Article Summary
HUAWEI's Mate 30 Pro premium smartphone has been announced for release in October 2019. Canadian prices haven't been set, and it's unclear if it will even be released here. If it does, expect to pay around $1,600. Canadian carriers love to throw in free hardware with new HUAWEI smartphone pre-orders, so we look at all the deals and help you choose the best.
Following months of political challenges between the China and Canada, including an all-out ban on products in the United States, Chinese tech company HUAWEI remains popular for their line of smartphones. The HUAWEI P30 family of phones improved on the previous P20 models by offering leading-edge tech for lower prices than their competition. The HUAWEI Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro offer just about every bleeding-edge feature you've seen on other phones including their primary competition, the recently released Galaxy Note10+.
It's getting harder for HUAWEI to push the limits and keep prices low. The base model Mate 30 starts at €799 (about $1,170 Cdn) and trims out a lot of the coolest features available in the Mate 30 Pro, like hands-free navigation and multiple 40 megapixel (MP) cameras.
Carrier details are still incoming, but if you plan to switch carriers then first read our guide to help you switch to a new mobile provider and keep your existing cell number with a new phone.
HUAWEI Mate 30 Shared Hardware Specs
Beautiful Design: Both the base model Mate 30 and upgraded Mate 30 Pro use aluminum frames and Gorilla Glass 6 on the front. The flexible OLED display curves around the sides. Normally that's where smartphones keep their volume buttons, so they've included software buttons to keep things smooth.
Processing Power: Using a Kirin 990 chip and 8GB of RAM gives these smartphones a processor that's competitive with the Snapdragon 855 in the Samsung Galaxy Note10+. It even gives current Apple iPhone models a challenger, although raw CPU performance is closer to last year's A12 Bionic. The Kirin 990 chip can feature built-in 5G, and there's a Mate 30 Pro 5G coming to the market too, but don't expect it in Canada; we won't be seeing 5G here for another year.
Long Battery Life: Both feature batteries over 4000mAh with extremely fast charging at 40W wired, 27W wireless, and even reverse wireless charging 2x faster than last year's model.
Connectivity: Storage is expandable with HUAWEI's nano memory, which are slightly smaller than microSD chips but cost about 2x as much. They're not very popular in Canada but can be found on Amazon.ca. There's no headphone jack, but the charging/data port is USB Type-C 3.1, and Bluetooth 5.0 is supported for premium digital audio connections.
Google is Gone(ish): Despite the rumours that HUAWEI would make a move away from Android after the US banned them from partnering with Google, Android 10 with the EMUI10 is alive and well on the HUAWEI Mate 30 series. What is missing are Google apps including the Google Play App Store. Instead, HUAWEI is promoting HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS) providing music, video, and photo apps as well as a their own web browser. These help replace Google's apps like YouTube and Chrome. HUAWEI is also heavily promoting providing tools to develop for the HMS store and funding developers who are interested.
HUAWEI Mate 30 Specs
Aside from price, the Mate 30 also trims back on the camera technology and display resolution. Lower resolution doesn't mean smaller display, as the screen is a slightly larger 6.6". There's still a FullHD+ display built-in and OLED lighting lets the always-on display show time and notifications for hours with hardly any effect on the 4,200 mAH battery.
Both rear-facing and selfie cameras are downgraded from the Pro model, but still feature impressive Leica lenses and internal hardware:
- Rear-facing cameras
- 40MP f/1.8 wide
- 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide
- 8MP f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- Selfie cameras
- 24 MP with HDR
HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro Specs
The biggest competitor with the Mate 30 is Samsung's Galaxy Note10 lineup. Just like those models, the upgraded hardware on the Note10+ takes a good smartphone and turns it into something revolutionary.
The most basic hardware change includes a 6.5" OLED display at a slightly higher resolution than the Mate 30 for a sharper screen. More pixels doesn't mean less life since the battery is also a larger 4,500 mAh. There's 256GB of storage and that extra space will be needed when you start using the incredible cameras.
Higher resolution cameras on the back and more cameras on the front give the Mate 30 Pro some truly unique features. The rear-facing cameras can shoot over 100x slow-motion (at 720p) so you can watch the wings of a hummingbird as they move. The front-facing set up includes a dedicated 3D camera to assist with accurate real-time photo effects.
The software behind the cameras is intelligent too. It watches your eyes so the screen will auto-rotate to match the orientation of your face. A dedicated sensor in the "world's smartest notch" will let you navigate your phone by waving your hand in front of it.
- Rear-facing cameras
- 40MP f/1.6 wide with OIS
- 40MP f/1.8 ultrawide
- 8MP f/2.4 telephoto with 3x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- 3D Depth sensor
- Selfie cameras
- 32 MP with HDR
- 3D Depth sensor
Release Date and Preorder Offers
No clear date was mentioned at the launch event for the HUAWEI Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro, but the target appear to be October. It is likely that the scaled-back Mate 30 will not come to Canada, but the Mate 30 Pro should be a popular addition to the smartphone lineup at most nationwide carriers.
The HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro will sell for €1,099 which is about $1,600 Canadian, although official Canadian pricing hasn't been announced.
In partnership with Porsche, a premium model of the Mate 30 Pro RS with sleek design features, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage has also been announced. Previous "RS" models didn't make it to the Canadian market through official channels, so don't expect to find this model here. If you find one expect to pay €2,095 (just over $3,000 Cdn).
There are often a lot of pre-order deals, and WhistleOut helps you find the best. Look for these deals to be sweetened as we get closer to the October release.
HUAWEI Watch GT 2
Offering round, high-resolution screens that last up to two weeks on a single charge the new HUAWEI Watch GT 2 builds on the previous model with faster performance and better connectivity. It even has an "always-on" mode like the Apple Watch Series 5, but that will obviously have a negative effect on that battery life.
Completely loaded with sensors, this replaces any fitness tracker by recognizing activities like offroad biking, elliptical workouts and what kind of swim strokes you're using. The Watch GT 2 uses LiteOS (instead of Google's watch-focused WearOS), but still features a variety of apps to keep it useful. You can take Dick Tracy style phone calls directly from the watch while your phone is on the other side of the house.
Pricing is set at €229 ($335 Cdn) for the slim 42mm model, or €249 ($365 Cdn) for the heftier 46mm HUAWEI Watch GT 2.
All Mobile Plans for HUAWEI Smartphones
While there were four models of HUAWEI Mate 30 smartphones announced, it's likely that only the Mate 30 Pro will be released in Canada. It's the best balance of features and price, so that's fine. The full P30 series launched in Canada earlier this year and older P20 and Mate 20 Pro models can still be found at many carriers. There is no shortage of HUAWEI smartphone options for every budget.
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HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro Plans: TBD
HUAWEI P30 Pro Plans: 128GB | 256GB
HUAWEI P30 Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI P30 lite Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI P20 Pro Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI P20 Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI P20 lite Plans: 32GB
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