Editor's note
This review is over four years old. Since then, Huawei's released several new phones, including the P40 and P40 Pro.
HUAWEI offered up the cheapest flagship phones in 2018. Now with the P30, P30 Pro and P30 lite they're not only matching that achievement again but offering features that surpass even the best the competition has to offer. Many carriers carry the new P30 line but we also look at where you can get the best price.
Last year was a tumultuous time for HUAWEI in Canada. They broke into the mainstream market with the HUAWEI P20, P20 Pro and P20 lite. All three phones featured flagship hardware while priced hundreds of dollars less than the competition from Samsung, LG and Google. The new P30 generation of smartphones build on that platform by bringing hardware that competes with the Samsung Galaxy S10 family while priced like a Google Pixel 3.
WhistleOut Canada prepares you by showing what's the same and what's unique about each new model, what the best offers are from each mobile carrier, and where you can expect to pick one up.
HUAWEI P30 Family Hardware Specs
All three phones use Android 9.0 (Pie) running their custom EMUI 9 interface emphasizing minimalist design, AI capabilities, and a focus on one-handed navigation. All three models use a teardrop "notch" at the top to let the screen reach all four corners. Besides an extremely large 32MP selfie camera, the P30 lite differs quite a lot from its bigger siblings. So let's break it out.
HUAWEI P30 and P30 Pro Specs
The P30 and P30 Pro offer Gigabit+ LTE capabilities, Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac WiFi connectivity. Both models have a fingerprint scanner built into the OLED screens. The displays support HDR10 for brilliant colours and feature a 1080x2340 resolution on a 6.1" (P30) or 6.47" (P30 Pro) screen.
Both support Dolby Atmos sound, but while the P30 features a headphone jack the P30 Pro drops it in favour of IP68 water and dust resistant rating.
The Canadian P30 and P30 Pro feature 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but the P30 Pro also has a model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. These two models only offer expandable storage through HUAWEI's new nanoSD cards which are difficult (and expensive) to find in Canada.
The cameras included in the P30 and P30 Pro offer industry-leading performance. You may have already seen their ads promoting incredible photos in dark environments, but being able to take a photo of a starry sky without using a tripod is something new to the world of photography. Both phones use three Leica lenses with up to 40 megapixels to get the shot, and record UltraHD video at 30fps.
At a time when all flagship phones are focusing on making the best camera, HUAWEI currently leads the pack. With up to 40 megapixels your photos will be quite large and that can fill up your non-expandable storage quickly so make sure to back up often.
Both devices feature large batteries that will last you more than a day, but only the P30 Pro offers wireless charging and features the reverse charging since adopted by Samsung. Most carriers should carry both the basic black and light blue "Breathing Crystal" case colours.
Huawei P30 Pro 128GB Plans
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Fido
$44 Data, Talk & Text Plan with 20GB - Entry
$94/mth
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Huawei P30 Plans
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Fido
$44 Data, Talk & Text Plan with 20GB - Entry
$83.58/mth
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HUAWEI P30 lite Specs
The P30 lite cuts out a lot of premium hardware, but considering it retails for less than $500 you still get a lot of high-end features.
The screen is a 6.1" IPS LCD screen with 1080p+ resolution offering sharp images and true colour. The processor is a bit slower, but still offers 128GB of storage which can be expanded with common microSD cards. There are three lenses to get sharp photos up to 24 megapixels and 1080p videos (4K video recording is not supported).
High-speed LTE is supported up to 400Mbps, and home WiFi is supported with 802.11ac. The P30 lite features Bluetooth 4.2 and a USB 2.0 Type-C connector. There's a fingerprint scanner, but rear-mounted instead of built into the screen like the P30 and P30 Pro. The battery is good enough to last you into tomorrow but there's no wireless charging support. In Canada you'll only find the black model for the HUAWEI P30 lite unless you go with Videotron who also offer the Peacock Blue.
Huawei P30 lite Plans
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Fido
$44 Data, Talk & Text Plan with 20GB - Entry
$64/mth
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Release Date and Offers (April 11, 2019)
All three models were released on April 11, 2019. If you pre-ordered one of the P30 Series smartphones, you should be eligible for a pre-order bonus from HUAWEI.
All Mobile Plans for the HUAWEI P30, P30 Pro and P30 lite
Once you know the model, size, features and storage you want then WhistleOut will help you find the best plan for your needs. We help you compare hundreds of plans from more than a dozen wireless carriers across Canada.
Make sure to enter your address to see the best coverage and most relevant prices for your area. You can also choose how much you want to pay upfront; from $0 down to the full MSRP.
HUAWEI P30 Plans: 128GB
HUAWEI P30 Pro Plans: 128GB - 256GB
HUAWEI P30 lite Plans: 128GB
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