HUAWEI Mate20 Series First Look, Pricing and Availability in Singapore (video)

It is finally official. Huawei has launched the HUAWEI Mate20 Series – the HUAWEI MATE20 Pro and the HUAWEI Mate20. I am excited to see how people will react when they use them. Thanks to Huawei, I had the chance to use the Mate20 Pro a few days before the launch.

This post will be a little long. So, here are the links that you can jump directly to whichever topic you are interested: –

Unboxing the HUAWEI Mate20 Pro

Check out my unboxing video (non-retail set) and features of the HUAWEI Mate20 Pro

Here is the HUAWEI Mate20 Pro box.

Here is the content inside the box (excluding the Mate20 Pro).

This is the USB-C earpiece. Looks like there is no change to the design.

This is the USB-C cable.

And as there is no 3.5mm jack on the Mate20 Pro, this is the USB-C to 3.5mm Jack adapter. I am not sure if the actual retail box will have this item or not.

This is the charger or power brick. It can output a maximum of 10v 4A (40W). This is really very high output for a mobile phone.

A closer look at the specs.

HUAWEI Mate20 Pro

Featured Specs of HUAWEI Mate20 Pro

  • 7nm Dual-NPU Mobile AI Chipset
  • New 40MP + 20MP + 8MP Leica Triple Camera:
    • Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens to Capture Wider
    • 2.5 cm Ultra Macro Shot
    • AI Portrait Color
  • 4200 mAh Battery with TUV Safe Fast-Charge Certification
  • Fastest HUAWEI 40W SuperCharge and 15W Wireless Quick Charge
  • Reverse Wireless Charging
  • In-screen Fingerprint Sensor using Dynamic Pressure Sensing Technology
  • 3D Face Unlock
  • IP68 Rated water and dust resistant
  • Dual Stereo Speaker with Innovated Invisible Design
  • EMUI 9.0 and Android 9.0 (More intelligent interaction — HiTouch/HiVision/Wireless Projection)
  • HiVision: Real-time object recognition across three categories – Landmarks, Paintings, Food
  • AI Real-time translation

The Mate20 Pro has a 6.39-inch screen (smaller than the Mate20)

And it has a notch that is wider than the P20 Pro. It also incorporates an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Here is a close up of the notch. The front camera is 24 Megapixels at f/2.0

On the back, it has triple lens cameras that are arranged in a square format.

Here is a close-up of the lenses.

  • RGB Camera: 40MP Wide Angle Lens @ ƒ1.8 Ultra Wide Angle
  • Camera: 20MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens @ ƒ2.2
  • Telephoto Camera: 8MP Telephoto Lens @ ƒ2.4
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On the top side, it has a mic and an IR sensor.

On the bottom, it has 2 mics, the USB-C Port and a card tray. There is a speaker and it is cleverly hidden from view.

Here is from another angle.

Here is the card tray that house the nano-SIM card and the nano memory card, Huawei NM card. The Huawei NM card is a memory card that is specifically made to look like a nano-SIM card.

Here is the side for the SIM card.

Flip it over and it is the side for the nano-card.

An even closer look at the card tray. I wonder why Huawei wants to make their own memory card. If it is easily available, it is ok. If not, it is a pain.

And this is how a Huawei NM Card looks like. The memory capacity can go up to 256 GB. the NM Card is sold separately and NOT part of the retail package.

Here is Huawei 2-in-1 card reader.

This is the side where it has the Power button (in Red) and the volume rocker switch.

Love the red power button.

On the other side, it is clean.

HUAWEI Mate20

Featured Specs of the HUAWEI Mate20

  • 7nm Dual-NPU Mobile AI Chipset
  • New 12MP + 16MP + 8MP Leica Triple Camera:
    • Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens to Capture Wider
    • 2.5 cm Ultra Macro Shot
    • AI Portrait Color
  • 4000 mAh Battery & HUAWEI SuperCharge with TUV Safe Fast-Charge Certification
  • 6.53″ HUAWEI Dewdrop Display
  • EMUI 9.0 and Android 9.0 (More intelligent interaction — HiTouch/HiVision/Wireless Projection)
  • HiVision: Real-time object recognition across three categories – Landmarks, Paintings, Food
  • AI Real-time translation

The HUAWEI Mate20 has a bigger screen (6.53-inch) but it is LCD and not OLED (Mate20 Pro).

And it has a small notch like a dewdrop and hence, Huawei called it the dewdrop display.

There is the front camera at the notch area.

