HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO REVIEW: THE BEST AMERICA CAN’T GET

The previous year, Huawei was laboring behind the scenes to secure its first carrier deal in the United States.  Yes, the deal was about the freshly unveiled Mate 10 Pro flagship phone.  Huawei planned to re-announce the device at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The AT&T was its star partner. Except, at the very last moment, pressure from the US government convinced AT&T to pull out of the deal, leaving Huawei embarrassed and frustrated. Things got worse a month later, when the FBI, CIA, and NSA collectively warned US citizens off Huawei phones, arguing they pose a security and privacy risk due to the company’s ties to the Chinese government.

Whether you invest faith in the unproven allegations against Huawei or not, the fact is you won’t be able to buy the company’s new Mate 20 Pro at all in the United States, not even unlocked. And that’s a damn shame because it means Americans will be missing out on one of the most powerful, fully featured, and fascinating devices of the year. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro isn’t the best overall Android smartphone, but some aspects of it are indeed the best anyone can get right now.

HUAWEI MATE 20 PRO Comparisons

In Europe, this Android device costs a whopping €1,049 (around $1,200, including tax).In the first place, its pricing puts it at the topmost of the premium phone pile. For comparison, the Galaxy Note 9 has already been discounted from its €999 starting price, and Amazon is currently running a deal that offers it with a 128GB microSD card and 128GB of onboard storage for €799. So I’m going to forgive absolutely no follies with this Huawei phone. Only a couple of years ago, Huawei was the budget alternative to Samsung and Apple, and the shortcomings of its devices could be justified by a lower price. Today, Huawei wants to fight its biggest rivals on the same, expensive playing field.

GOOD STUFF

Since Huawei Mate 20 Pro is the most expensive  Android flagship right now, it requires an edge to justify its pricing. The two victories are battery life and performance.

First, about that 4,200mAh battery. I’ve never known a phone to have a battery this big and yet feel this light and easy to use. Huawei is doing some marvellous power optimization work, too, because I can’t do anything to run down this battery quickly. Two hours of constant gaming in Alto’s Adventure costs only 18 percent of the battery. When I leave the Mate 20 Pro idling, the battery percentage barely moves.