Huawei P50 Pro review

The competition

There are plenty of good cameraphones on the market, but it cannot be a fair fight when it comes to the P50 Pro. Huawei has been severely crippled by the US ban - it has no access to Google Play Store and the Google Mobile Services, and it cannot offer 5G connectivity at this point.

The good news is that Huawei has been overcoming the struggles throughout the past few years, and it has launched a few flagship devices with intriguing features. It has also baked its own Huawei services and apps into EMUI and HarmonyOS, essentially replacing Google's missing stuff. Sure, Huawei's offerings aren't as good as Google's right now, but Google has had a decade to develop theirs.

The Huawei P50 Pro is the latest proof that Huawei is still standing and doing what it does best to show it has a place on the market - making good phones with unique cameras and attractive designs. The P50 Pro seems like a great flagship phone even without 5G connectivity and Google Play Services. It has outstanding features like the premium design and screen, top-notch chipset, and full of creativity Leica camera to win you on its side.

The first phone that comes to mind as a direct competitor is the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It's as powerful, with an even larger OLED screen, better battery life, and a similar quad-camera that, instead of a monochrome shooter, offers a real 10x telephoto in addition to the 3x one. There is also a good chance you'd buy the S21 Ultra at about €200 cheaper than the P50 Pro.

That's because the S22 Ultra is just around the corner. It's going to cost as much as the P50 Pro and will offer the best screen Samsung has made to date, even more powerful hardware, and a larger battery. The camera is what matters the most, and while it won't be that different from the S21 Ultra, it will still have a real 10x zoom camera. Of course, having Google Services and 5G helps a lot, too.

Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a limited availably, probably due to supply issues, but if you can snatch one, you need to seriously consider it. It has an amazing Dolby Vision-capable OLED, it runs on the Snapdragon 888 5G chip, but its camera is the real showstopper as it offers the best photo and video quality from the smartphone to date. And thanks to the small rear display, you can use this incredible triple-camera for selfies. The Mi 11 Ultra costs as much as the P50 Pro, and it's definitely worth it.

Many people are buying the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max for its photo and video capabilities. Indeed, it has some very capable hardware across the board, cameras included, though it's not known for the most organic photos on the market. The videos, on the other hand, are among the best a smartphone can offer. It runs on Apple's iOS, which is not everybody's favorite OS, but if you can put up with Apple's way of handling things, you may want to give it a chance.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G • Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

Finally, if you are a fan of the Huawei brand and you still want one, but cannot live without Google, the Honor Magic3 Pro, where available, has all Google apps and services. It is pretty much the Huawei P50 Pro but with a different design and an extra ToF sensor next to the selfie for Face ID (within a pill-shaped notch). Honor has split from Huawei and has been granted access to Google's proprietary services, so it's worth considering instead of the P50 Pro.

Honor Magic3 Pro

Our verdict

The Huawei P50 Pro is a great smartphone with great pedigree, and you can tell that by its premium design and photography-oriented hardware and features. The P series has been around for many years, and Huawei has always raised the bar with its cameras. The P50 Pro is no different.

Huawei's latest cameraphone easily impresses with the latest generation Leica camera that's put within a unique dual-circle setup. The use of a 64MP sensor with a Bayer sensor has paid off with lossless zoom up to 7x. The return of the monochrome camera, 40MP at that, will definitely intrigue creators who have a knack for the B&W dramatic photos.

The P50 Pro is undeniably a good smartphone - its screen and performance are great, as well as the speakers, the software package, the overall camera experience, and the charging speed, too. If you fancy a cameraphone of high quality, the P50 Pro is a proper option.

While its battery life turned out uninspiring, its biggest hurdles are the lack of Google services and 5G. Still, if anyone can live without 5G speeds and you can do just fine on a mixed diet of App Gallery and third-party app stores, then the P50 Pro might be a good fit.

Huawei's own ecosystem with watches, laptops, headphones, speakers, TVs and tablets has grown immensely over the last couple of years, and that's its biggest ace when selling smartphones like the P50 Pro. If you own a laptop and/or a tablet, or maybe a wearable and/or a pair of wireless earbuds, there is a good chance you will like how these go with a Huawei smartphone. The integration is nearly Apple-level good, and that's something that sells devices.

There are a lot of reasons why not to choose this or any Huawei phone. But there are also quite a few compelling arguments why you should do it - be it for creativity, for a change of scenery, for the great features and outstanding camera experience with unmatched creativity, or because you own another Huawei device. One thing is sure - if you do decide in favor of P50 Pro - you will probably like it as we did, despite its setbacks.

Pros

• Slim dual-glass curved design, good-looking, IP68-rated.
• Bright OLED screen, 120Hz refresh, 300Hz touch rate, HDR10+, tiny notch.
• Superb stereo speakers.
• Fast charging bundled 66W charger.
• Adequate flagship performance.
• One of the best cameras on the market with great photo and good video quality.
• Outstanding selfies!
• EMUI 12 is quite powerful even without Google.
• Works and talks well with other Huawei devices.

Cons

• Mediocre battery life.
• No Google Services.
• Few if any HDR10-compatible apps.
• No 5G.
• May throttle under peak loads.