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Introduction
What do you get when you replace the periscope camera of a Huawei P30 Pro with a conventional, shorter tele lens? The Huawei P30 non-Pro, of course.
Naturally, we're oversimplifying and there are more differences beyond the most obvious 3x zoom vs. the Pro's headline 5x figure. Huawei isn't keen on going the same path Samsung took with the S10s and is doing all sorts of things to differentiate between the models - it's not just a matter of size when choosing between the P30s and that's not ideal if you ask us.
And since we started with the cameras, the primary one is sort of the same, but different too - same, because it uses the 40MP sensor with an RYYB filter that you'll find on the Pro; different, because here the imager is placed behind a dimmer f/1.8 lens with no OIS, while the other model boasts stabilized f/1.6 optics. The ultra wide is also not the same as on the P30 Pro and it's the one from the Mate 20, instead.
Then there are some arbitrary omissions that seem like they've been put in place just to make the P30 Pro's life easier - the vanilla P30 lacks proper waterproofing (IP53 vs. IP68), there's no wireless charging and the wired one is capped at 22.5W, where the Pro gets 40W. And the IR emitter is gone too, sadly. On a positive note, the P30 does have a regular headphone jack - a connectivity option that didn't have its place on the Pro, apparently.
Huawei P30 specs
- Body: Dual-glass with metal frame; IP53-rated for dust and water resistance; Amber Sunrise, Breathing Crystal, Pearl White, Aurora, Black color schemes; 149.1x71.4x7.6mm, 165g.
- Screen: 6.1" OLED, 1,080x2,340px resolution (398ppi); waterdrop notch.
- Chipset: Kirin 980 chipset, octa-core processor (2x2.6GHz Cortex-A76 + 2x1.92GHz Cortex-A76 + 4x1.8GHz Cortex-A55), Mali-G76 MP10 GPU.
- Memory: 6/8GB RAM, 64/128/256GB storage (expandable via Nano Memory - hybrid slot).
- OS: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1.
- Camera: Main: 40MP (RYYB filter), f/1.8, 27mm; telephoto: 8MP, f/2.4, 80mm, f/2.4, OIS (3x optical zoom); ultra wide: 16MP, f/2.2, 17mm. 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica branding.
- Selfie cam: 32MP, f/2.0 Leica lens, Portrait Mode with live bokeh effects.
- Battery: 3,650mAh; Super Charge 22.5W.
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band GPS; Bluetooth 5 + LE, NFC, USB Type-C, 3.5mm jack.
- Misc: Under-display fingerprint scanner, single bottom-firing loudspeaker.
The P30 proper isn't denied all Pro goodies, however. It's got the same high-end chipset, the under-display fingerprint sensor is under a beautiful OLED display, the identical 32MP front-facing cam is in a tiny notch up top just the same. Even the box is the same.
Huawei P30 unboxing
Well, for the most part. It's plain white with rose gold inscriptions like on the Pro, but it says 'triple camera' next to the red Leica dot - the Pro's box has 'quad' there.
Just like the Pro, the plain P30 comes with no USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box, only it doesn't need one since it has the jack built in. There's a headset with a plug to match it, too. Our review unit was packing a transparent silicone case as well, but this could be region-dependent, so don't count on it.
There's a Huawei SuperCharge adapter bundled, its output rated at 5V/2A, 5V/4.5A, and 4.5/5A - the lower-tier of the company's proprietary standard, which is still pretty fast with its 22.5 watts. There's a cable to go with it as you'll need all the Huawei bits to get the full speed charging.
Design and 360-degree view
On the outside, the P30 is indeed a scaled down P30 Pro - the lively OLED display with a small notch up top and minimal bezels, the fancy color schemes, the multitude of cameras on the back - you'd be forgiven if you can't spot the differences after a casual glance.
There are plenty of those, however. For starters, the P30's display is flat as opposed to the curved one of the Pro. We've heard the complaints and we've voiced them ourselves on occasion - the curves lead to accidental touches, some say. While this isn't the case with every single person out there, those who prefer their screens flat have the P30 proper to look to.
Oddly enough, the P30 has a smaller chin than the Pro - if small chin means premium, then the P30 is premium-er than its otherwise more expensive sibling. While we wouldn't call them thick by any stretch, the sides aren't as thin on the P30 as they are on the Pro, however, so justice is restored.
The difference continue above the display, where there's an actual earpiece. The P30 Pro uses an 'acoustic screen' in its place, vibrating the top part of the panel for voice calls - no such thing on the P30. You'd think that having a conventional earpiece would mean stereo speakers, as we've seen on previous Huaweis no less, but that is not the case here - would have looked bad in comparisons if the P30 had stereo speakers and the Pro didn't, right?
We'd have appreciated a notification/status LED around here, but there isn't one, sadly. There's a proximity sensor, barely visible, immediately to the right of the earpiece, while the ambient light sensor is underneath the display, like Samsung does it.
Flat 6.1-inch OLED panel • In the hand • Top bezel with a conventional earpiece slit
Subtle differences can be found on the back as well. The P30's triple camera is missing the periscope telephoto module of the Pro and the main 40MP cam has a smaller aperture and no OIS. All these factors contribute to an overall more compact camera assembly.
Don't get us wrong here, the P30's camera bump still sicks out a good 1.8mm and the phone is one of the wobbliest we've seen lately. Not that it matters much when you're holding it or it's in your pocket, but we know it bothers some people.
