Evaluating a Huawei smartphone in 2018 (much less regularly using one) is an exercise in extreme annoyance.
In early 2019, the smartphone manufacturer rode a stunning Android wave to success. Huawei’s P30 Pro was a technological marvel, and it was clear that the company was serious about challenging Samsung’s market domination.
All You Need To Know Huawei Mate 50 Pro
After nearly four years and one US trade restriction, Huawei’s handsets still can’t obtain 5G modems and don’t have native support for Google’s apps and services.
This does not render devices like the Mate 50 Pro useless, but it does make it more difficult to utilise them as you would any other Android phone.
Design & Build:
- Beautiful, minimal style
- Glass, matte back
- Edges that curve
Huawei’s hardware is still impressive. With its frosted silver glass back and slightly rounded display borders, the Mate 50 Pro is one of the best-looking and -feeling phones I’ve tested in 2022. In addition to the orange vegan leather with gold accents, there is also a black variant available in Europe, albeit it is unavailable in the UK.
The display on the orange model is protected by Huawei’s tougher Kunlun glass, and it can withstand immersion in water for up to six metres, while the silver and black models use an unnamed, less robust glass and are waterproof only to two metres.
The phone’s huge circular camera module on the rear has three lenses (though it’s made to look like four thanks to a laser auto focus mechanism), and this is what most people notice about the device. The phone’s weight is concentrated in the middle, so it won’t rock if you set it down on a flat surface, but holy cow is it slippery.
My phone was sliding off of seats, tables, and desks without the included low-quality TPU case, so I ended up using it. Because of its massive size, I discovered that I needed to use both hands to operate this phone. A long, narrow notch has appeared at the top of most new Android phones. It’s where the front-facing camera and TOF sensor for the phone’s biometric face unlocking system are located.
Display & Audio System
- The 6.74-inch OLED display is curved.
- Refresh rate of 120 Hz
- Durable audio system speakers
The large 6.74-inch OLED screen contributes to the phone’s overall bulk. The screen’s high quality (1212 x 2616 pixels) and vivid colours make it a pleasure to use. Huawei’s auto settings limit the phone at a refresh rate of 60–90 fps, despite the phone’s excellent screen having a 120 fps refresh rate and without the LTPO technology that allows other phones like the iPhone 14 Pro to scale down the rate to 1 fps when needed to conserve power.
If the media being viewed is compatible, the high resolution will shine when viewed on full screen. Unlike other premium phones with lesser res displays, 2160p YouTube videos will scale to full size here.
Very high peak brightness, with no colour shifting due to the curved edges of the panel. When listening to music, radio, or podcasts, the stereo speakers that employ the earpiece grille and down-firing speaker on the bottom edge produce a deep, rich sound.
Features and Functionality
- One-Generation Snapdragon 8+ Chipset
- No 5G support; only 4G.
- Connected charging at 66W
Unlike previous Huawei devices, which used the company’s own Kirin chipsets, the Mate 50 Pro employs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1—a powerful chip that had just recently been surpassed by the 8 Gen 2.
Huawei can only support 4G networking due to export restrictions, therefore you won’t have access to 5G. It’s hardly the end of the world, but if you’re going to spend over a thousand dollars on a phone, you might as well have it ready for when 5G becomes mainstream.
Despite this, performance is great for my needs, which aren’t particularly demanding on the phone. I was able to play high-end mobile games like PUBG Mobile without any hiccups as a test.
That’s great news, as all phone variants ship with 8GB of RAM—a number that’s really on the low end when compared to other flagship Android devices. The 16GB version of the OnePlus 10T, which retails for £629. The 256GB of storage space on my machine is expandable, but only with Huawei nano memory cards.
Cameras and Video
- Aperture-controlling steps: 10
- Amazing primary detector
- Adaptable Ultra-Wide and Long-Range Lenses
The variable aperture main camera sensor is the highlight of the Mate 50 Pro. It’s the first smartphone with an aperture that can be adjusted by the user by more than two stops. On the camera app’s pro mode, you can choose an aperture value anywhere between f/1.4 and f/4.0, or you can activate auto mode and let the app decide.
