It is March 2019, and Huawei has just redefined the physical limits of a smartphone camera. The P30 Pro is a 192g technical marvel that has effectively replaced the need for a DSLR for many UK travelers. Finished in stunning ‘Breathing Crystal’ or ‘Amber Sunrise’ glass, it is a sleek, curved device that houses a camera system that seems to defy the laws of optics. It is a bold statement of technical dominance that pushed the industry into a new era of zooming and low-light performance.
The technical headline is the ‘Periscope’ zoom lens. By mounting the 8-megapixel telephoto sensor sideways and using a prism to reflect light, Huawei achieved a 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and a staggering 50x digital zoom. It also features a 40-megapixel ‘SuperSpectrum’ sensor that replaces green pixels with yellow pixels (RYYB), allowing it to pull in 40% more light than a standard sensor. This enables an ISO sensitivity of 409,600, making it possible to take clear photos in conditions where the human eye can see nothing. Under the hood, it is powered by the Kirin 980 and 8GB of RAM.
The screen is a 6.47-inch curved OLED (2340 x 1080) that features an ‘Acoustic Display’, vibrating the glass to produce sound instead of using a traditional earpiece. Connectivity is total, featuring 4G LTE Cat 21 and a massive 4,200 mAh battery that supports 40W SuperCharge and 15W reverse wireless charging. Despite lacking a traditional top speaker, its photographic prowess and staggering battery life made it the most technologically advanced phone of 2019. The Huawei P30 Pro is a landmark bit of engineering; it proved that Huawei was the world leader in mobile imaging innovation.