Speaking of pockets, the P30 is noticeably pocket-friendlier than the Pro. The handset measures 149.1x71.4x7.6mm (9.4mm at the camera), which is 0.8mm shorter than the Galaxy S10, but a mil wider. The LG G8 is 2.8mm taller and 0.4mm wider than the P30, while the Pixel 3 still has a smaller footprint, though it's also a smaller display on the Google phone.
Even though it's heavier than the S10 by some 8g, the P30 is also reasonably light at 165g, 2g less than the G8. The Pixel 3 is once more on the bottom of this list (or top, in fact) with its 148g. The P30 Pro is substantially heavier, tipping the scales at 192g.
The P30 may be light, but it's still a glass sandwich held together by a metal frame, same as the Pro and pretty much every other high-end phone today. Unlike most competitors, however, the P30 isn't very water-resistant - it's IP53 rating does cover splashes, but the other phones at this level go all the way up to IP68 for submersion op to a meter for up to 30 minutes (not that you should willingly dip your phone in water, of course).
The frame of our Breathing Crystal P30 is polished to a shiny finish, unlike the satin one of the Black P30 Pro we had for review. We don't really have strong feelings one way or the other, but the P30's frame will probably show scuffs and dents more than the P30 Pro's. From what we gather, the Black color versions of both phones have the matte finish, while all the fancier paintjobs get the polished frame.
The finish may be different, but the control layout remains the same - the power button with the signature red accent is above the midpoint on the right and the volume rocker is above it. The buttons are well positioned, their size is just right and they click positively with nice travel.
On the other side you'll find the card slot. Huawei is stubbornly pushing its own NM card standard for expansion and we can't see that taking off. We doubt the size benefits of the new standard outweigh thedownsides. In any case, the option to expand the built-in storage is there, so not all is lost.
Up top there's nothing other than the secondary mic - we're really missing the IR emitter. Well, not all of us necessarily, but still - why have it on the Pro and remove it for the non-Pro?
Controls on the right • Card slot on the left • USB-C and 3.mm jack on the bottom
Down on the bottom is where you'll find the USB-C port for charging and the 3.5mm jack for connecting headphones. That's one area where the P30 beats the P30 Pro - the Pro doesn't have the jack. The primary mic and the loudspeaker are here too.
And to finish things up, let's just admire for a minute the awesomeness of the Breathing Crystal paint job of our review unit.
The 6.1-inch OLED can be bright and color-accurate
Huawei appears to have made the switch to OLED for all its top-tier smartphones, following three generations of Pro Mates, and a P20 Pro last year. Well, now, even the non-Pro P30 has an OLED display and we only need the upcoming fall's vanilla Mate to confirm the full transition.
The P30's panel measures 6.1 inches in diagonal and has a 1080x2340px resolution in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio - that would be a density of 422ppi. It's got a relatively small notch in the muddle of the top edge and rounded corners all around.
In our testing, we measured a maximum brightness of 449nits when in manual mode - noticeably lower than the Pro's result, but well in line with other OLEDs. The P30 can boost its brightness higher than the P30 Pro when in auto and under direct light and posts a rather respectable 635nits. The Mate 20 Pro and the LG G8 ThinQ can go that extra few nits higher, while the Galaxy S10 is far from anyone's reach at the top. As it should be, there was no measurable illumination of the blacks - a phenomenon we've observed with some OLEDs in the past.
Minimum brightness on the Huawei P30 is 1.7nits, which is great for using the phone in complete darkness. Just make sure you don't leave it like that as may not be able to see anything in the morning.
We had zero issues with using the phone outdoors - even framing photos out in the sun was a doable task.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0 | 449 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 635 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 571 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 605 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 412 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 582 | ∞ | |
| 0.328 | 477 | 1454 | |
| 0.481 | 695 | 1445 | |
| 0.002 | 508 | 254000 | |
| 0.003 | 657 | 219000 | |
| 0 | 396 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 820 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 428 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 620 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 391 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 655 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 531 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 426 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 453 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 455 | ∞ | |
As is common with recent Huaweis, the P30 has two color modes - Normal and Vivid. Each of those also has three sub-modes - Default, Warm, and Cold. The out-of-the-box state is Vivid/Default and we measured an average deltaE of 5.0 when displaying sRGB target swatches. This mode has somewhat bluish whites, but not the worst deviation we've seen (deltaE of 7.0).
If you opt for the Normal/Default combo you'll get an overall more truthful sRGB rendition with an average deltaE of 1.8 and a maximum of 3.8. However, whites have a slight greenish tint. You can improve things and get nearly perfect whites with the custom setting below (average deltaE of 1.5, maximum 3.0, grayscale within 1.5 too).
Display color settings
Huawei P30 battery life
The Huawei P30 is powered by a 3,650mAh battery, some 13% less than what the P30 Pro has at its disposal. Competitors typically have a little less juice, with the Galaxy S10's battery rated at 3,400mAh, and the LG G8 ThinQ having a 3,500mAh power pack.
The P30 puts its battery to good use too, almost making it to 14 hours in our web browsing test and the 16+ hours of video playback is also a great result. The 22:38h figure in voice calls is less impressive, though still perfectly acceptable. The overall Endurance rating works out to 83 hours - not quite the Pro's 100h.
