Super smart snapper
Huawei’s P20 Pro is a low-light photos leader
‘‘ IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GREAT PHOTOS TO SHOW OFF TO YOUR FRIENDS ON INSTAGRAM, THIS IS YOUR SHOOTER.
FOR low-light mobile photography, Huawei’s P20 Pro smartphone is in a league of its own. This is one incredible camera – a device that in night shooting mode sucks every bit of light out of a scene to produce more than the average eye can see. The Huawei P20 Pro features the world’s first Leica triple camera, which also incorporates very clever artificial intelligence advances. We put it to the test shooting in a dark rainforest during an early morning walk, as well as doing night shoots where the only lighting was the headlights of passing cars or street lights. Even without a tripod, the P20 Pro managed to produce images of a starry night with surprisingly little blur. The triple camera configuration is comprised of a 40MP RGB sensor, a 20MP monochrome sensor and an 8MP sensor with telephoto lens. The cameras offer f/1.8, f/1.6 and f/2.4 wide aperture while a hybrid zoom offers up to five times zoom. Huawei says its highly sensitive image sensor captures low light photos with up to ISO 102400. The Pro model supports six-axis stabilisation and 960fps super slow motion. The P20 Pro automatically identifies more than 500 scenarios in 19 categories and selects photography modes and camera settings. The technology is not perfect, with the biggest fault being oversaturated images. In our rainforest shoot, it brought out the green superbly well even in darkened forests – so while the photos were great to look at, they did not represent what you saw with the natural eye. Of course, there are many ways you can adjust settings, including in Pro mode where you can change ISO, shutter speed, focal point, white balance and exposure. But if you are looking for great photos to show off to your friends on Instagram, this is your shooter. The 24MP selfie camera offers AI beautification (which will take years off your face) as well as 3D portrait lighting. On the outside, the P20 Pro is more than fashionable, though slightly larger and thicker than the iPhone X in the hand. Unlike the Samsung S9, its screen is not rounded but is nonetheless impressive in its 6.1 inch OLED configuration. It supports HDR10 full dynamic range, making it great for watching high quality videos or Netflix. The 4000mAh battery is one of the most generous on the market and features super fast charging. The phone boasts 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The minuses are the lack of storage expansion options and a 3.5mm audio jack, though there is an adapter. For security, it has a fingerprint scanner on the home screen and facial recognition. With a retail price of $1099, the P20 Pro offers a hell of a lot of phone and photography for the price. It’s certainly in my top three phones.