On the back, it has the similar triple lens cameras configuration like the Mate20 Pro. However, the specs of the lenses are different.

  • RGB Camera: 12MP Wide Angle Lens @ ƒ1.8 Ultra Wide Angle
  • Camera: 16MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens @ ƒ2.2
  • Telephoto Camera: 8MP Telephoto Lens @ ƒ2.4

And underneath the rear camera, it has a fingerprint sensor.

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On the bottom, it has two mics, a USB-C port, and the speaker grill.

On the top, it has the card tray (similar to the Mate20 Pro), 3.5mm jack, mic, and an IR sensor.

On the side, it has the usual power switch and the rocker volume switch.

On this side, it is clean.

HUAWEI Mate20 Pro and Mate20 Comparison

There are some differences in the HUAWEI Mate20 and Mate20 Pro. One of them is the screen size. The Mate20 Pro (6.39-inch) is slightly smaller than the Mate20 (6.53-inch).

Another is the color. For Mate20, you have the Black and Midnight Blue. For Mate20 Pro, you have the Black, Twlight and the Emerald Green. Here is the Emerald Green. I love the color.

A close look at the Emerald Green color. Noticed that it has some fine pattern on it? Huawei called it the “Hyper Optical Multi Pattern) and it is only available on the Emerald Green (Mate20 Pro) and Midnight Blue (Mate20).

Here is a short video on the Emerald Green.

The lenses are arranged differently. And the Mate20 has the rear fingerprint sensor whereas the Mate20 Pro has the front in-screen fingerprint sensor.

HUAWEI Mate20 Series Specifications

Here are the specifications of both of them.

HUAWEI Mate20 Pro Specification

HUAWEI Mate20 Specification

Features of HUAWEI Mate20 Pro

Having used the HUAWEI Mate20 Pro for a few days, here are my thoughts and the features I loved.

Ultra Macro Mode

In this mode, the camera is able to go as near as 2.5cm from the subject. Very impressive. Check out how close the camera is to the toy car.

Here is the result.

Ultra Wide Angle Lens

This is very useful when you are taking wide or tall subjects and you do not have the space to move backward.

Left: Standard, Right: Ultra-Wide Angle

Reverse Wireless Charging

This is like Reverse charging (using cable) that some phones have. Huawei has made it wireless. I think this feature will be useful if you are really low on battery and needed that boost. You can toggle it on or off.

40W SuperCharge and 15W Wireless Charging

I tried out the SuperCharge using the 40W charger. It is super fast. This is something that other competitors do not have.

And to “up” the game, Huawei throw in 15W wireless charging. This is my first time to see a phone with 15W wireless charging. Huawei has also introduced the Huawei Wireless Charger CP60 (S$98). Check it out.

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Summary

This is not a comprehensive review. I only had the HUAWEI Mate20 Pro for a few days and I already have positive feedback on it. I will need to spend more time with it to provide a well-rounded review. Stay tuned.

Pricing and Availability

The new HUAWEI Mate20 and HUAWEI Mate20 Pro will be available in Singapore on 27th October onwards at the recommended retail price of S$998 and S$1,348 respectively.

*Expandable up to 256GB

Launch Event and Gift Set

Huawei will be holding a sales launch event on 27th October 2018 at Causeway Point, Level 1, Round Atrium. From 10:30am to 10pm, customers will receive a premium gift set (worth up to S$463) with every purchase of the HUAWEI Mate20 or Mate20 Pro.

Customers are also invited to experience the new features of the Mate20 series in different interactive zones and meet local celebrities like Rebecca Lim, Pierre Png, Sonia Chew and Gao Mei Gui.

Gift Set

HUAWEI Mate20 Pro Gift Set (worth S$463):

  • JBL Link 10
  • Huawei nano memory card
  • nano memory card adaptor
  • Huawei wireless charger

HUAWEI Mate20 Gift Set (worth S$365):

  • JBL Link 10
  • Huawei nano memory card
  • nano memory card adaptor

Here is how JBL Link 10 looks like.

Additional Info:

  • The HUAWEI Mate 20 will be available islandwide from 27 October 2018 at all Huawei Concept Stores, local telecommunication operators, selected consumer electronic stores, authorized mobile retailers and selected online marketplaces.
  • Purchasers of the HUAWEI Mate 20 series will also enjoy premium services under the HICARE PRESTIGE package which includes:
    • One year door-to-door repair pick-up and delivery service
    • Two years warranty
    • Three months screen insurance*

*Terms and conditions apply. Refer to https://consumer.huawei.com/sg/support/hicareservice/ for more information.