The P30 Pro does outlast the P30 in all disciplines, but the vanilla model's results look pretty great against competitors. The P30 can do 5 hours more in video and 4:30h more on the web when compared against the G8 ThinQ, while the Galaxy S10 calls it quite 3:30h earlier than the P30 in either of these disciplines. The G8 does have a couple of extra hours in the talk time box, while the S10 falls an hour short of the P30. The iPhone XR gets the closest to the P30 in the screen-on tests, but it's still not quite there with its 13h of web browsing and 15h of looping videos.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Huawei P30 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
The P30 ships with a Huawei SuperCharge adaptor capable of outputting up to 22.5W of power. We clocked 1:12h for a full charge from flat, with the battery indicator showing 65% at the 30-minute mark - great numbers that none of the above phones can match. Well, excluding the P30 Pro, obviously - its higher-tier 40W SuperCharge power brick does a full charge in an hour flat, and you're looking at 70% 30 minutes into it.
Loudspeaker
You'd think that the P30 with its conventional earpiece would sport the stereo setup of previous Huaweis where the earpiece would double as a second channel in a stereo pair. We get that it's not quite possible on the P30 Pro with its acoustic screen piezo speaker, but why not the vanilla P30? We gather it's just Huawei not wanting to make the P30 Pro look bad by missing a feature that the lesser model has, but the end result is that the P30 has a single, bottom-firing speaker.
It may be single, but it's also very loud - the P30 test results placed it into the 'Excellent' bracket, where all current top-end phones are. The P30 also sounds nice and full-bodied, and doesn't distort at max volume. Now, if only there was one more speaker.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 68.9 | 71.8 | 81.1 | Very Good | |
| 67.2 | 72.5 | 84.5 | Very Good | |
| 70.1 | 74.2 | 81.6 | Very Good | |
| 66.6 | 69.8 | 90.0 | Very Good | |
| 74.3 | 70.2 | 82.6 | Very Good | |
| 70.3 | 73.4 | 83.8 | Very Good | |
| 77.5 | 71.7 | 81.1 | Excellent | |
| 76.9 | 74.8 | 79.3 | Excellent | |
| 71.8 | 69.2 | 91.0 | Excellent | |
| 68.0 | 74.5 | 92.0 | Excellent | |
| 70.9 | 73.8 | 90.9 | Excellent | |
| 83.2 | 75.6 | 83.5 | Excellent | |
| 82.2 | 74.9 | 85.5 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Huawei P30 clearly has the same audio signal processing as its Pro sibling as the output of the two is very similar. The vanilla version still managed to slightly outscore its more premium sibling in the active amplifier test, though at this point of excellency it will make little difference in real life.
Unfortunately the volume levels were just as uninspiring on the P30 as on the P30 Pro. It’s only just above average, which is hardly a welcome sight on a flagship these days.
On the upside headphones did less damage to the stereo quality on the P30 than they did on the USB-C-outputting P30 Pro. The smaller Huawei flagship still had more crosstalk than many of its rivals, but it wins the battle against its sibling.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.02, -0.02 | -96.2 | 96.1 | 0.0017 | 0.0088 | -97.5 | |
| +0.21, -0.12 | -95.1 | 95.0 | 0.0046 | 0.203 | -59.9 | |
| +0.04, -0.02 | -90.5 | 90.4 | 0.0014 | 0.013 | -93.0 | |
| +0.14, -0.23 | -90.4 | 90.3 | 0.0046 | 0.211 | -47.0 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -94.1 | 93.5 | 0.0013 | 0.0069 | -87.6 | |
| +0.05, -0.05 | -93.8 | 93.1 | 0.0041 | 0.063 | -61.8 | |
| +0.03, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.1 | 0.0014 | 0.030 | -67.4 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -94.0 | 94.0 | 0.0013 | 0.0064 | -93.2 | |
| +0.06, -0.04 | -93.6 | 93.5 | 0.045 | 0.097 | -54.8 | |
| +0.03, -0.04 | -92.2 | 92.0 | 0.0015 | 0.0079 | -92.7 | |
| +0.06, -0.03 | -91.9 | 91.7 | 0.0020 | 0.037 | -77.0 | |
| +0.02, -0.01 | -93.9 | 93.1 | 0.0015 | 0.0066 | -91.9 | |
| +0.05, -0.04 | -92.6 | 93.5 | 0.0026 | 0.072 | -58.7 |
Huawei P30 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
EMUI 9.1 recipe for Pie
The P30, just like the P30 Pro, runs Android 9 Pie under a thick skin of Huawei's own EMUI. It's a polarizing launcher which may not be to everyone's taste, but Huawei has been working on it for years and there's no denying the 9.1 version we have here is the most polished it's ever been.
Despite the small increase in the version number, EMUI 9.1 actually brings a major change under the hood - new Huawei phones with this version or later will get a new file system called EROFS, and phones that get updated to this version will get the new file system as well.
The ERO file system is supposed to offer 3x increase in Random reads and 10% improvement in app startup times. It's also allowed Huawei to reduce the storage taken up by system files by 20%. So, while there are no visible changes from the Mate 20 series EMUI, the P30 should be snappier in certain scenarios and its OS should have a smaller storage footprint than before. Whether we're past the point when you can actually feel the improvement or not is a different matter.
Other key features of EMUI 9.1 include GPU Turbo 2.0 support and a new Password vault. There is a better Huawei Share too for transferring files to and from a PC and printing documents wirelessly. Other highlights include a travel assistant by HiVision and an in-house developed Digital balance app that tells you how much time you are spending on your phone and gives you the option to set time limits on yourself or your kid (the screen will go monochrome after the allowed usage time is up and most apps will be blocked).
