The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is the next major phone launch from the Chinese smartphone maker after the Mate 20 Pro, with the blanket slated to be picked up on the new phone (and base Huawei Mate 30) in October.
And while there's uncertainty as the company's future looks more stable than it did before in 2019, so this is a phone that should be worth listening to.
- This is the best Huawei phones
That said, while Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro have full access to Android and Google apps, there is a possibility that Huawei Partner 30 Pro may launch with the firm's own operating system. Although we doubt how things are at the moment.
Update: Leaked renders show how Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro are from the front and back in those cases. Plus, another leak hints at possible quad-lens camera specs.
Not much is known about the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, but the rumors are starting to roll in, which you will find below. We will also update this article every time we hear any reliable new information.
Can the phone go out, and if it does, is our list of the best Android phones? We'll have to wait until launch to find out for sure.
It's not just the Mate 30 Pro that's worth keeping an eye out for though. The new iPhone and Google Pixel 4 are both hot-tipped to arrive in the coming months too, giving you plenty of new options to consider.
Get to the point
- What is this? Successor to Mate 20 Pro
- When is that? Probably October 2019
- How much is it? Likely to compete with other top flagships
Huawei Mate 30 Pro release date and price
There is no Huawei Partner 30 Pro release date yet rumored, but we have a pretty good idea about when we'll see it.
Huawei always announces new entries in its buddy range by the end of the year, or rather it was announced as Huawei Partner 20 range and Huawei Mate 10 in October of their launch years.
So the October announcement is our best guess. There is no guarantee that, especially as Huawei Mate 9 was announced in November 2016, but at least the Mate 30 Pro will probably be announced in the last few months of 2019, along with the standard Huawei Mate 30.
The latest whispers we've heard suggest Pairing 30 phones are going to launch earlier than expected in September, so maybe Huawei is planning to surprise us.
There are no rumors at any price yet, but the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will cost 899/AU$1,599 (about $1,150) at launch, so it is likely that the Mate 30 Pro will cost at least the same.
It's also worth noting that given Huawei's current issues in the US, the Pairing 30 Pro probably won't be available there.
Huawei Mate 30 PRO news and rumors
One of the main Huawei Partner 30 Pro rumors comes from a Huawei patent that shows the phone's case from a seat to the back for additional lenses.
You can see in the image below, and based on that, there doesn't seem to be room for five rear lenses, out of three on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and four on the P30 Pro.
Of course, patents don't always become real devices, and even if it's hard to get used to, it couldn't make it into the Huawei 30 Pro counterpart, but it would make sense for Huawei to increase the number of lenses on its flagships, given that a number of other phones do the same. most.
We've also heard from Huawei that the buddy 30 band can support 5G, but that's only "considering" this one for now.
In addition, we can be sure that the Mate 30 Pro will have a new generation of the company's top chipset.
The current top version is called Kirin 980 and debuted in the Huawei Mate 20 range. Based on the previous title, you can guess that the next album will be called Kirin 990.
The Mate 30 Pro also likely has at least four rear cameras, considering what the Huawei P30 Pro does, and it could have the same design as the phone, including a tiny notch, and hardly any bezels.
Having said that, several leaks have shown a design with a large notch, along with a twisty screen. The curves on the screen can be seen below.
But we also saw an old set of renders ostensibly showing a phone. The size of the camera block matches the cutout in the leak patent above, and appears in the home for at least four cameras.
On the front, this Huawei Mate 30 Pro leaked suggest the phone will have a dual front camera, surrounded by a screen in a similar fashion to the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus.
Large camera blocks are starting to become one of the main design eyewear for phones, preparing to launch in the second half of 2019, as the iPhone 11 and Google Pixel 4 are also tipped to take more hits.
We've already heard an alternative to this big-block phone, though, as a leaked render shows a circle of the camera block with lenses aligned into an "X" shape. It's a futuristic design, but it's rather surprisingly large, and can be frustrating in physical form.
That circular block can be seen again in a regular leak (below), albeit without the "x" configuration and oddly enough only at first glance a three-lens housing. This leak also points to a large notch, and seems to show a headphone port on the standard Mate 30, but not on the Mate 30 Pro.
As well as the current camera design, we've heard a bit about the camera's capabilities, thanks to Huawei's successful trademarks of the phrase 'Cine Lens' and 'Camera Matrix'.
We expect the former to be a lens with specific features designed for video recording, but the final mystery at this point is how that might apply to so many things.
Elsewhere, leaks have suggested that at least one of the phones will have four rear cameras, consisting of two 40MP lenses, an 8-megapixel lens, and a time-of-flight (TOF) and depth sensor.
The front of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro has leaked image display screen cutouts for many cameras – more than a dual-lens front snapper like some smartphones, so it's possible the device will have an Apple-style face unlock.
What do we want to see
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is likely to be a powerful, impressive phone, but in order to really stand out it can do the following things.
1. Improved camera
Cameras on the 20 pro mat are generally very good, but in our review we found that shots taken with the ultra-wide lens sometimes have distorted edges.
We also noted that the phone's HDR skills don't match up with some of its biggest rivals such as the Google Pixel 3 and the iPhone XS, so those are two things we'd like to see improvements for the Huawei Partner 30 Pro.
2. More lenses
While we're on the subject of the camera, we'd like more lenses. Three on the back is a good start, but with the likes of the Nokia 9, getting five lenses always has room for more.
Such a thing could very well happen too, as early rumors suggest that optional rear lenses could be fitted with the Mate 30 Pro.
Also, we'd like to see an additional lens on the front of the phone, especially if it can be used to power Apple's Caliber facial recognition.
3. No Notch
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a beautiful phone, but one element that might look dated in 2019 is its notch, as phones start arriving with punch-holes instead of a camera.
But ideally we don't even want that for the Mate 30 Pro, what we'd like to see is a truly all-screen design with a camera and sensors for some reason on the screen. It may not be possible, but Huawei is often among the first to showcase new technology in mobile phones, so you never know.
4. Rain cover interface
One constant problem with all Huawei phones is the company's heavy EMUI overlay stick on Android.
We'd love to see the addition of the 30 Pro stick closer to stock Android. Even better, ditch EMUI entirely and use Android alone – which will also ensure software updates can be offered quickly.
5. Improved screen scanner
The Huawei Assistant 20 Pro has a built-in screen, a fingerprint scanner and was one of the first sports phones. It's a useful feature, but in case Buddy 20 Pro it's not ideal.
It's only on a small area of the screen, so it can be hard to find without first turning on the screen (which brings up the icon). It is also not suitable for fingerprint recognition.
It's all forgivable since it's the first generation of technology, but by the time the buddy has about 30 launches, Huawei will have another year to perfect it, so let's hope it uses the time wisely.
6. 3,5mm headphone port
Like many phones, the Mate 20 PRO lacks a 3,5mm headphone port, but we're still not convinced it's time to ditch wired headphones.
There are many arguments for the convenience of wireless headphones and that the space used by the port could be better used for other things.
It's all valid, but many of us still have wired cans that we don't want to bury yet too early. Some of us also don't want to charge our headphones, and when it comes to sound quality wired can still have an advantage.
7. Something new
Most of the things listed above are focused on improving the Mate 20 Pro, but what we really want to see for the Huawei Partner 30 Pro is something completely new and exciting.
Some futuristic feature could be a completely new, completely dazzling design. We'll leave the Huawei specifics, but in the face of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and the iPhone and 11, it could take more than an impressive base for the Pairing 30 Pro to truly stand out.
- The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could be a serious contender