Quick Verdict
The Huawei P20 is a powerhouse of a phone with excellent camera cability and plenty of camera options including RAW ability and manual controls, all in a stunningly sleek body.
The Huawei P20 is a flagship smartphone from Huawei, with an emphasis on photographic capability. Offering 3rd generation Leica dual cameras on the back, with a big pixel 12 megapixel RGB f/1.8 and a 20 megapixel BW f/1.6, the rear cameras also have 2x hybrid zoom, AIS and a dual-tone LED. On the front is a 24 megapixel f/2.0 selfie camera. Huawei claims a blisteringly fast launch to capture speed of just 0.3 seconds.
The Huawei P20 is part of a larger family of smartphones - the P20 Pro which has a stunning triple rear camera including a 3x telephoto lens and 40 megapixel f/1.8 main camera, and the Huawei P20 Lite which is a more budget offering, featuring dual 16 megapixel f/2.2 and 2 megapixel f/2.4 cameras on the back and a 16 megapixel f/2.0 camera on the front.
The P20 is available in black, midnight blue and pink gold, for £549 through Amazon UK. Here, we take a look at how it performs.
Huawei P20 Features
The Huawei P20 is a premium smartphone, offering a Kirin 970 processor of Huawei's own build and 4GB of RAM, making it more than capable of running lots of programs at once. There is also 128GB of flash memory, offering plenty of storage space for your images, video and anything else you want to store.
There is a 5.8-inch 2244x1080 resolution touchscreen, with a notch for the speaker/front camera. Below the screen is a home button which also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. On the right-hand side is the volume control and on/off button, and on the right-hand side is the SIM card slot. On the bottom is the USB-C charging port, and speakers at either side. There is no headphone jack, however, a USB C to 3.5mm jack converter is available in the box.
On the back, are the dual Leica cameras which are raised by about 1mm from the rest of the sleek, glass back. The phone is thin, at 7.5mm. Huawei has partnered with Dolby Atmos technology, using AI to detect the type of audio you are listening to and adjusting levels to give you the optimum experience.
There is AI power management to help you get maximum efficiency from the phone and Huawei SuperCharge offers you a fast refuelling capability.
The camera app is well equipped, as you would expect, and has Aperture, night, portrait, photo, video and Pro modes readily selectable from the scrolling bar. Under the more tab, you'll also find slow-mo, panorama, monochrome, light painting, HDR, Time-Lapse, filter, 3D panorama, watermark and document scan modes.
In the standard photo mode, there is a capability to toggle the flash and enable and disable a feature called 'moving picture' which captures a few seconds of video when you take a photo. There is also the option to change the capture from 'standard' to 'vivid colours' or 'smooth colours' depending on the look you want. In the settings, there are also lots of options including the ability to capture smiles, and turn on/off the master AI and assistive grid. There is also a feature called 4D predictive focus - which tracks the focus points on moving objects in real time.
The Master AI (Artifical Intelligence) is very clever - it looks at the scene you're shooting and puts the camera in the most fitting mode - for example, foliage, text or macro. There is the option to shoot in RAW but this is only available in the Pro mode.
The Pro mode allows you to change focal point, ISO, shutter speed, +/- EV the focusing mode and white balance by tapping on them and sliding scrollers as needed - it's very intuitive.
For those that enjoy taking portraits, this mode is great too - there is an artistic bokeh feature which can be toggled on and off as well as several lighting effects and a beauty level which can be scrolled up or down.
When it comes to video, the phone has 4K video capability. The phone has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity.
Key Features
- 12 megapixel RGB f/1.8 and 20 megapixel BW f/1.6 dual Leica rear cameras
- 24 megapixel f/2.0 selfie camera
- 4D predictive focus
- 5.8 inch 2244x1080 pixel touchscreen
- Wi-Fi/NFC/Bluetooth
- Dual tone LED flash
- 4K video recording
- AI smart photo technology identifies the subject you're shooting
- 3400 mAh battery
- RAW shooting in Pro mode
- ISO 50-3200 (Selectable in Pro mode)
- Fingerprint sensor
Huawei P20 Handling
The Huawei P20 is a sleek smartphone that feels good in the hand although, a case is recommended due to the super smooth and easily scratchable back. The rear cameras do stick out a fair amount on the back of the camera compared to others - you'll need to be careful placing the camera down on its back without a case.
The phone screen is bright, colourful and responsive - it's a joy to use. The phone has lightning fast reflexes, allowing you to act quickly on photographing subjects.
The fingerprint sensor is built into the home button at the bottom of the screen which makes sense ergonomically. The power button has a stylish red colouring which reinforces its use, and the buttons all feel robust and reassuringly solid.
The phone feels well built and looks very smart and professional in black.
On tapping the camera app you are presented with a scroller allowing you to select aperture, night, portrait, photo, video and pro modes easily. Under the 'More' tab you can find further options.
