Huawei P20 Pro Review – the triple-camera smartphone

1. Introduction2. Design & Display3. Performance & Software4. Camera & Battery5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The Huawei P20 Pro is undoubtedly the company's best phone to-date, with improvements to the camera, software and a swanky new design.

Speaking of the design, the decision to incorporate a ‘notch' will prove divisive, but you can actually disable it in the settings which is quite unique. The star of the show has to be the new ‘Twilight' colour option, though, with a lovely gradient finish that is just jaw-dropping.

Other new features include facial recognition technology to unlock the phone, which works very well, as well as the ability to remove the navigation buttons altogether in favour of using the fingerprint scanner to go back or switch to a different app.

The triple-camera setup is undoubtedly the main talking point, though, and while it is certainly impressive, I can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment as it could've been even better. Essentially, the photo processing is just too aggressive and it makes photos look over-done and a bit artificial. Night mode is also a bit hit and miss, and I had such high hopes for it after getting a hands-on demo in the weeks before the P20 Pro's release.

I'm not saying it's a bad camera setup – not at all. The camera takes good, detailed shots, and the zoom technology is absolutely class-leading. I just wish the processing could be toned down a bit to give a more natural look the the photos.

So, on the whole, is the Huawei P20 Pro worth buying? Absolutely. It is a gorgeous smartphone, with top battery life and impressive overall responsiveness. It is, however, £799 which puts it right up there against some of the best phones available. If you're looking for best in class camera quality, I think that's still Pixel 2. The Samsung S9 has a better screen, too.

If the price comes down over the coming months, like it has for the Mate 10 Pro, that would only help. As it is, the P20 Pro is undoubtedly an excellent all-rounder, but I don't think it's the best Android on the market.

You can buy one for £799 from Carphone Warehouse HERE.

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Pros

• Gorgeous new colour option.
• Excellent battery life.
• Photo zoom is class-leading.
• Low-light camera performance is also impressive.
• Software is stable and has some useful features.
• Fast facial recognition and fingerprint scanner.
• Snappy performance.

Cons

• Photos are over-processed.
• Night mode is hit and miss.
• Screen isn't as good as the S9.

KitGuru says: The P20 Pro is the best Huawei phone yet. With less aggressive photo processing, it could be even better.

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