Huawei’s best phones are among the most powerful and stylish on the market. However, they also have the best camera phone cameras.
The latest Huawei phones are not able to run Google Mobile Services or the Google Play Store because of a US trade ban. This makes them less appealing to Western consumers who are keen to use Google products than other Android smartphones.
The phones are not usually available in the US due to this. Huawei also offers its own operating system, HarmonyOS 2, in certain regions. However, this doesn’t solve the problem.
The fact that Huawei’s new flagships, the Huawei P50 Pro and Huawei P50 Pro, are not yet available in all regions is a further problem. They were launched in China in August 2021. The P50 Pro and the foldable Huawei P50 Pocket are becoming more readily available. They will likely be included in this list if and whenever they become available in Australia or the UK.
You might not want the best Huawei phone so you may want to wait. However, there are many excellent handsets available. Below, we have a list of them, ranked and summarized so that you can quickly learn all about them.
If you aren’t sold on Huawei, check out our guides to the best Android phones, best smartphones, and best affordable phones.
1. Huawei P30 Pro
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: March 2019,
Weight: 192g
Dimensions: 158×73.4×8.4mm
OS: Android 9
Screen size: 6.47-inch
CPU: Kirin 980
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 4,200mAh
Rear camera: 40MP +20MP +8MP + ToF
Front camera: 32MP
At present, the Huawei P30 Pro is the best Huawei smartphone. The Huawei P30 Pro is also one of our favorite phones when it comes to photography. It has a phenomenal 5x and 10x zoom and a digital 50x Zoom that allows you to get close to distant objects. It also has excellent low-light capabilities.
Although the P30 Pro’s 6.47-inch screen may not have Full HD+ resolution it is bright, clear, and colorful, making it an ideal canvas for apps and games.
The battery life is great so there’s no need to worry about the P30 Pro running out of juice. We often reached the end of the day with 30 percent or more remaining.
The P30 Pro is not only a new standard in Huawei’s mobile industry, but it also sets a new standard in the field. The P30 Pro’s camera is simply amazing, its design is striking and its power is plentiful. It is a flagship smartphone.
2. Huawei Mate 20 Pro
SPECIFICATIONS
Release Date: November 2018,
Weight: 189g
Dimensions: 157.8×72.3×8.6mm
OS: Android 9
Screen size: 6.39-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3120
CPU: Kirin 980
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Battery: 4200mAh
Rear camera: 40MP +20MP +8MP
Front camera: 24MP
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is an excellent all-around phone. It offers a great mix of power, design, and performance, with some party bits thrown in.
This model builds upon the P20 and P20 Pro, offering more screens, improved triple rear cameras, and an in-display fingerprint scan.
The Mate 20 Pro has a massive 6.39-inch screen, giving you plenty of space to watch movies and games. It also features QHD resolution and HDR10 support. The display’s top edge has a large notch.
The rear camera boasts three cameras, including the 40MP wide-angle lens and the 8MP telephoto lenses. However, the third sensor is brand new. The ultra-wide 16MP camera allows you to capture more of your surroundings in each shot.
A full-featured phone at a reasonable cost, the Mate 20 Pro is a great phone. It even comes with a few unique tricks and has more powerful specs than many of its rivals.
3. Huawei P30
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: March 2019,
Weight: 165g
Dimensions: 149.1×71.4×7.6mm
OS: Android 9
Screen size: 6.1-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2340
CPU: Kirin 980
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 64/128/512GB
Battery: 3,650mAh
Rear camera: 40MP +16MP +8MP
Front camera: 32MP
Although the Huawei P30’s screen is smaller than the P30 Pro’s, it still has the best Huawei phone.
The P30’s 6.1-inch screen makes it a bit easier to hold than its bigger sibling. It also features Full HD+ and lots of colors, making it a great smartphone screen. The Huawei P30 has great battery life. It can last for up to a day and a half without needing to be charged.
Although the cameras at the rear of the P30 Pro aren’t as powerful as the ones on the P30 Pro’s four, they offer a great shooting experience with excellent low-light capabilities and 5x-10x zoom.
It has a lot of power and a handy headphone port (something that the Pro cannot boast), as well as a smaller form factor that can be used one-handed. It’s also a bit cheaper.
4. Huawei Mate 40 Pro
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: November 2020
Weight: 212g
Dimensions: 162.9 x 75.x 9.1 mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.76-inch
CPU: Kirin 9000 5G
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256/512GB
Battery: 4,400mAh
Rear camera: 50MP +12MP + 20MP
Front camera: 13MP
The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is easily one of the most powerful phones on the market in terms of hardware. However, it lacks Google apps and Plays Store. If you just want stunning photos and a beautiful screen, this phone is for you.
The curved design of the device molds to your hand and allows you to do almost anything with it. It takes great photos and offers a wide range of tools to enhance them.
Despite the absence of Google apps support, this phone will only allow you to download certain apps. It feels expensive.
