HUAWEI P30 PRO: WHAT IS IT?
The latest flagship phone from the Chinese brand isn't just good – we reckon it might just be the best handset ever created for travel lovers. There are plenty of reasons for that, but the P30 Pro's standout feature – or at least the headline grabber – is a breathtakingly good quad-camera system that'll take your holiday snap game to another level. Factor in seriously good battery life, a big and glossy 6.47-inch OLED screen, and a super-fast Kirin 980 chipset, and you've got a phone that's ready to go wherever you are.
HUAWEI P30 PRO: WHY DO I NEED IT?
As appealing as it might be to escape the real world for a few days and digitally detox, for most of us the thought of going away without a phone is absolutely terrifying. But there's no reason why the right phone can't enhance your travel experience, and the P30 Pro certainly does that. The camera, co-engineered with Leica, is undeniably the biggest selling point – its quad-camera system (the 40MP main camera, a telephoto optical zoom, an ultra-wide-angle lens and a time-of-flight camera) combines to create an astonishing array of clever features that result in photos no one will believe was shot on a phone – or, if you're anything like us, by you.
For starters there's the showstopping zoom – which goes to 50x thanks to a combination of 'periscope' telephoto zoom, hybrid zoom and AI from the Kirin 980 – then there's the brilliant low-light performance, background-blurring bokeh for pro-looking portraits, and ultra-wide-angle for those 'how did they squeeze all that into one picture?' results beloved of estate agents. It's a very clever piece of kit, and the biggest compliment we can pay it is that our digital SLR has been sorely neglected while we've had the P30 Pro on test.
Camera aside, there's plenty more to like when you're travelling, not least excellent dust and water resistance, decent sound quality from the device's electromagnetic sound levitation (read: vibrating screen), and a large, sharp, curved-edge display that's great to watch video on, if quite large if you've got small hands. You'll also be grateful for the excellent battery life – the huge 4,200mAh battery is a godsend when you know you're not going to be near a charger for a while, and we often stretched it out over two days on a single charge without giving much thought to power saving. You also get reverse wireless charging, so you and your P30 Pro can step in and bail a mate out of a low-battery emergency when you're on the move.
HUAWEI P30 PRO: SHOULD I BUY IT?
If taking great photos is a big priority, it's hard to look past the P30 Pro, but it's far from a one-trick pony. Day-to-day or on your travels, features like that stonking battery life and punchy OLED display make this one of the most versatile and highest-performing phones on the market. It doesn't hurt that it's a looker, too – we couldn't stop gawping at the Midnight Black P30 Pro we tested, with its sophisticated black-chrome finish, while flashier colours with funky names like Aurora Sunrise and Breathing Crystal make a bigger visual statement.
Of course, Huawei's blacklisting by the US government in May will raise a few questions for existing and potential customers (which the brand has addressed here), though a fair few retailers are offering Huawei products, including the P30 Pro, at a discount as a result. Either way, it's worth keeping an eye on the situation.
The Huawei P30 Pro is available from £899 (128GB); huawei.com
