PLUGGED IN WITH ANDY O’DONOGHUE
Huawei P30 Pro From €79.99 billpay, €780 prepay. ★★★★★
Huawei’s top-tier phones have made a serious impact on the smartphone market in the last few years. Their P series has been the photography-focused line, whereas the Mate series with its bigger screen and higher specifications was perhaps aimed more at business users.
The new P30 Pro has shaken up that theory though. Firstly, unboxing this new phone reveals a big screen device. It’s OLED screen is a shade under 6.5” but the phone still weighs only 192g.
It’s available in two colours in Ireland, Breathing Crystal and Black. Beautifully designed, the bezel is wonderfully thin and the screen edges are curved making it pleasing in the hand.
The pay-back for the stylish design and all that glass is that the P30 Pro can be a little tricky to hang onto at times. Do your nerves a favour by making sure you put a case on this
phone the moment you unbox it.
The screen resolution is excellent, with a full HD resolution of 2340x1080. The chip that runs everything is the Kirin 980. This is the same chip as in the Mate 20 Pro and it’s a wonderfully fast performer. Gaming, photography and even video editing are accomplished with ease.
This phone is designed for serious photography. Firstly, the front camera is now 32MP. While the notch where the camera is has got smaller, the upgrade in tech will make for supercharged selfies with more clarity than you may be used to. The rear camera is a revelation. The Leica Quad camera is 40MP and has a wide angle lens and optical image stabilisation. Then, there’s a 20MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens.
The P30 Pro is now the benchmark for all smartphones with photography ambition. It’s a magical memory-maker.