Anyway, let's do the walkthrough. The P30 and P30 Pro get an upgraded under-display fingerprint scanner, which is now easier to set up and requires less pressure than on Mate 20 Pro. The accuracy is superb, while the recognition is even faster than on the Mate. And while the sensor is not as fast as the latest conventional sensors, it's close enough so the difference doesn't matter in real life usage.
Face Unlock is available, but it just uses the front camera, which means it's less secure and can potentially be fooled by a picture. So, if privacy is of utmost importance, you may want to avoid this option.
Biometrics and security
EMUI's usual Magazine lock screen is present - it cycles through a bunch of wallpapers (covers), so you see a different one every time you fire up the display. A new addition is the always on display, which does what it says on the tin - it constantly shows a clock and notifications on an otherwise black screen.
Out of the box, there is no app drawer on the EMUI 9 - it's a single-tier interface akin to iOS (a theme you should have picked up long ago). However, if you prefer Android's usual two-tier layout, you can enable it from the Display settings.
Lockscreen • Tools • Magazine unlock • Homescreen • Homescreen style • Folder view
You can either embrace the notch or you can opt to mask it with a black status bar that extends all the way down to the bottom edge of the water drop. As notches go, this is one of the tiniest, so we'd imagine few people would choose to hide it.
Gestures on the P30 are very much influenced by the iPhone. It goes like this - swipe up for Home, swipe up and stop midway for Task switcher, or swipe from the left or right edge of the screen for Back. The phone does come by default with Android's virtual navigation keys though, so you are free to chose which method you prefer.
Notch settings • Gestures
The notification shade is business as usual, the difference from any other maker's implementation being mostly Huawei's take on the graphics. There's a brightness slider and a row of toggles, and you pull down again for more toggles. The auto brightness toggle is buried in the settings menu, however.
Multitasking is a familiar affair. Holding the Recent key will let you activate the split screen mode. If you've gone the gesture navigation way, you'll need to evoke the task switcher and then tap on the multitasking icon in the top right corner of the app.
Notification area • Toggles • Recent apps • Split screen
Huawei's EMUI offers plenty of customization and features, smart rotation, and lift to wake. Themes are supported, too, and there are a lot to choose from.
From the Optimizer app (previously known as Phone Manager), you can access shortcuts to storage cleanup, battery settings, blocked numbers, Virus scan powered by Avast, and mobile data usage.
Huawei's own Music app offers a way to listen to stored MP3s, while Huawei's Health app offers Google Fit syncing and step counting. There's a file manager app and a note-taking app. And if you don't like any of those - there is an abundance of alternatives in the Play Store.
There is an improved AI-powered gallery with EMUI 9. In addition to the automatic sorting with highlights, you will get an automatic but editable Spotlight Reel.
Sadly, the P30 omits the IR blaster - to have that you need to go Pro (and lose the headphone jack in the process). Neither phone has an FM radio receiver, so there's parity in that at least.
Themes • Optimizer • Music Player • Gallery • Huawei Health • Files
Synthetic benchmarks
The P-series for this year inherit Huawei's in-house Kirin 980 chipset which debuted with the Mate 20 family last fall. It was the first chip built on a 7nm node, but Qualcomm has since matched it with the Snapdragon 855 and Samsung is sort of there with the 8nm Exynos 9820.
The Kirin 980 uses an octa-core CPU design with two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores running at 2.6GHz, another two Cortex-A76 cores clocked at 1.92GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores that go up to 1.8GHz for less demanding applications. The processor makes use of ARM's DynamIQ architecture, which is the evolution of big.LITTLE and allows any subset of cores (or all of them together) to work simultaneously depending on the workload.
The GPU inside the Kirin 980 is the Mali-G76 MP10 (ten-core) GPU, which offers significant performance and efficiency gains compared to the Mali-G72 MP12 in the Kirin 970 of last year's P20/P20 Pro.
EMUI 9's GPU Turbo 2.0 is supported by six games in total for the time being - PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, NBA 2k18, Rules of Survival, Vainglory, and Arena of Valor. It allows all those games to run smoothly and steady at 60 fps at full resolution. Huawei is also working with game developers to enable it in even more popular games, but it's not like we have a timeline for this.
The SoC also supports 2133MHz LPDDR4X memory and incorporates a dedicated dual NPU chip. Huawei calls it "Dual-Brain Power" and can help recognize up to 4,500 images per minute, which is around 120% faster than last year's single NPU chip of the Kirin 970.
For a few model generations now, Huawei has had its Performance mode available to anyone who wants to squeeze the absolute maximum of the hardware when battery drain isn't all that important. Hence, the switch can be found in the Battery settings of the P30 Pro.
The Performance mode offers a small speed boost in some instances, but not for long as the phone gets warm quickly and automatically reverts to its safe settings until it cools down.
The net result is up to a 10-12% boost for the first run. Yes, that's it. You can get a sustainable 5% boost compared to the regular mode over time, while the 10% bump is for the first few minutes only. So, we are not sure if the extra heat and battery drain are worth the hassle, but hey - you do you.
