipset - the cutting-edge Kirin 980 chip with a brand new NPU, but it also revamps the iconic Leica camera. And the maker didn't stop there. There are some notable improvements such as the new selfie camera, 3D Face Unlock, 40W charging, and wireless charging that works both ways - yes, you can charge other devices with those Mate 20 phones. How about that?!

Just like last year with the Mate 10 series, Huawei will be releasing Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro with different screens. The Mate 20 has an IPS LCD with a tiny notch and an unorthodox RGBW matrix. The Mate 20 Pro comes with an OLED screen with a larger cutout that houses the sensors needed for its advanced 3D Face unlock.

Both Mates run on the new Kirin 980 and pack the new Leica Triple Camera, which has lost the monochrome sensor in favor of a 20MP camera with ultra-wide lens. The camera exterior has been completely revamped as well - it's now a square centered at the back of the Mates.

Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro

Huawei Mate 20 has a slightly bigger 6.53" screen and its most secure biometric unlocking method is the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It has a large 4,000 mAh battery that supports 22.5W SuperCharge.

Huawei Mate 20 specs

• Body: dual-glass with metal frame; IP53-rated for dust and splash resistance
• Screen: 6.53" RGBW HDR IPS LCD, 1080 x 2244 px resolution (381ppi); waterdrop notch
• Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.6GHz + 2xA76 @1.92GHz +4xA55 @1.8GHz), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
• Memory: 4/6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9;
• Camera: 12MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 telephoto (52mm) + 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (17mm); 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 3x optical zoom, EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, can shoot long-exposure without a tripod
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 4,000mAh; Super Charge 22.5W
• Security: Fingerprint reader (back), 2D Face Unlock
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, 3.5mm audio jack

Huawei Mate 20 Pro has a 6.39" HDR OLED screen with a large notch. The space is not wasted though, there are an IR flood illuminator and an IR camera for 3D Face Unlock. And despite having a secure face-recognition option, the Mate 20 Pro not only has a fingerprint scanner, but it's of those cool ones under the display.

The telephoto camera on the Mate 20 Pro has the same 80mm lens in front of its 8MP OIS sensor as the P20 Pro, giving it a longer reach compared to the 52mm lens on the regular Mate 20.

The Pro has even more cutting-edge technologies - its bigger 4,200mAh battery supports 40W SuperCharge that lets you get a 70% charge in just 30 mins.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro specs

• Body: dual-glass with metal frame; IP68-rated for dust and water resistance
• Screen: 6.39" HDR OLED, 1440 x 3120 px resolution (539ppi); wide notch
• Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.6GHz + 2xA76 @1.92GHz +4xA55 @1.8GHz), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
• Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9;
• Camera: 40MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 OIS telephoto (80mm) + 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (16mm); 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 102,400, 5x optical zoom, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, can shoot long-exposure without a tripod
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 4,200mAh; Super Charge 40W; 15W wireless charging; reverse wireless charging
• Security: Fingerprint reader (under display), 3D Face Unlock (IR camera and flood illuminator)
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, stereo speakers

Huawei also announced two more Mates today - the 7.2" Huawei Mate 20 X and the Mate 20 RS Porsche Design.

Huawei Mate 20 X specs

• Body: dual-glass with metal frame; IP53-rated for dust and splash resistance
• Screen: 7.2" HDR OLED, 1080 x 2244 px resolution (346ppi); wide notch
• Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.6GHz + 2xA76 @1.92GHz +4xA55 @1.8GHz), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
• Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9;
• Camera: 40MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 OIS telephoto (80mm) + 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (16mm); 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 102,400, 5x optical zoom, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, can shoot long-exposure without a tripod
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 5,000mAh; Super Charge 22.5W
• Security: Fingerprint reader (rear-mounted)
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, stereo speakers, M-Pen support

Huawei Mate 20 RS Porsche Design specs

• Body: dual-glass with leather, metal frame; IP68-rated for dust and water resistance
• Screen: 6.39" HDR OLED, 1440 x 3120 px resolution (539ppi); wide notch
• Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2xA76 @2.6GHz + 2xA76 @1.92GHz +4xA55 @1.8GHz), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU
• Memory: 8GB RAM, 256/512GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot)
• OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9;
• Camera: 40MP f/1.8 + 8MP f/2.4 OIS telephoto (80mm) + 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (16mm); 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding
• Camera features: 1/1.7" 40MP sensor, up to ISO 102,400, 5x optical zoom, OIS + EIS, Variable Aperture, Portrait Mode, can shoot long-exposure without a tripod
• Selfie cam: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects
• Battery: 4,200mAh; Super Charge 40W; 15W wireless charging; reverse wireless charging
• Security: Fingerprint reader (under display), 3D Face Unlock (IR camera and flood illuminator)
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C
• Misc: IR blaster, stereo speakers

We also got a new wearable alongside the Mate 20 phones - Huawei Watch GT.

Huawei Watch GT

• Body: 316L Stainless Steel with ceramic bezel, dual-crown
• Display: Round 1.39" AMOLED
• Chip: Huawei proprietary dual-chip (low and high performance)
• Sensors: GPS with GALILEO, altimeter, heart-rate with 6 LEDs, steps
• Battery: 2-weeks of battery life

There are so many new things to explore, so no more teasing. Let's cut to the chase.