Huawei P60 Pro review

Introduction

The Huawei P60 Pro enters an over-saturated smartphone niche where many companies are trying to claim the top cameraphone spot. Once a pioneer in the segment, Huawei has become a sort of uncompetitive competitor due to the US sanctions and technology restrictions. And yet, it's still here, with a brand-new Huawei P60 Pro, which brings a camera you would probably love.

Huawei is not going anywhere, and nor are its smartphones. EMUI and its services have matured enough to make sense using them, and so are the alternatives that enable Google apps without breaking any rules - like Gbox. And the Huawei P60 Pro is certainly one of the best cameraphones on the market, and you are welcome to stay with us and find out everything about it.

The Huawei P60 Pro is part of Huawei's established flagship Photography-oriented smartphone series, and it builds on top of the renowned P50 Pro and Mate 50 Pro. In fact, the P60 Pro is a refined version of the Mate 50 Pro with an improved display, camera sensors, and connectivity.

Let's cut to the chase. The P60 Pro offers a familiar glass design with curved panels and one large LTPO OLED screen of high-resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 1 billion colors. It has one small punch hole for the selfie camera, a welcome improvement over the humongous cutout on the Mate 50 Pro. Sure, there is no Face ID, but the under-display fingerprint scanner should do just fine.

The chipset remains the same as on the Mate 50 Pro - the custom 4G version of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the second-best platform on the market. While it is not the most current Gen 2 model, it still should be plenty sufficient.

The camera department is, of course, the most intriguing part of the Huawei P60 Pro. There are three cameras on the back - a 48MP primary with variable aperture and stabilized lens, a 48MP telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and telemacro option, and a 13MP ultrawide with autofocus.

The front camera remains identical to the ones on recent high-end Huawei phones - a 13MP imager with an 18mm wide-angle lens.

Huawei has announced three P60 models in China, even if the global markets are getting just this Pro. There is a P60 Art with a fancier design and a 40MP ultrawide camera (instead of 13MP), and a regular P60 with a 12MP 5x telephoto (instead of a 48MP 3.5x).

Finally, the Huawei P60 Pro comes with a 4,815mAh battery capable of 88W wired and 50W wireless fast charging. Reverse wireless charging is supported, too.

The Huawei P60 Pro runs on EMUI 13.1, which contains Android 12 core. There are no Google Mobile Services on board, replaced by Huawei's own solution. You are not without options, though.

Huawei P60 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 161.0x74.5x8.3mm, 200g; aluminum frame, glass back; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.67" LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 1220x2700px resolution, 19.92:9 aspect ratio, 444ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
• Memory: 256GB, 512GB; UFS; NM (Nano Memory), up to 256GB (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: HarmonyOS 3.1 (China), EMUI (Europe), no Google Play Services.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 48 MP, f/1.4-f/4.0, 25mm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Telephoto: 48 MP, f/2.1, 90mm, PDAF, sensor-shift stabilization + OIS, 3.5x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm.
• Front camera: 13 MP, f/2.4, (ultrawide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 1080p@960fps; gyro-EIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4,815mAh; 88W wired, 50W wireless, reverse wireless charging.
• Connectivity: LTE; Hybrid Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.2; NFC; Infrared port.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

Well, obviously, Huawei has thought of everything for the P60 Pro. It's just that the only meaningful camera update since the previous P series smartphones is the variable aperture, a feature first introduced on the Huawei Mate 50 Pro. And it seems the optical zoom becomes shorter in favor of larger sensors and brighter apertures - a controversial decision even across our office.

There are no obvious omissions on the Huawei P60 Pro, aside from the ones that result from the US-imposed restrictions - 5G connectivity and Google Mobile Services.

And without further ado, let's unbox the Huawei P60 Pro.

Unboxing the Huawei P60 Pro

The Huawei P60 Pro ships in a white paper box that contains all essential accessories. There is an 88W charger, a 6A-rated USB-A-to-C cable, and a transparent soft case.

The P60 Pro also has a thin protective film on top of its screen, but we peeled that off immediately as it was a giant smudge magnet. We are sure many people will appreciate it, of course, as it keeps scratches away.

Finally, we want to bring your attention once again to the new 88W charger. It has two ports next to each other - USB-C and USB-A. This way, you can use it to charge laptops, tablets, smartphones, and whatnot. And, no, you cannot use the two ports simultaneously.