[Review] Premium hardware across the board - HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro

Pros	Cons
+ OLED Display, 120HZ	- 4700 mAh battery capacity
+ IP68 up to 6m (30mins)	- Big Notch
+ HUAWEI Kunlun Glass Protection

HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro Kunlun Glass Edition

Price: RM 5,299

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro inherits the camera module for HUAWEI Mate 30 Pro yet looks much more professional thanks to the space ring camera module design. The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro replaces Leica with an XMAGE camera, with brand new camera tricks kept up at its sleeves.

Design

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro Kunlun Glass Edition comes only in Orange in Malaysia whereas the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro normal version will feature two colors - Black and Silver. However, the Kunlun Glass Edition is covered with Vegan Leather that gives you a cushiony feel in your palms.

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro features a space ring design camera module as I mentioned before. The Clous de Paris Pattern design on the camera scales up the appearance of the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro to the further stage.

Besides, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro comes with a curved OLED 6.74-inches screen size and a resolution is 1212 x 2616 pixels. Its fingerprint sensor is placed under the display. Also, the power button and volume rocker are located at the right frame of the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro.

Anyhow, there is no 3.5 mm jack at the side of the charging port as it is not necessary for flagship phones nowadays as it will also affect the aesthetics of the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro.

Display

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro offers a 6.74-inches OLED Display and a resolution of 1212 x 2616 pixels along with the wedge notch display. As a flagship device, HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro lives up to its branding thanks to the 91.3% screen-to-body ratio as well as the curved OLED Display that enhances the viewing experience for users.

Aside from that, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro allows you to adjust the screen resolution from Low (808 x 1744) to High (1212 x 2616) according to your needs. If you feel like the high resolution is killing off the battery quickly, you can switch to Smart Resolution which automatically adjusts to save power.

Of course, there is also a 120Hz Dynamic refresh rate that automatically adjusts the refresh rate of the display based on the usage of the device whether you are scrolling through Facebook or Instagram or you are playing games on it.

Camera

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro comes with a triple camera setup, sporting a 50MP wide camera, a 64MP periscope telephoto camera, and a 13MP ultrawide camera. But the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro, replaces the status Leica with XMAGE that enhances the image quality. Apart from the cameras, there are also a few notable camera features that help to produce high-quality images such as Super Macro mode, Night Mode, and Aperture mode.

Super Macro Mode

With this feature, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro enables you to take close-up images where you need to clearly show the subject's details.

As you can see in the picture above taken with Super Macro Mode, the details of every small stone is being captured clearly. Thus, you can stop worrying about losing focus while taking close-up shots.

Night Mode

Let’s see if the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro could capture images accurately at night.

Night mode Without Night Mode

Compared with the pictures above, the pictures taken with Night Mode are vibrant. The subject and the lights do not fade out as it was captured in dim-light conditions. However, pictures taken without the Night Mode appears to be a lot darker areas on the subjects.

Aperture Mode

There is two aperture mode on the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro, the Virtual aperture, and the Physical aperture. The pictures taken in the Virtual aperture will be less accurate compared to the Physical aperture.

Virtual Aperture Physical Aperture

You can spot another difference from using the Virtual aperture the lights at the back will form a bokeh effect where the Physical aperture mode doesn't. The wheels at the back captured with Physical aperture appears to be sharper.

This is because the Physical aperture mode will cover up the lens of the camera and limits the light that came coming through the lens. Therefore, the subject taken within the picture will appear to be sharper. For your information, the Physical aperture is able to adjust its aperture from a maximum f1.4 aperture to an f4.0 aperture when you take photos.

f/1.4 f/4.0

Video

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro supports 4K 60FPS video recording which is a must for flagships. As expected, it performs reasonably well even at night.

I also prepared a comparison between 30 FPS and 60 FPS as below:

30fps

60fps

Apart from that, there is an Ultra-steady mode available for you to capture your favorite moments. The Ultra-steady mode helps to enhance the quality of the recording where it reducing tearing and ensuring a smoother experience.

Performance

The HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro is equipped with Snapdragon 8+ 4G Gen 1 (4 nm) processor, with 512 GB ROM and 8 GB RAM. This phone satisfies my mobile gaming needs by providing me with a lag-free gaming experience even at the highest graphic settings.

Even with max graphics and 60FPS on Genshin Impact, the game runs unsurprisingly well. However, it has some issues maintaining 60FPS constantly but it does not affect much in terms of the gaming experience.

The is also a game center where you can turn on settings such as Game Acceleration, and Uninterrupted Gaming to further boost your gaming experience. Note that the Performance mode will also affect the framerates with an exchange of phone overheating.

Although the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro may heat up after long gaming sessions as it was not built for hardcore mobile gaming fans. You can feel the warm temperature on the device after a while, yet it does not burn your palms so there is nothing to worry about.

Aside from game performance, you can now create “custom widgets” on the supported apps on the home screen thanks to the EMUI 13 on the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro. In addition, you can create flexible-sized widget combos with different types of applications.

Also, you can stack widgets up to free up some space on your home screen.

Moreover, to fully utilize the widget-creating feature, you can get access to quick information by swiping up the app icon without tapping in to check on notifications.

Furthermore, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro Kunlun Edition introduces you to their latest technology that makes sharing much easier thanks to the SuperHub. This function allows you to drag and drop pictures, notes, videos, and links to store them and share them with your friends and family.

Lastly, the Mate 50 Pro is packed with a 4700mAh capacity battery and a 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge and 50W Wireless HUAWEI SuperCharge that bring the Mate 50 Pro back into action in a short matter of time. Additionally, the Mate 50 Pro also supports 5W Reverse wireless charging.

Buy or no buy?

If you are looking for an Android flagship smartphone that can last for years, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro Kunlun Glass Edition may be one of the best choices to go to. In terms of the performance and aesthetics of the device, it still lives up to its status.

As the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro Kunlun Glass Edition is protected against harmful ingress of static water at up to 6 meters (IP68) for up to 30 minutes compared to the normal variety of Mate 50 Pro. Sadly, the HUAWEI Mate 50 Pro heats up and drains the battery pretty quickly while only taking pictures with the phone.

Still, if you are comfortable with the “Google less” Android smartphone, there is actually not much difference between the Android smartphone with Google. Hence, the HUAWEI App Gallery will still get the application you wanted just like the Play Store.