Single-core results in GeekBench put the P30 more or less on on par with the Snapdragon 855s. The Kirin 980 is then comfortably ahead of last year's remaining competitors with S845 chips and there's an even wider margin when comparing against Huawei's own Kirin 970-packing P20s. The Exynos' oversized custom cores have no match in the Android world when it comes to single-core loads.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S10
4543 - Xiaomi Mi 9
3503 - LG G8 ThinQ
3419 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
3401 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
3390 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
3351 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
3323 - Huawei P30
3295 - Huawei P30 Pro
3270 - OnePlus 6T
2431 - Nokia 9 PureView
2405 - Google Pixel 3
2377 - Huawei P20 Pro
1907 - Huawei P20
1897
As for multi-core applications, the Snapdragon takes the lead ahead of both Exynos and Kirin. Here, Performance mode makes a slightly bigger difference - if 3% can be called a difference.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
11181 - LG G8 ThinQ
10735 - Samsung Galaxy S10
10174 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
10138 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
10114 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
10110 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
10014 - Huawei P30
9789 - Huawei P30 Pro
9649 - Nokia 9 PureView
8986 - OnePlus 6T
8977 - Google Pixel 3
8146 - Huawei P20
6722 - Huawei P20 Pro
6679
Moving on to Antutu, the P30 in Performance mode is approaching the scores achieved by the Galaxy S10 and G8 ThinQ, while flipping that toggle off gets you more like Snapdragon 845 results.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
372006 - LG G8 ThinQ
331537 - Samsung Galaxy S10
328366 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
316156 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
314595 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
308307 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
308050 - OnePlus 6T
293994 - Huawei P30 Pro
290189 - Nokia 9 PureView
288473 - Huawei P30
287960 - Google Pixel 3
233699 - Huawei P20 Pro
209884 - Huawei P20
206906
So with the minor difference in CPU scores with Performance on vs. off and the more tangible boost in Antutu, it's got to be the graphics that benefit more. Indeed, in 3D mark the P30's Performance mode posts some 20% higher numbers than in regular mode. Its Mali is still no match for the Adreno 640s in the S855 powered G8 and Mi 9, and even the Nokia 9 has the upper hand despite having last year's chip.
3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited
Higher is better
- LG G8 ThinQ
6017 - Xiaomi Mi 9
5816 - Nokia 9 PureView
4959 - Samsung Galaxy S10
4550 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
4329 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
4315 - Google Pixel 3
3647 - Huawei P30
3597 - Huawei P30 Pro
3522 - Huawei P20 Pro
3155
There's a minor difference in the fps numbers in GFXBench between the two modes, but the fact is that the P30's GPU doesn't have quite as much raw power as the ones in the Snapdragon-packing competitors. Having said that, the 1080p resolution helps it score respectable numbers in the onscreen tests.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
70 - Samsung Galaxy S10
68 - LG G8 ThinQ
65 - Nokia 9 PureView
60 - OnePlus 6T
60 - Google Pixel 3
57 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
56 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
56 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
55 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
54 - Huawei P30 Pro
54 - Huawei P30
54 - Huawei P20 Pro
40 - Huawei P20
36
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
56 - Google Pixel 3
55 - OnePlus 6T
53 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
51 - Huawei P30 Pro
50 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
50 - Huawei P30
48 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
48 - Huawei P20
39 - Samsung Galaxy S10
37 - Huawei P20 Pro
37 - Nokia 9 PureView
33 - LG G8 ThinQ
33 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
27
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S10
43 - Xiaomi Mi 9
42 - LG G8 ThinQ
40 - Nokia 9 PureView
35 - OnePlus 6T
35 - Google Pixel 3
35 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
33 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
33 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
33 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
33 - Huawei P30 Pro
29 - Huawei P30
29 - Huawei P20 Pro
23 - Huawei P20
23
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 9
35 - Google Pixel 3
33 - Huawei Mate 20 (perf.)
31 - OnePlus 6T
31 - Huawei P30 Pro (perf. mode)
29 - Huawei P30 (perf. mode)
28 - Huawei P30 Pro
27 - Huawei P30
26 - Samsung Galaxy S10
23 - Huawei P20
23 - Huawei P20 Pro
21 - LG G8 ThinQ
20 - Nokia 9 PureView
19 - Huawei Mate 20 Pro (perf.)
16
As we've known since last fall, the Kirin 980 that powers the Huawei P30 is a capable performer with one of the more powerful
A tri-camera blend of familiar hardware
The P30's camera setup in its entirety is unlike any other in Huawei's lineup, yet it's a mix of bits we've seen before. The primary cam, for example is almost the same as the one on the P30 Pro, though it does have a couple of notable differences. While still based on the 40MP 1/1.7" sensor with an RYYB filter, the P30's lens is dimmer (f/1.8 vs. f/1.6) and it's not stabilized.
Then it's the ultra wide shooter lifted right off the Mate 20. This one's 16MP sensor isn't as high-res as the Pro's 20MP, but it's still one of the better offerings out there as it's got autofocus on its 17mm f/2.2 lens. Making our way to the telephoto, it's no fancy 5x periscope, but it's the 3x module from the Mate 20 Pro - an 8MP sensor behind an 80mm f/2.4 lens. This is the only cam on the P30 that has OIS.
The P30 also doesn't have the ToF camera of the Pro so it's got to rely on the other modules for depth mapping. And with the absence of ToF capability, the laser focusing tech for nearby objects remains.
The camera app isn't new either. Master AI now recognizes and tunes settings for up to 1,500 different scenes and its effects are toned down compared to early iterations. There's a toggle in the viewfinder if you wanna play with it on a shot by shot basis.
There's a mode selector on the bottom, which you swipe left and right to change modes, but you can't swipe on the viewfinder, just on the selector itself. Swiping up and down doesn't switch between front and rear camera either, you have a button for that (admittedly, it's at the bottom within easy reach). Basically, you're still wasting the viewfinder by not having gestures enabled on it, except for pinch to zoom.
