US restrictions prevent Huawei from releasing its true power. They have an amazing R&D that no one else could compete with, not even Samsung and Apple.
While Huawei may no longer be the juggernaut everyone knows, they’re still releasing top-notch handsets that, if given the chance, could outstrip those of its popular rivals, like Samsung and Apple. The Mate X3, P60 Art, and P60 Pro shows that distinction.
Huawei Mate X3
The Mate X3 continues on the Mate X2, one of the last Huawei phones to use Leica’s engineering before they transferred to Xiaomi. Huawei has since developed its own imaging technology for its flagships called XMage which they continue to use to this day.
In terms of design. The camera layout at the back reminds us of, coincidentally, another phone which also happened to be named X3, the “POCO X3”. Okay, Huawei is really just playing with us and the name. It could be a coincidence, could be not. One could say this is like its lost foldable sibling.
The display folds like a tablet similar to other foldable phones. It is pretty wide, sporting a 7.8″ AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate when measured diagonally. It also has a 1440Hz high-frequency PWM dimming so it adapts to the environment a lot faster. Unfolded, the resolution is 2496x2224px.
When folded like a phone, the display now measures 6.4″ and the resolution is now at 2504x1080px. The same refresh rate could be used this way however.
As a flagship device, it flaunts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset but its connectivity is reduced to just 4G thanks to US restrictions. If this was a 5G device, this would attract a larger, far larger western audience.
While this has no 5G connectivity, let’s not forget to mention this: this has two-way satellite communications to make up for it. It’s kind of funny how Huawei can develop this type of tech but cannot use 5G services. To be frank, satellite communications use a far different method than traditional cellular services. China already has several satellites, so Huawei could easily use them for communications. With cellular services, those have to be developed by companies themselves, using components made by other companies and also, the chipset in a phone must also support it. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 by the way, natively supports two-way satellite messaging.
This type of communications is very important when trying to message someone in a remote area or in times of disaster. Cellular services may be down, and so satellite services could help you talk through your loved ones, from the most isolated corners of the globe. For the Huawei Mate X3, Baidou is the way, at least in China.
It also has no Google services. That’s a given. Instead, it uses the in-house HarmonyOS. You could still install APKs in it and you could still download a variety of APKs and even sideload Google apps unofficially. So you could use it the way you would do now with an Honor phone.
The three cameras at the back scream “flagship”. The primary camera is the popular 50MP Sony IMX766 camera with OIS, the other is a 13MP ultrawide camera with macro capabilities, and the last one is a 12MP telephoto camera with OIS and 5x optical zoom. It only has a single front camera, an 8MP shooter, both for its unfolded and folded screens.
It features a 4800mAh battery with 66W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and 7.5W wireless reverse charging. There’s also a collector’s edition which comes with a larger 5060mAh SiC battery. Silicon carbon batteries allow more capacity at a smaller cavity, allowing for a wider space for more important parts
It has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, an IPX8 water resistance rating, and stereo speakers with Hi-Res Audio support. There are five colours to choose from, one of them being the collector’s edition: Purple, Black, Green, Brown, and Silver. The official names of these colours will be announced when the phone arrives globally.
SPECS:
- FOLDED: 6.4″ FHD+ (2504x1080px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 1440Hz high-frequency PWM Dimming
- UNFOLDED: 7.8″ 2K (2496x2224px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 1440Hz high-frequency PWM Dimming
- IPX8 water resistance
- UNFOLDED: 7.8″ 2K (2496x2224px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, 1440Hz high-frequency PWM Dimming
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G (4nm)
- CAMERAS:
- 50MP (Primary), f/1.8, OIS, Sony IMX766
- 13MP (Ultrawide/Macro), f/2.2
- 12MP (Periscope), f/3.4, 5x optical zoom, OIS
- HarmonyOS 3.1
- 4800mAh, 66W fast charging | 5000mAh, 66W SiC fast charging (Collector’s Edition)
- 50W wireless charging
- 7.5W reverse wireless
- USB-C, Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Stereo Speakers
- 4G LTE, Two-way Satellite Communications, Wi-Fi 6/6e, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Dual Nano-SIM
- Black, Silver, Brown, Purple, Green
- PRICE:
- Regular Edition (storage not announced): CNY 12,999 (~Php 102.9K)
- Collector’s Edition: CNY 15,999 (~Php 126.6K)
- 12/512: TBA
Source: Weibo (in Chinese), Huawei Update
Huawei P60/Pro/Art
Three variants. Let’s speedrun this. Let’s go!
