Huawei is no stranger to big phones — but it’s looking to go even bigger with the release of the new Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and Mate 20 X. With all-new Kirin processors, advanced A. I. brains, and an amazing triple camera, here’s everything you need to know about the Mate 20 series.
Huawei is on a roll. The Chinese company produced the hit Huawei P20 Pro smartphone at the start of 2018, which earned praised for its excellent camera and beautiful design. But Huawei’s not done yet, and it ended the year by revealing the Huawei Mate 20 range. The Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and Mate 20 X follow the impressive Mate 20 Lite and introduce Huawei’s latest hardware and beautiful design.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Huawei Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and the supersized Mate 20 X.
The west may have celebrated New Year already, but it’s not due in China until February — and there might be two new editions of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to celebrate it. According to MyDrivers, a special Fragrant Red and Comet Blue Mate 20 Pro have been spotted on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. An image has been leaked of the Fragrant Red option, but the only apparent evidence of the Comet Blue variant is apparently from source code. Still, Chinese companies love to celebrate Chinese New Year, so it’s likely we’ll see at least one of these new colors launched in China come February.
The Huawei Mate 20 is clearly one of the best Android phones of the year — but unfortunately it’ll be very hard to get the device for yourself if you live in the U. S. The news comes from a report from Business Insider in which a Huawei spokesperson confirmed that the company won’t be selling the device in the U. S. If you really want the phone, it’s possible you might be able to find it through some online retailers — but given the fact that the U. S. sometimes uses different network frequencies and technologies, you’ll want to carefully check on network compatibility before you buy.
Huawei’s designs have always been in line with the latest mobile trends, and the Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, and Mate 20 X are no different. You’ll find glass with gently curving sides laid over solid aluminum frames, and notches cut into both displays — but there are some fairly significant differences between Huawei’s latest flagships and 2018’s biggest trends.
The most obvious change from the norm is the placement of the camera lenses on the back of the phone. While the use of three lenses is becoming more commonplace, having been introduced in Huawei’s own P20 Pro, and continued in the LG V40 ThinQ, it’s the positioning of the lenses that is now more interesting than the number. Rather than a horizontal or vertical line, the Huawei Mate 20 series’ three lenses are formed into a 2-by-2 box along with the camera’s flash unit as the fourth member, forming a distinctive square. In a world where flagship phones are looking startlingly similar, this simple change makes the Mate 20 range stand out from the crowd.
The glass on both phones has also seen some changes. While both phones still sport Huawei’s magical color-changing glass backs, a “featherline” pattern has been added to both phones. This pattern helps to decrease the visual impact of greasy fingerprints on the back of the phones — hopefully ending this common scourge of glass phones. Huawei has also added an extra layer to the back as well, something referred to as “vinyl tactility.” This layer increases grip significantly on the back of the phone, while still permitting the phone to retain the premium feel of pure glass.
Flip the two phones over and you’ll find some differences to set them apart from one another. The Mate 20 is equipped with a tiny Dewdrop notch cut into a 6.53-inch RGBW HDR display, running a 2244 x 1080 resolution in an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The Mate 20 Pro is a slightly smaller phone, but rocks an impressive 6.39-inch curved OLED display, running a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Pro model also sports a notch, but it’s cut much wider to accommodate an advanced 3D depth-sensing array built into the front of the phone. The Mate 20 X is the largest of the three phones by a significant margin. It’s equipped with a huge 7.2-inch HDR display, and emulates the look of the Mate 20, complete with Dewdrop notch.
You’ll find a fingerprint sensor on the back of the Mate 20 — but it’s missing on the Mate 20 Pro. Instead, Huawei has incorporated fingerprint scanning tech into that phone’s OLED display. This is definitely the mobile world’s next major advance, and it’s the first time we’ve seen Huawei put it into one of its mainstream phones. Huawei first tested out the tech in the Porsche Design Huawei Mate RS, and it’s been revamped since that first buggy release.
Only the Mate 20 Pro should be able to survive a slip into the pool, with IP68-rated water-resistance. The Mate 20 is only rated at IP54, and the Mate 20 X is rated for IP53, and can only withstand splashes. As a modern flagship phone, the Mate 20 Pro lacks a headphone jack, while the venerable port is still present on the less advanced Mate 20 and Mate 20 X.