As for zooming, a tap on the currently selected magnifaction indicator in the viewfinder toggles consecutively the 1x (25mm), 3x (80mm), 5x (135mm), and the Wide (16mm) magnifications. The 5x mode is here perhaps to match the Pro's real optical 5x, but on the vanilla P30 it's digital zoom.
There's a Pro mode even on the non-Pro P30, of course. Here you can adjust parameters yourself - ISO (50 to 204,800), shutter speed (1/4000s to 30s), exposure compensation (-4 to +4EV in 1/3 stop increments), and white balance (presets and specific light temperature). You can also choose the metering mode (matrix, center-weighted and spot), and the focus mode (single, continuous and manual). If the phone thinks you messed up the exposure, an icon will pop up to warn you.
The monochrome mode is still available in spite of the P30 Pro not having a B&W camera. It's in the 'More' section, where the extra modes are: Monochrome, Panorama, and HDR, among others. The Super Macro mode is also here, and it has 1x and 0.6x toggles, too. If you choose 1x - the camera will just crop the image from the ultra-wide-angle source.
As we've come to expect from Huawei phones, the P30 has both a Portrait mode and an Aperture mode. In Aperture, you can choose the simulated aperture in the range from f/0.95 to f/16. Post shot, you can change the aperture and the focus point within the Gallery.
In Portrait mode you can enable and disable the background blur, so that you only have the beatifications applied, though you can turn those off as well and basically get a regular photo. There are different kinds of blur shapes and you can change the simulated lighting too.
Camera UI
Image quality
There's a rule with recent Huaweis when it comes to what resolution images you'd get - if the ultra wide angle camera didn't take it, then it's a 10MP photo. This applies to 1x and 3x zoom images, even though the telephoto cam's sensor is 8MP. You could also get 40MP images at 1x magnification, but as we've pointed out before, that's not how the sensor is supposed to be used.
Camera samples, main camera, 10MP, AI off
Image quality is practically identical to the the P30 Pro, which means the P30 is one of the leading phones for picture-taking you can buy today. Detail is plenty - per pixel, that is, because higher-res imagers will resolve finer detail, but the vast majority of competitors are at 12MP and that's not a meaningful difference.
Colors are pleasing, neither dull nor over the top, there's plenty of dynamic range, and overall processing is very competent, lending a very... 'photographic' look, if you'll allow the term.
Camera samples, main camera, 10MP, AI off
40MP shots aren't necessarily packing more detail, though certain scenes do benefit from being shot in this mode. It varies from shot to shot, so it may be worth capturing in both 10MP and 40MP and then deciding afterwards.
Camera samples, main camera, 40MP, AI off
We weren't massive fans of the overly saturated look of the Master AI processing when it first appeared on the P20 Pro, but Huawei has toned it down and now it's more restrained. There's still a noticeable boost in skies and greenery, and you're free to enjoy it if that's your thing. We tend to keep it off, and only dial up the saturation in post processing when we see fit.
Camera samples, main camera, 10MP, AI on
Similarly to the 10MP vs. 12MP case above, the 16MP ultra wide camera of the P30 isn't meaningfully inferior to the 20MP one of the Pro. The 1mm longer equivalent focal length of the P30 means that it practically has the same pixels-to-coverage ratio so per-pixel detail is identical to the P30 Pro's shots. The slightly wider Pro camera will be preferred by ultra wide extremists, but for sane people the P30's ultra wide is more than excellent.
If anything, we'd say that the P30's ultra wide manages to stay sharper in the corners than the P30 Pro. Colors are rendered with a bit more punch than the regular cam, but the extreme nature of the ultra wide perspective works well with some boosted colors, we reckon. Dynamic range isn't quite as wide as on the primary module, but perfectly acceptable nonetheless.
Camera samples, ultra wide camera
Huawei has a dedicated super macro mode which uses the ultra wide camera. While it can indeed focus ridiculously close, the inherent issue with that is that you'll probably throw a shadow over your subject with the phone, not to mention spook it if it's a living thing. For still subjects in the right light, it's pretty great though.
Close-up shots
The telephoto camera is different on the P30 when compared to the Pro, but it's familiar nonetheless - it comes from the Mate 20 Pro. One could argue that the 80mm equivalent is more universally usable than the 125mm of the Pro, though there's no denying that reach is reach and the Pro is king.
In any case, the P30's telephoto images come out sharp and detailed, with colors similarly great as the ones from the main cam. Contrast isn't quite as stellar and there's a bit of a haze in high contrast areas, and dynamic range isn't quite up to the main cam standard, but we're liking the end results nonetheless.
Camera samples, telephoto camera
In low light, we expected the P30 to suffer from its slightly dimmer lens compared to the Pro's and from not having OIS. It turned out our skepticism was unwarranted, and the computational aspect of low-light photography makes a whole lot more of a difference than a third of a stop brighter stabilized lens. Not that a third of a stop brighter stabilized lens is a bad thing, obviously.
We figured we'd do a quick shootout with the P30 and P30 Pro to give you a general idea of how the two camera setup compare in terms of coverage and reach.
P30 samples: Main • Telephoto • Ultra wide
P30 Pro samples: Main • Telephoto • Ultra wide
And here's a different angle. Mind you, the weather wasn't ideal when we got to this bit, so no blue skies.
