Huawei Mate 20 Pro review

27 October 2018
We love fall and it's not only for the beauty of nature's colorful cloak. It is also the season for all the big fat makers in the industry to pull the wraps off their latest smartphones. And what a blast these couple of weeks have been! And there is still plenty more to see before the month of Techtober is over but today we're focusing on the new Mate 20 series, which is bound to leave a mark on the industry.

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Nicolas F, 27 Oct 2018> "Last year the regular Mate 10 boasted a 1440p screen,... moreI've tried the Mate 20 in real life, and I was surprised to see some crazy pixelations even at normal viewing distance!
My Redmi 5 Plus's 1080p display is even sharper!
Mate 20 Pro is perfectly sharp with QHD resolution, and for smartphone screens as large as multimedia-purpose, 500ppi is really necessary.

    I'd love to see the Mate 20 x review

      It does 310k antutu. Not 270k

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • arR
        • 28 Oct 2018

        I'm really surprised that you have Mate 20 Pro so low rating, yes I know that it's still excellent but this phone is propably the best one of 2018 and from your reviews we can see that it is better than Note 9 in nearly every aspect and yet it has lower rating

          "The Apple cores are lightyears ahead as usual, but that's hardly relevant for the Android market, isn't it?"

          Using w*rthless GB, numbers don't tell real story. Take a look at some speed tests out there, iPhone XS is slower in comparison vs. Mate 20 Pro.

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            • niki
            • gC2
            • 28 Oct 2018

            i could swear that was Galaxy s6...

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • pQr
              • 28 Oct 2018

              "The 80mm tele camera is only 8MP, but the 40MP one lends a hand and you will get a 10MP in the end. "
              No, I don't think that Huawei ever said that. It doesn't really make sense as the 40 megapixel main camera gives you less than 5 megapixels when you want a 80mm crop.

                I get 311k on Antutu nn my Mate 20 Pro which is far off that score you guys got. The phone itself is amazing on every aspect. The only thing I would complain is that the speakers on my U11+ were a bit better but that does not mean they are bad. I unplugged the phone from the charger at 2PM, its now almost 1AM and I still have 89% with over 1hr screen on time and my fingerprint set up. The battery life seems amazing. The same happened with the U11+, your result said it was bad and worse that the One Plus 3T yet that phone could last me for 2 full days and over 7hrs of SOT.

                  Everything looks perfect in mate20 pro but i wish its speaker could have to be more louder then atleast p20 pros level

                    • w
                    • wewewewe
                    • 2Au
                    • 28 Oct 2018

                    HA!! Huawei claimed that their chips can outmatch the A12 bionic chip from apple but that would be just a dream... but they were great on improving overtime

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                      • Anonymous
                      • pQr
                      • 28 Oct 2018

                      Gsmarena, could you test the Mate 20 Pro at 54mm equivalent (2x zoom related to the main camera).

                        Thanks, now Mate 20x please :)

                          • S
                          • Sinkler
                          • U{k
                          • 28 Oct 2018

                          I heard that the software is not the final version and Huawei said they'll deliver the update soon. Can you update this review after the final firmware?

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                            • Anonymous
                            • B45
                            • 27 Oct 2018

                            LG Superfan, 27 Oct 2018Was expecting alot from Kirin 980 and it disappointed, USB ... moreI'm also waiting on the 20X. I feel like that battery life (especially with the cooling) along with stereo speakers is going to make for an even better phone (and cheaper too).

                            Kind of surprised the camera's 4K video wasn't that great...that kind of scares me considering I love shooting a good 4K video from time to time...

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                              • Lccy
                              • pL9
                              • 27 Oct 2018

                              Nicolas F, 27 Oct 2018> "Last year the regular Mate 10 boasted a 1440p screen,... moreI've switched from a 1440p LCD screen (LG G3) to a 1080p phone, Nokia 7 plus, the screen is the same size save for the extra height of the Nokia.

                              I can't tell you how much I miss the resolution of the LG, especially when viewing photos. Text also looks more solid and just more real. This is from a foot away.

                              It's a shame I'll never find a phone with the same resolution as the LG as their g series now uses sub pixel rendering as do all Oleds and the xz premium series render in 1080p.

                              I've tried the mate 20 pro and I knew it was a pentile screen due to the cross hatch patterns. Even on a 1440p Oled you can still clearly see the pentile artifacts from a foot away.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • JpI
                                • 27 Oct 2018

                                Nicolas F, 27 Oct 2018> "Last year the regular Mate 10 boasted a 1440p screen,... moreEven Phone Arena that hates Sony says they could notice difference between 4K and QHD, mainly when HDR videos were played.

                                  Abhi Dahiya, 27 Oct 2018From what i see, battery life is still okayish, kirin 980 i... moreActually the Mate 20 is much better when it comes to cooling and it has no warm spots or throttling in the benches. There are a few surprises in it battery life, too, but more on that next week :) So, it's not the Kirin's fault per se, not this time anyway. Stay tuned!

                                    Was expecting alot from Kirin 980 and it disappointed, USB speaker was a bad choice and sound worst than last year Mate 10, battery life is ok last year Mate 10 with less efficient LCD display got a bit better score, cameras are same as P20 Pro though wide angle is good (probably the only good thing) overall I'm quite disappointed last year Mate 10 was ahead of competition not this year Mate 20
                                    Hope Gsmarena reviews Mate 20X which seems like a true powerhouse

                                      > "Last year the regular Mate 10 boasted a 1440p screen, while the Pro was limited to 1080p. Well, the Mate 20 lineup rights this wrong..."

                                      - Having 1080p display is NOT wrong! Nobody needs 500+ ppi in just a smartphone. And yes, so called "VR" is firstly just a gimmick, and secondly - not a real virtual reality. Real ones were in "Matrix" and "Sword Art Online".

                                        From what i see, battery life is still okayish, kirin 980 is disappointing despite being based on latest 7nm and there are still heating issues.

                                        Meh, Huawei couldn't have done any worse.

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