Pro Mode allows you to tap on the focus mode, ISO, shutter speed, EV, AF mode and white balance mode and slide left or right to select the level you like. This gives you a good level of manual control. This mode also has RAW photo capability. There is also a Monochrome Pro mode so that you have access to manual controls when using the monochrome camera.
Controlling the camera modes is very intuitive, with settings easily accessible.
With Huawei claiming a launch to capture speed of 0.3 seconds, the ability to capture images quickly when the opportunity arises is at the forefront of the thinking here and it is very effective, with response times being almost instantaneous.
The phone is powered by a super fast Huawei Kirin 970 octa-core processor, and has 4GB RAM along with 128GB flash memory, making it a bit of a powerhouse. Using Geekbench 4 it scored a respectable 1887 single-core score, and a 6711 multi-core score. AnTuTu benchmark gives the P20 a score of 205559, which is impressive.
Battery life - The battery is a 3400mAh offering, which Huawei says can last 16.9 days on standby and gives you about 19h of talk time. the battery fully recharges in just 1.5 hours. This should give you at least a full day of use depending on how heavily you're using the phone.
Huawei P20 Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Huawei P20 Lens test images
Photos taken with the Huawei P20 are very sharp and feature good colour representation. With the AI mode, the phone boosts colours - so greens become brighter when photographing plants etc. Sometimes this is a little overpowering, but for the most part, it's pretty impressive. It's especially effective where there are lots of different shades of the same colour, really making things pop. Detail in the photos is very good, with little evidence of aberrations and with the phone coping well in high contrast situations.
The bokeh simulator in the portrait mode is a great addition - it simulates the blurred background effect well, for the most part, however, the technology that the phone uses to simulate the effect sometimes leaves a halo around the head, especially if you have hair that flicks out a lot it can struggle to isolate the head effectively. There are plenty of options to get creative with your portraits with the lighting modes making for some very atmospheric shots.
Huawei P20 ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - Noise control is good, with low noise, and higher levels of detail at the lower ISO speeds (up to ISO400) when shooting with the colour camera. At ISO800 detail suffers, but noise is well controlled. At ISO1600 detail and image quality suffers, and ISO3200 is best avoided. Using the monochrome camera, noise performance is excellent (as there is no possibility of coloured dots ruining the image), and detail is excellent, with very sharp images produced.
Huawei P20 White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a warm result under tungsten lighting, with the tungsten preset giving a similar result. AWB performs well under fluorescent lighting, and the fluorescent preset gives a warm result. AWB performs well under mixed light. You can shoot at 12 or 20mp when shooting colour images, although it was difficult to see any additional detail when shooting at 20mp, so we'd recommend sticking to 12mp photos, unless you're using the mono camera, and then you can definitely see the extra detail of the 20mp black and white sensor.
Huawei P20 Digital filters
Digital Filters - There are 8 available digital filters - sentimental, impact, ND, Valencia, blue, halo, nostalgia and dawn. There is also a strength slider, so you can alter the level at which the filter is applied. Images with filters can only be taken at 12 megapixels max.
Video - 4K UHD (3840x2160) provides a very clear video recording at 30fps, and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) works fairly well to stop any unnecessary movement when recording handheld. FullHD video can be recorded at 60fps. You can also record high-speed video at 960fps, albeit at a reduced resolution.
Value For Money
The Huawei P20 is available for £569 sim-free, which is a fair amount of money and places the phone in the premium bracket. The price is not surprising considering the Leica affiliation and impressive specs that the phone carries.
Other members of the P20 family are available - if you want one of the most powerful cameras on the market at the moment then the P20 Pro with its 40-megapixel main camera and 3x telephoto lens will be a big draw, priced at £789. The P20 Lite is a lot more budget friendly at £299. It doesn't have the same processing power or camera power of the P20 or P20 Pro, however, it is still a good performer.
Smartphones of a similar spec to the Huawei P20 to consider are the Honor 10, which has a lot of very similar specs to the P20 but is available for £399, offering a considerable saving if the Leica affiliation is something you can live without. The Samsung Galaxy S9 offers a bright f/1.5-2.4 lens and is available for £699, or you could look at the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, with wide and telephoto lenses available for £869. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has come down in price recently and does offer a very good camera and high performance - this is currently available for £437.
Have a look at more smartphones in our Top 10 Best Smartphones for Photography or have a look at the Best Smartphones under £300 for Photography.
Huawei P20 Verdict
The Huawei P20 is a well-built smartphone offering an outstanding set of cameras, which are sure to please even the most discerning of smartphone photographers. With lightning-fast reaction times and plenty of shooting options including a Pro mode that lets you shoot RAW images and offers full manual control, the phone is a great choice for those that want a phone that's designed with the photographer in mind. The secondary monochrome camera offers sharp detailed photos and a bright f/1.6 aperture. The phone comes with plenty of RAM and storage, and at this price, it's one of the more affordable premium smartphones.
| The Huawei P20 is a very capable smartphone with impressive processing power and camera capability. |