These phones are very similar to each other, with only minor differences in the camera department. The Art brings a more avant garde design and feels more unique and well… artistic, as the name tells.
All devices sport the same primary hardware, particularly a 6.67″ LTPO3 FHD+ (1220x2700px) AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate. All three use an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and the display is protected with a specially made Kunlun Glass. These devices are also powered by an LTE-only Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 like the foldable Mate X3.
The P series focuses on cameras and the XMage technology is developed for exactly that. When this was introduced, it brought variable aperture to the smartphone scene once more (seriously, if Huawei still had the power they had prior to the blacklisting, variable aperture could make its way to other premium flagships). The P60 series continues to use this feature.
All three phones feature a 48MP RYYB sensor with OIS. Though, Huawei never specified which sensor it is that they used. The aperture also has automatic scene-based switching. A feature that automatically adjust the aperture depending on what image you’re trying to capture. There’s also 4K video recording but no 8K
Now onto the differences! The P60 and P60 Pro are complemented by a 13MP ultrawide unit with an f/2.2 aperture. Meanwhile, the Art features a 40MP ultrawide unit, also f/2.2. The telephoto sensors are different too. The regular P60 uses a 12MP f/3.4 telephoto with a 125mm focal point and OIS. The Pro and Art use a 40MP telephoto sensor instead and is truly periscope camera with 100x digital zoom, OIS, and a 90mm focal point. Also, these cameras have f/2.1 aperture which will return a bright image, and possibly a real moon shot, unlike the galaxy boys.
Going back to that 48MP sensor, Huawei boldly claimed that it captures “the largest amount of light in the industry”. Aside from OIS, there’s also a three-axis stabilization system which performs similar to Vivo’s gimbal OIS.
The batteries also slightly differ. The P60 and P60 Pro feature a typical 4815mAh Li-Po battery with 66W fast charging and 80W fast charging respectively. They both have 50W fast wireless charging. Meanwhile, the Art gets the fancy new 5100mAh SiC battery with the same charging parameters. All three phones load with HarmonyOS 3.1 out of the box.
Finally, like the Mate X3, all three are capable of two-way satellite messaging via Baidou in China. Forgot to mention that all three phones are IP68 rated so dunking them in a pool will not fry the circuits.
The P60 and P60 Pro come in four colours. There’s the limited edition Rococo White, Feather Purple, Feather Black, and Emerald Green. The P60 Art meanwhile, comes in Blue Sea and Quicksand Gold colours. Huawei is yet to release the phone in Europe and globally.
Prices in China start at CNY 4,488 (~Php 35.5K) for the P60, CNY 6988 (~Php 55.3K) for the P60 Pro, and the Art is priced starting at CNY 8,988 (~Php 71.1K) for the 512GB version. Meanwhile, the 1TB variant starts at CNY 10,988 (~Php 86.9K). Were you expecting a Php60 price? Us too.
The P60 and P60 Pro come with 8 or 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and either 256 or 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. Meanwhile, the P60 Art is only available in either 12/512 or 12/1TB options.
SPECS:
- 6.67″ LTPO3 FullHD+ (2700x1220px) AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
- Kunlun Glass Protection
- IP68 water/dust resistance
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4nm)
- CAMERAS:
- 48MP (Primary), f/2.1, OIS, XMage Variable Aperture (f/1.4-4.0)
- 13MP (Ultrawide, P60 and P60 Pro only), f/2.2 | 40MP (Ultrawide, P60 Art only), f/2.2
- 12MP (Telephoto, P60 only), f/3.4, 125mm, 5x optical zoom, OIS | 40MP (Periscope, P60 Pro and Art only), f/2.1, 90mm, 3.5x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom, OIS
- FRONT: 13MP, f/2.4
- HarmonyOS 3.1
- 4815mAh Li-Po (P60 and P60 Pro), 66W fast charging | 5100mAh SiC (P60 Art), 66W fast charging
- 50W wireless charging
- USB-C, Dual Nano-SIM Slot, In-display fingeprint sensor, Stereo Speakers
- 4G LTE, Two-way Satellite Communications, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6/6e, NFC, GPS
- Rococo White, Feather Purple, Feather Black, Emerald Green (P60 and P60 Pro)
- Quicksand Gold, Blue Sea (P60 Art)
- PRICE:
- 8/256 (P60/P60 Pro): TBA
- 12/512 (P60/P60 Pro): TBA
- 12/512 (P60 Art): TBA
- 12/1TB (P60 Art): TBA
Stay tuned for the global editions for all four flagship phones. Huawei will announce them first in Europe.
Source: Huawei P60 Pro, Huawei P60 Art, GSMArena
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