P30 samples: Main • Telephoto • Ultra wide
P30 Pro samples: Main • Telephoto • Ultra wide
Low-light shots are already excellent in the general Photo mode without resorting to the pseudo long exposures of the Night mode. The images are well exposed with nicely preserved highlights and no loss in color saturation. There's a ton of fine detail too and noise is kept low despite ISO being typically in the 2000-2500 range but also going as high as 25600 in very dark scenes.
Low-light samples, main camera, Photo mode
Night mode works just as on previous Huawei phones producing bright handheld night-time photos. It captures a bunch of photos and stacks them to create a final image of accurate exposure and lower noise. And while on many occassions there isn't a major difference between the normal and Night shots taken with the main camera, it does make a difference if you want to brighten those night skies and recover some detail in the highlight and shadow areas. Night mode shots also end up with livelier colors and are particularly appealing if you have colorful lights in the frame.
Low-light samples, main camera, Night mode
The ultra wide shots taken in low light in the default Photo mode aren't as great. The maximum ISO of 3200 coupled with the relatively narrow f/2.2 aperture means sometimes it just can't gather enough light for a proper exposure. And even when there is more light, images still turn out soft and noisy.
Low-light samples, ultra wide camera, Photo mode
Things change dramatically in Night mode, where the otherwise barely usable shots become almost actually good. Night mode helps reign in light in super dark scenes, and it also improve moderately well lit ones. The shots are saved at 10MP, in this case, mind you.
Low-light samples, ultra wide camera, Photo mode
In most low-light situations the telephoto cam is put aside and if you tap the 3x button, you'd end up with digitally zoomed and upscaled images. As you'd imagine, they're not very pleasing to look at, Night mode or no night mode. Having said that, under the right conditions (above a certain light threshold), the telephoto will take over and take a reasonably good looking shot.
Low-light samples, telephoto camera, Photo mode
Low-light samples, telephoto camera, Photo mode
Once you're done with the real world samples, head over to our Photo compare tool to see how the P30 stacks up against the competition.
Huawei P30 against the Galaxy S10 and the LG G8 ThinQ in our Photo compare tool
Portraits
The P30 Pro takes portraits with the 40MP main cam and the ToF module, but the P30's different hardware setup necessitates a different approach - it's the main cam and the telephoto at work. You get three zoom settings - 1x, 2x, and 3x, and in the fist two the image is captured with the main cam, while the telephoto aids with depth, as opposed to the 3x mode where it's the other way around.
Each of these settings has its own issues. The 3x mode is the best distance for portraits, but the images turn out colder than ideal and they're also not particularly sharp.
Portraits at 3x
The 2x setting still lets you stand at a reasonable distance from your subject, but being upscaled from the 10MP regular camera image (itself technically taken on a 40MP sensor, urgh), it's not very sharp either. At least the colors are more pleasing.
Portraits at 2x
The 1x setting yields the sharpest and most detailed photos, which is nice, only you need to be a little closer to your subject than comfortable.
Portraits at 1x
Those peculiarities aside, the P30's portraits do have excellent subject isolation and very nice background blur, which is what counts most here.
Aperture
Aperture mode is the other simulated blur mode, this one meant for isolating non-humans. You can vary the simulated aperture while capturing the image or post shot in the gallery, where you can also pick where the focus is. The 1x/2x/3x selector from the Portrait mode is here too and the mechanics of which camera does what are the same.
Aperture samples at different simulated aperture: f/0.95 • f/2.8 • f/4.0 • f/16
Aperture samples at different zoom level, from same spot: 1x • 2x • 3x
Selfies
The P30 shares the selfie camera of the P30 Pro - a seemingly impressive 32MP unit. The thing is, it doesn't have autofocus and its lens is fixed focus instead.
That aside, the 32MP selfie cam does a respectable job. It's got excellent dynamic range as selfie cams go, the colors are on point and there is plenty of detail, even if not quite as much as the resolution would make you believe. Something to keep in mind is that the focus sweet spot is not at an arm's length. If you are of above average height you'll need to slighly bend your arm so your face doesn't end up out of focus.
Selfie samples
The front camera has the same Portrait mode as the main one, but the subject separation isn't quite as great. Depending on the complexity of your hair and the relation of your face to the background, you can see ears and hair gone missing on some of the shots.
Selfie portraits
Lighting effects are available as well, but they serve mostly to emphasize the flaws in the subject detection.
Selfie portraits with effects
Video recording
The Huawei P30 can record video with any of its three cams in 2160p/30fps (but no 2160p/60fps) as well as 1080p at 30 and 60fps. Technically, the telephoto camera cannot capture 60fps footage, so in that mode you'd be getting a zoomed in image from the main camera, which looks properly appalling on the phone's screen already and it doesn't get better when viewed on a PC.
Electronic stabilization is available on all cameras in all modes, which is nice, but it can't be disabled, which is slightly less nice.
An upcoming Dual-View Video feature will allow you to record video simultaneously with two of the rear cameras in split-screen fashion.
Main camera
Similarly to the P30 Pro, the P30's 4K footage from the main camera has excellent dynamic range and true to life color rendition and great contrast. Resolved detail is lagging slightly behind competitors, however.
The 4K clips have a video bitrate of 21-33Mbps (compared to a fairly typical value of 42Mbps), which may be one of the reasons for the less than ideal sharpness - excessive compression might wipe some of that away. Or maybe the always-on electronic stabilization has taken its toll on the picture quality. Or both.