5. Huawei P40 Pro
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: March 2020
Weight: 209g
Dimensions: 158.2×72.6x9mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.58-inch
CPU: Kirin 990
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 4,200mAh
Rear camera: 50MP +40MP +12MP + ToF
Front camera: 32MP
Huawei P40 Pro is the most powerful smartphone Huawei has ever produced. It’s an upgrade to the Huawei P30 Pro in many ways. The P40 Pro has a phenomenal quad-lens camera, incredible life from its 4,200mAh lithium battery, and a stylish design with curved glass at all four edges.
The P40 Pro’s Kirin990 chipset gives you flagship power, and the screen is high-resolution at 90Hz.
This Huawei phone is not the best. It lacks Google Mobile Services like the other Huawei phones. This means that it doesn’t have access to the Google Play Store or Google Maps. You will need to find your apps elsewhere and the selection is limited.
The Huawei P40 Pro is, therefore, in an awkward situation of being a lower-end handset than its predecessor. It’s still a great phone, and it’s worth looking into if you can live with Google on your phone.
6. Huawei P40
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: June 2020
Weight: 175g
Dimensions: 148.9×71.1×8.5mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.1-inch
CPU: Kirin 990 5G
RAM: 6/8GB
Storage: 128/256GB
Battery: 3,800mAh
Rear camera: 50MP +8MP +8MP
Front camera: 32MP
You might consider the regular P40 if you are looking for the same hardware design and solid camera as the Pro series, but you’re still concerned about the fact that they don’t support Google Mobile Services.
Although there is no high refresh rate display or wireless charging, the design is one of the best on the market. The triple-camera setup takes amazing photos and videos. The Kirin990 chipset supports 5G, and the battery lasts for a long time.
However, the West market is still limited in that it doesn’t have access to the Google Play Store and Google services.
7. Huawei Mate 30 Pro
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: September 2019.
Weight: 198g
Dimensions: 158.1×73.1×8.8mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.53-inch
CPU: Kirin 990
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256GB
Battery: 4,500mAh
Rear camera: 40MP +40MP +8MP + ToF
Front camera: 32MP
Huawei Mate 30 Pro was one of the first victims of the Huawei ban. There are no Google apps and no access to Google Play Store on this phone.
The restricted software can be overcome, but there is some great hardware. This includes a spectacular edge-to-edge waterfall display and a 4,500mAh battery that lasts for a long time. There are also incredibly good quad-lens cameras, which are superior in low-light situations.
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has the same chipset and performance as the Huawei P40 Pro. It also packs many other flagship features such as wireless charging and water resistance.
8. Huawei P40 Pro Plus
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: June 2020
Weight: 226g
Dimensions: 158.2×72.6x9mm
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.58-inch
CPU: Kirin 990 5G
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 4,200mAh
Rear camera: 50MP +40MP +8MP +8MP + ToF
Front camera: 32MP
The phone is just as good as the P40 Pro, and it has even better cameras. It has incredible capabilities and is the best smartphone camera system in 2020.
The camera can capture optically stabilized stills at 10x zoom, which is an absolute photographer’s dream. It is not compatible with the Google Play Store or other Google apps and services. This makes it difficult to use daily for anyone but the most tech-savvy and patient.
This means that the phone will not work with your Gmail account, third-party apps such as Uber that use Google Maps, and it won’t connect to any Wear OS wearables. The P40 Pro Plus is still a difficult sell considering its 5G camera and long battery life.
9. Huawei P30 Lite
SPECIFICATIONS
Weight: 159g
Dimensions: 152.9 x 7,2.7 x 7.4mm
OS: Android 9
Screen size: 6.15-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2312
CPU: Kirin 710
RAM: 4/6GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 3,340mAh
Rear camera: 48MP +8MP + 2MP
Front camera: 24MP
Although it has the name Huawei P30 Lite, it is not a flagship and is no match for other smartphones in the range. It’s more of a mid-ranger but it’s quite good.
It looks great, thanks to a glass-backed design similar to the Huawei P30 down to the front notch.
The screen is also comparable to its more expensive sibling. It has a 6.15 inch 1080 x 2312 LCD with a pixel density of around 415 pixels per inch.
It also features face unlock, triple-lens rear cameras, an octa-core chipset, and 4/6GB RAM. This chipset is not as high-end as comparably priced options.
It’s a solid mid-range handset overall, but trying to claim it belongs with the other P30 devices seems a bit too ambitious.
10. Huawei Mate Xs
SPECIFICATIONS
Release date: March 2020
Weight: 300g
Dimensions: 161.3×78.5x11mm (folded), 161.3×146.2×5.4mm (unfolded).
OS: Android 10
Screen size: 6.6 inches (folded), 8.0 inches (unfolded).
CPU: Kirin 990
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB
Battery: 4,500mAh
Rear camera: 40MP +16M
Huawei Mate Xs is undoubtedly the most foldable phone design that we have seen. The foldable screen was placed on the outside of the phone so it is always visible.
The Huawei Mate Xs can be used as both a smartphone and tablet with its 6.6-inch screen.
The main problem with the Huawei MateXs is not its high price, but the lack of Google Mobile Services. The software is a drawback, even though the hardware is great.
