Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20: a review
Published on 22/11/2018 in Tech, tips & tricks
With the Mate 20 Pro, Huawei has revealed its second flagship phone of the year. It has lots of really new features, such as the fingerprint scanner in the screen. The Chinese smartphone maker has also launched an ‘ordinary’ Mate 20. From the outside, the device looks very similar to its big brother, but is a good € 200 cheaper. In this article, we explain exactly what the differences are.
A display full of sensors
With its 6.39-inch elongated OLED screen and ultra-thin edges, the Mate 20 Pro looks a lot slimmer than its predecessor, the Mate 10 Pro. The display curves slightly along the side and has a fairly wide notch at the top. All this is to do with the new dot projector and IR camera in this notch, which together make a 3D scan of your face: a very secure means of unlocking this device.
Another biometric means of access is the fingerprint scanner. On the Mate 20 Pro, this sensor is integrated (invisibly) into the screen for the first time. A clever piece of technology, although the new method is a fraction slower than a conventional fingerprint scanner.
Surprisingly enough, at 6.53 inches the display of the ‘ordinary’ Mate 20 is a few millimeters larger than that of the Pro version. However, the image quality is a little lower. The Mate 20 does not have an OLED screen, but a conventional LCD display. The Mate 20 does not have the unique in-screen fingerprint scanner of the Pro model, either. On this phone, the sensor is simply on the back, directly under the cameras.
Cameras with unsuspected possibilities
Both smartphones have three Leica cameras on the back. This time, they are not positioned under one another, but set in a square with the LED flash.
On the ordinary Mate 20, the optics of this Triple Camera are somewhat less advanced than on the top model. The Mate 20 has a main camera of 12 megapixels, compared with 40 megapixels on the Pro. And an ultra-wide-angle lens of 16 MP compared with 20 MP on the Pro. With this, you can take both landscape photos and macro shots and produce sharp images of flowers and insects, for instance, from very close up. On both the ordinary Mate 20 and the Pro the 3x zoom lens comes with 8 MP. It’s used to bring objects close up without any loss of quality
Both phones also have the new HiVision function. Via the camera, you can request additional information about buildings and monuments or identify objects (such as a jacket or a bag) via the camera before ordering them immediately on line. Or you can direct the lens at a piece of fruit, a pizza or other food: thanks to a touch of artificial intelligence, the smartphone immediately tells you the number of calories, accurate to 90 per cent.
The most power battery of all
Huawei gave the Mate 20 Pro a 4.200mAh battery, virtually the most powerful battery we have yet come across in a smartphone. According to the manufacturer, the power source lasts 33 per cent longer than that of the Samsung Galaxy Note9, and 38 per cent longer than the battery in the iPhone Xs Max. What’s more, the device charges very quickly: the battery is 25 per cent charged in just 10 minutes. After half an hour, the Mate 20 Pro is again 70 per cent full.
You can also charge the battery wirelessly – about 30 per cent in half an hour. In addition, the Mate 20 Pro is the first smartphone with Wireless Reverse Charging, a new feature that makes the phone a wireless charging station for other Qi-compatible appliances. Has a friend or colleague got a ‘flat’ battery? Just hold the two smartphones next to one another and the technology does the rest.
The Mate 20 comes with a 4,000mAh battery that can be charged quickly: after half an hour, the power level is up to 58 per cent. Wireless charging, available with the Mate 20 Pro, is not an option with this device.
New memory card or a second SIM card
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro runs on the latest operating system, Android 9.0 ‘Pie’, and comes with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage memory. The Huawei Mate 20 runs on the same operating system and comes with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage memory.
On both devices, this capacity can be extended via a new type of memory card, the Nano Memory Card, which is 45 per cent smaller than a standard microSD card. Instead of an NM Card, if you wish you can insert a second SIM card in order to keep private and business calls separate.
Another special feature on the new Mate 20 Pro that the ordinary Mate 20 does not have is the water- and dustproof casing in accordance with the IP68 standards.
Availability and price
The Mate 20
The new Huawei Mate 20 is available in three colors: Twilight, Black and Midnight Blue.
Huawei Mate 20
8/10
Pros:
- Three cameras, including for wide-angle and macro photos
- A large 6.53-inch screen
- Powerful 4,000mAh battery
- Room for two SIM cards
Cons:
- Your old microSD memory card no longer fits
- Not entirely watertight (unlike the Pro version)
Discover the Huawei Mate 20 in our e-shop
The Mate 20 Pro
The new Huawei Mate 20 Pro is available in three colors: Twilight, Black and Midnight Blue.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
9/10
Pros:
- A very complete high-end device
- Excellent cameras, including for wide-angle and macro photos
- Two-directional wireless charging
- The smartphone is water- and dustproof
Cons:
- Your old microSD memory card no longer fits