Today HUAWEI unveiled in London three new smartphones before the holiday season kicks in – HUAWEI Mate 20, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro and PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS.
Just like the HUAWEI P20 Pro, all the three new smartphones will have that renowned rear Leica Triple Camera system that’s ready to take a stunning picture wherever you are. The twist is, the monochrome camera on the P20 Pro has now been replaced with an ultra wide-angle camera for a more dramatic shot than ever.
And all three smartphones will be powered by HUAWEI’s latest Kirin 980 chipset which is the world’s first 7 nm high-performance SoC chipset that was announced earlier at IFA 2018. The new Mate 20 series of smartphones will be the first devices to utilise the unparalleled Artificial Intelligence (AI), powered by not one but dual Neural Processing Units (NPU). Hence the slogan for this launch was ” A Higher Intelligence”. So lots of AI features are added to the new smartphones.
HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro
If you like to experience the full suite of features, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the one to have. The new smartphone got more than a new facelift. It is also loaded with new improvements that were not found on the P20 Pro and Mate 9 Pro.
First of all, the Mate 20 Pro now comes with on-screen fingerprint sensor, so you have more space for the edge-to-edge display and smaller bezels around the screen. The face unlock camera has also been upgraded to a 3D face unlock so this feature is now more secure. But the 3D face unlock is still not certified for mobile payments like Android Pay…etc. To give the phone an even cleaner look, Huawei introduces the new invisible speakers that are now built into the USB C charging port. So no more “punctured holes” at the bottom of the screen.
To maximise the 6.39″ 2K+ OLED display, it is now a curved screen. Many will notice the uncanny resemblance to the Samsung Galaxy S9 but with a notch. It is a beautiful and slim smartphone. And that new Emerald Green colour is a “GEM”, complemented with the red power button. It is too pretty to takeyouru eyes away.
The Leica Triple Camera system consists of a 40MP RGB camera with a f1.8 aperture, a 20MP Ultra Wide-Angle camera with f2.2 aperture and a 8MP 3x optical zoom Telephoto camera with f2.2 aperture as well as built-in OIS. Together with that powerful Night Mode from P20 Pro, this is definitely the ultimate contender for the best camera phone for 2018.
The camera now also comes with new AI features like HiVision where you will be able to perform real time visual translation right off the camera app. If you see something that you like, just snap a picture with HiVision and it will search for related items from online stores such as Amazon and give you the closest recommendations for your purchase. That’s a great way to make you spend more money. Not sure if that is a feature that will be beneficial to us though.
And now you can get creative with your portrait shots. The bokeh can now be instantly changed to heart shapes or swirl effect of your choice just by selecting from the menu. Taking portraits has become so much more fun with Mate 20 Pro.
Huawei has been known for their long battery life. The battery capacity has been given a boost and increased to 4,200mAh. A new and fun feature has been added to take advantage of this huge capacity battery – reversed wireless charging. Yes… you read it right. You can now use your Mate 20 Pro to charge up other wireless charging phones if you have plenty of juice to share. WOOT WOOT… That just put those mobile phones that can’t last over a day to shame. And we shan’t name names.
The Mate 20 Pro can also supercharge with a 40 Watt charger for wired charging and at 15 Watts with a wireless charging pad. With 40Watt supercharge, you can charge up to 70% in 30 minutes. That deserves another WOOT WOOT…
The Mate 20 Pro is also IP68 water resistance. The internal storage will be at 128GB and can be expandable with the new nano memory card that is proprietary to Huawei. The nano memory card is a memory card that is the shape and size of the nano SIM card. So now you choose to insert the extra SIM card tray with either a memory card or SIM card.
The new HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro will be available in Singapore on 27 October 2018 onwards at the recommended retail price of S$1,348. It will be available in Twilight, Emerald Green and Black.
HUAWEI Mate 20
The HUAWEI Mate 20 will be a grade lower in specs from the Mate 20 Pro. First of all, the Leica Triple Camera system will be made up of 12MP, 16MP and 8MP cameras respectively. The display will be larger at 6.53″ but it will be a Full HD LCD display, compared to the Mate 20 Pro’s 2K+ OLED display. The display will also be flat and not curved like the Mate 20 Pro. But I personally do prefer the smaller dew drop notch compared to that notch on the Mate 20 Pro. Do you agree with me?
Security-wise, the Mate 20 does not come with an onscreen fingerprint screen and 3D face unlock. You will still have to tap your finger to the sensor at the back of the phone to unlock.
For those who still wanna use the headphone jack, the Mate 20 is the only phone in the series that retains that 3.5mm jack.
The new HUAWEI Mate 20 will be available in Singapore on 27 October onwards at the recommended retail price of S$998. It will be available in Midnight Blue and Black.
PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS
And ultimately, if you have the budget… PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS is super MACHO… CHIO sia… The PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS is built based on the Mate 20 Pro with a twist on its design from the back. It comes with a premium leather back with is handcrafted on to the phone. The feel is luxury and yet comfy. Love it much. It’s just sad that the Red PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI Mate 20 RS will only be available in China. Singapore will only be carrying the Black from late November 2018.
The new HUAWEI Mate 20 and HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro will be available in Singapore on 27 October onwards at the recommended retail price of S$998 and S$1,348 respectively.
Huawei will be holding a sales launch event on 27 October 2018 at Causeway Point, Level 1, Round Atrium. From 10.30 am to 10 pm. Customers will receive a premium gift set (worth up to S$463) with every purchase of the HUAWEI Mate 20 or Mate 20 Pro. You are also invited to experience the new features of the Mate 20 in the different interactive zones and meet local celebrities like Rebecca Lim, Pierre Png, Sonia Chew and Gao Mei Gui.
Can review on the camera?