When shooting at an aperture of f/1.4, more light enters the camera and the subject is sharp while the background blurs naturally, while when shooting at an aperture of f/4.0, less light enters the camera but the background is in sharper focus.
It’s impressive that Huawei was able to squeeze a 10-step moving element into the rear of a smartphone, but it’s also a fascinating trick. But in practise, I didn’t think it was all that revolutionary. The impact of altering the aperture on close-up items is particularly entertaining, but the resulting images fail to do justice to the sophisticated technology behind them.
Luckily, the Mate 50 Pro’s main 50Mp sensor is exceptional, and its images are among the best ever taken by a smartphone. By swapping out the green pixel for a second yellow pixel, more red and green light may enter the sensor, making it a favourite of Huawei’s. As a result, photos taken in dim conditions will turn out better.
Stunning detail and a good sense of dynamic range make daytime shots feel very real. Whereas other smartphone cameras might overexpose the white of the sky or a light source in the dark, this one retains excellent detail and light management even in low light. Night mode on the camera app was rarely something I needed to use to capture great images.
Power Source and Charging
- Capacity: 4700 mAH
- Quick 66W power up
- Battery life is easily one day.
The battery in the Mate 50 Pro is large but not the largest we’ve seen on a device with such high-end specifications and a display that consumes so much juice. Despite that, I was able to utilise maps, take photographs, and send messages as usual for an entire day without worrying about the battery dying.
The included 66W power brick and USB cable can fully recharge the phone in around 40 minutes. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Google Pixel 7 Pro, this is lightning fast. I was unable to evaluate the 50W wireless charging capability because the required charging station is not included.
Updates and Software:
- True natives Backing from Google
- AppGallery has a poor selection of apps.
- Apps that are downloaded on the side do not receive automatic updates.
Each Huawei phone, including this one, is vulnerable due to its flawed software. I’ll do my best to be clear and objective. The phone’s operating system, EMUI 13, is based on Android. Huawei’s upgrade schedule for the phone remains unknown.
The Mate 50 Pro is not compatible with Google’s native apps and services. This is due to the fact that it is unable to run Google’s version of Android with service-aware applications. Instead of the Google Play Store, you’ll need to use Huawei’s own app store, called AppGallery.
This is a rather spammy area with plenty of full-screen adverts, not something I expect from a device of this price. The problem is that AppGallery does not carry most of the apps you desire. TikTok, Telegram, Snapchat, Tinder, Microsoft Outlook, WeChat, and Deezer are perfectly safe to use if those are the only apps you use.
Yet, major apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Netflix, Disney+, Twitter, PayPal, and many others are not pre-installed but are available for download. You can look for them in Huawei’s AppGallery or in its own Petal Search app, both of which lead to a muddled page of potential APK files to download and install the apps from an alternative source.
This is permitted by Android and is perfectly legal. Sideloading is the term for it. The issue is that sideloading isn’t exactly simple to employ. Concerns about safety also arise. Huawei claims that it monitors the APKs that its system recommends to you and that it runs security checks on files before they are downloaded.
You still need to be careful not to install malicious software without the assurance that these files have been verified as safe by an app store’s infrastructure. I want to be clear that it is feasible to download the apps you want on this phone, but that the process is convoluted and frustrating.
With APKs, I was able to get Twitter, Instagram, Libby, Facebook Messenger, and Netflix all running smoothly. I was able to log in and go with my business as usual, including receiving alerts. App updates are likewise handled automatically, however they sometimes take a bit longer to appear online because of the time it takes for the developer to submit the update to the Google Play Store.
Nevertheless, you must allow Petal Search to send you notifications if you want to receive these enhancements.
Cost and Accessibility
In the United Kingdom, the silver or black Huawei Mate 50 Pro costs £1,199. Huawei sells it straight to customers. It retails for €1,299 in Europe, or €1,399 for the limited orange edition. Not available in the USA.
The high price makes selling this phone even more challenging. A great display and high-quality camera aren’t enough to make up for a frustrating software experience.