Huawei P30 Pro First Impressions: A no-brainer flagship choice for India

Updated on April 9, 2019

Huawei launched the P30 Pro in India for Rs 71,990. There are attractive launch offers, including Huawei Watch GT available for Rs 2,000 if bundled with the P30 Pro. Check out all the details.

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At the launch event, Huawei highlighted all the features of the P30 Pro, which proved why it's more than a smartphone, rather a super camera smartphone. The camera of the P30 Pro was clearly the highlight of the phone no one could miss and the live demo comparing the latest flagship against Samsung Galaxy S10+ and iPhone XS Max proved Huawei's expertise in the area.

If Huawei is asking EUR 999 and more for its P30 Pro, there should have been a good reason for it, which is why we decided to take a quick look at the phone and its capabilities at the demo zone post-launch.

Huawei did not reveal plans or pricing details to launch the P30 Pro in India yet, but a company spokesperson confirmed that the official launch could take place in India mid-April.

Design and display

Huawei P30 Pro feels and looks great. The multiple colour options, ranging from black to white and Aurora to red, Huawei has gone the extra mile on making sure it meets all consumer demands. The glass back at the back feels premium, just like other flagships in the market right now, but it is lighter and offers good grip.

Huawei P30 Pro's notch is sore to the eye, after seeing innovations like pop-up selfie camera and punch-hole display, but it's not a deal breaker as it can easily be concealed with a suitable wallpaper. I hardly noticed the notch with a dark wallpaper.

The fine cut design on the top and bottom adds extra spice to the design. It looks different than the P20-series, which had rounded sides. The curved 6.47-inch display is another visual delight on the P30 Pro with its Full HD+ resolution AMOLED panel, which gives natural and bright colours suited best for movie-streaming and gaming.

Camera

Huawei P30 Pro is more of a camera smartphone and it justifies the title very well. The quad-camera setup at the back is really the best one out there, which gives results like no other phone. Huawei has left no stone unturned in making a true successor to the P20 Pro.

I had the chance to test the camera briefly at the dedicated demo zones. The superzoom is incredible at 5x, 10x and 50x zoom levels. Although 50x zoom is digital, it tries to retain maximum details.

It's worth mentioning, Huawei worked with Sony for the RYYB sensor instead of RGGB sensor, which makes photos appear brighter and better. This the first of its kind and could be driving a much-needed change in improving mobile photography.

I also tested the P30 Pro's backlit portrait, which works great. Huawei P30 Pro not only identifies the subject and accurately blurs out the background, but it is also immune to harsh light thrown at the sensor, which is quite impressive for those who complain about burnt images.

Another cool feature I tested was the dual lens mode in the video and P30 Pro allows to shoot the same scene at two different zoom levels. This feature could be widely popular among cinematographers.

The 40MP wide-angle f/1.6 lens paired with 20MP ultra-wide angle f/2.2 lens and 8MP telephoto (125mm and f/3.4) lens with ToF has some neat tricks up its sleeve. The results in both broad daylight and pitch dark areas are really impressive and I'm yet to test the camera in the natural settings. So far, Huawei P30 Pro has won me over with its overall camera capabilities.

From taking a clear shot of the moon, the stars and northern lights as shown by Huawei, the P30 Pro is meant for photographers. For an in-depth review of the camera, stay tuned.

The rest of the phone

I haven't had the chance to test the other aspects of the P30 Pro, but things do look promising. The Kirin 980 chipset has already proven its worth and with the right amount of RAM, GPU, and optimisation, Huawei P30 Pro is an all-rounder. The features that are still due for testing are the in-display fingerprint scanner, the acoustic display technology, battery life with the 4,200mAh unit and 40W fast charging. Just by looking at the specs on paper, one is truly bound to be impressed.