The 1080p videos shot at 30fps, except for the lower resolution, offer similar sharpness, dynamic range, colors and contrast. For our balcony scene the bitrate is a crazy low 6Mbps (usually around 17Mbps), though go up to 15-ish Mbps for the walk in the park stabilization clip.
Finally, the 1080p clips shot at 60fps have less resolved detail than the 30fps ones which is sadly the norm, though we've started to see exception.
Ultra-wide-angle camera
Footage from the ultra wide cam is passable, but nothing more. It's not on par with the other two when it comes to detail in both 4K and 1080p, but can still be used to offer a unique perspective. High-contrast scenes will end up with lost detail at the extremes, however, due to the rather low dynamic range.
And the 60fps clips from the ultra-wide-camera are extremely low in detail and have an almost cartoonish look to them. While technically not good, you can use this mode for the fun of it.
Telephoto camera
Videos shot on the telephoto camera let you get close to the action and offer reasonable quality as well. While detail is again not spectacular, there's really not any competition beyond a 2x zoom, so the P30 should easily be high on your list if you often find yourself shooting from far away. Of course, the P30 Pro does offer even more reach.
Video stabilization
Electronic stabilization from the main cam works flawlessly in 1080p ironing out shake from walking and also delivery some of the smoothest pans we've seen. It's not as spectacular in 4K, though it does manage to cancel out a lot of the vibrations. The ultra wide footage benefits from the EIS too, but it's not ideal and there's a bit of a wobble effect that's really unpleasant.
Here's a glimpse of how the P30 compares to rivals in our Video compare tool. Head over there for the complete picture.
Huawei P30 against the Galaxy S10 and the LG G8 ThinQ in our Video compare tool
Competition
As we established over the course of this review, Huawei's been very careful not to make the P30 a small P30 Pro. Instead, the vanilla model gets a few key downgrades, which don't necessarily hurt it badly, but still leave no doubt which one exactly the top model is.
And the top model will give you extra reach with its 5x zoom camera, bigger display, even longer battery life plus goodies that are hard to quantify like wireless charging and proper IP68-rated dust and water protection. The Pro does come at a price premium, so if the above extras aren't really that important to you, just save some cash and go for the P30.
Samsung Galaxy S10 • LG G8 ThinQ • Xiaomi Mi 9 • OnePlus 7
A very obvious alternative outside of the Huawei camp is the Samsung Galaxy S10. The S10 packs a similar camera trifecta, though its tele isn't quite as long. More importantly, however, Samsung still has no answer to Huawei's night mode. The Galaxy is also no match in battery life, or charge speed, though if wireless charging is important to you, the S10 has it in both directions, unlike the P30. The S10 is IP68-rated, has the vastly more powerful microsSD slot against the P30's NM one (NM what?) and the Galaxy has the more powerful chipset and sharper and brighter display. Then there's the matter of software - EMUI is full-featured but a bit disorganized, while the brand new One UI may not be able to convert long-time TouchWiz haters.
We're yet to hear someone actively praising LG's software, so we can't see the G8 ThinQ winning hearts over thanks to that. The brand new LG is also quite expensive at launch, though this will likely change for the better soon if the past is any indication, potentially making it cheaper than the P30. The P30 outclasses the G8 in both endurance and charge speed, has a tele camera where the G8 doesn't (though it could in your particular market, those G8s are a complete marketing mess) and it's got a more color accurate display, though the one on the G8's is sharper. The G8 packs more computing power, has a microSD slot and is dust and water resistant.
Here's one that isn't IP-rated at all, and neither does it have a memory expansion slot. Ah, but the Xiaomi Mi 9 is a lot more affordable. It's not just about price though - its Snapdragon 855 is more potent than the P30's Kirin, the Mi 9 actually almost keeps up with the P30 in the endurance race and edges ahead in topping up speed, plus it supports 20W wireless charging. And the Mi 9 does all that without lagging behind in the camera department or the display, but the only problem is you may not be able to have one in all parts of the world.
Not available anywhere for the time being simply because it's not even been announced yet, the OnePlus 7 could be the answer you're looking for. The specifics are then in the realm of speculation, but the 1+7 will certainly pack the S855 chipset, so 1 better than the P30, and it'll have the stock-ish Oxygen OS that company loyalists swear by, plus some super fast charging. OnePlus isn't known for making sensible camera setups recently, but we're open to surprises.
Verdict
The Huawei P30 was close to falling victim to Huawei's push for market segmentation. Denying it the (likely expensive) periscope we get, but why did the wireless charging induction coil and the IR emitter had to go as well?
All things considered, however, the P30 doesn't really come off as a lesser phone than the Pro. Sure, it may not be as fully tricked out as its bigger brother, but it's got battery life which most competitors can't match and a versatile triple camera that takes stunning low-light shots, plus the phone looks good in the process. We'd say that makes it a worthwhile proposition.
Pros
- Standout design, eye-catching colors options.
- Fastest under-display fingerprint reader.
- Class-leading battery life in the screen-on tests, properly fast charging.
- Quality display with high marks across the board.
- Flagship-grade performance.
- Great image quality overall, some of the best low-light shots money can get you.
Cons
- No proper dust and water resistance.
- No stereo speakers, no IR blaster (there is one on the Pro).
- While technically the storage can be expanded, Huawei's NM memory cards are still far from mainstream.
- Selfie camera is fixed-focus, the 32MP on the label are misleading.
- No 4K60 video recording while everyone else has it.
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