Huawei P Smart 2019 review

Introduction

Larger screen with a trendy notch, newer chipset, bigger battery, and a current OS version - it sure sounds like Huawei has ticked a lot of boxes to bring an already successful formula to the year 2019. It's the Huawei P Smart 2019 we're talking about, the follow up to the smartphone that happened to be the star of one of our most read reviews last year.

The P Smart 2019 swaps out the 5.65-inch 18:9 display of last year's model for a larger (6.21-inch) and more contemporary 19.5:9 aspect panel that also has a waterdrop notch - you can't accuse Huawei of not staying on top of trends. In fact, it's even got the latest Android too, 9.0 Pie - few models in the segment can say the same thing.

The 2019 version comes with an updated chipset - the in-house Kirin 710 replaces the 659 of the predecessor bringing a bump in manufacturing process (12nm vs. 16nm). And to go with the improved efficiency, you're also getting an increased battery capacity - 3,400mAh vs. the 3,000 of the original P Smart.

Huawei P Smart 2019 specs

• Body: Plastic body, 155.2 x 73.4 x 8.0 mm, 160g; Midnight Black, Aurora Blue, Sapphire Blue, Coral Red color schemes.
• Display: 6.21" IPS LCD, 1,080 x 2,340px, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 415ppi.
• Rear camera: Primary 13MP, f/1.8 aperture, 26mm equiv. focal length; phase detect autofocus; secondary 2MP depth sensor.
• Front camera: 8MP, f/2.0 aperture, 26mm equiv. focal length; fixed focus lens.
• OS/Software: Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.
• Chipset: Kirin 710: octa-core CPU (4x2.2GHz Cortex-A73 + 4x1.7GHz Cortex-A53); Mali-G51 MP4 GPU.
• Memory: 3GB of RAM; 32/64GB storage; microSD card slot (hybrid).
• Battery: 3,400mAh (sealed), 5V/2A charging (no Huawei SuperCharge).
• Connectivity: Dual SIM; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2; microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor; single, bottom-firing loudspeaker; dual microphones (noise reduction).

Little else has changed in other areas, so the 2019 P Smart comes with what's at first glance the same camera setup - a 13MP primary module with a 2MP depth sensor on the side. The 8MP selfie shooter has been carried over too, but some regions will be getting an alternative 16MP cam on the front - not our review unit, though.

One thing we need call Huawei out for is the missed opportunity to switch to USB-C - the P Smart 2019 still has a microUSB port and that's not very 2019, is it?

We didn't get a strictly retail-grade box, but the contents should include a 5V/2A charger and a microUSB cable to go with it - these two we did get. A pair of earbuds is also part of the retail package. Let's not get too fixated on the peripherals and have a closer look at the phone itself - join us on the next page.