It’s time for Huawei to release their new Mate 20 series. Before its official launch, however, we would like to take a look at what we can expect on one of the more premium offerings in the Mate 20 range; the Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
A more powerful and efficient chip inside
It’s no secret that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will carry the brand’s own Kirin 980 SoC. But what does it have over the previous Kirin 970 that the P20 and Mate 10 series had? Well, Kirin 980 is fabricated using the world’s first 7nm process compared to the 10nm process on the Kirin 970.
Along with a smaller lithography, the Kirin 980 comes with a cortex-A76 architecture that promises up to 75% improvement in single core performance compared to previous generations. Huawei’s new SoC also comes with a new Mali-G76 GPU that also improves performance by up to 46%.
Aside from sheer power, Kirin 980 inside the Huawei Mate 20 Pro commits to delivering a much more power efficient experience. Compared to the Kirin 970, the Kirin 980 will deliver 58% more efficiency. To be more efficient, Huawei’s latest SoC is built with a 3 energy efficiency architecture that has several sets of cores:
- Two Super Cores (Heavy workloads)
- Two Large Cores (Medium workloads)
- Four Small Efficiency Cores (Light workloads)
Alongside the different cores inside the Kirin 980, Huawei will also be deploying a Flex-Scheduling intelligence mechanism that allows the CPU to adapt depending on the current workload that’s being experienced by the smartphone while still achieving better performance.
Better AI capabilities
The Kirin 970 introduced the world’s first SoC with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for its AI capabilities. Huawei will be doubling down on the Kirin 980’s AI capabilities by deploying a dual-core NPU that promises an improved recognition speed by up to 120 percent.
The more powerful NPU on the Kirin 980 will also allow the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to have faster performance in face and object recognition, object detection, image segmentation, and intelligent translation.
Faster Internet speeds
The Kirin 980 is also the first platform to support LTE Cat.21 in smartphones. This new standard supports 1.4Gbps downlink while still offering a stable connection in congested areas. The Hi1103 modem on the platform supports a theoretical peak of 1.7Gbps download speed and 160MHz bandwidth.
GPS has on the platform has also been made precise with its use of the L1 + L5 dual frequency ultra-precise positioning that should lead to a more accurate map navigation even in complex terrain.
Even better cameras
The Huawei P20 Pro undoubtedly has one of the best camera performance in the smartphone market. With a triple rear camera composed of a 40MP f/1.8 primary camera, a 20MP f/1.6 monochrome shooter, and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, the P20 Pro is redefining the meaning of smartphone photography.
Made alongside with Leica, the P20 Pro can take some great shots even in sub-optimal lighting. The cameras can also take up to 10x zoom without much loss in quality. The P20 Pro’s cameras are so good that it even scored a remarkable 109 in DxOMark; one of the highest achieved by a smartphone.
Based on the leaked information about the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, it seems the brand will be sticking to a triple rear camera setup. Positioned in a funky square layout (instead of the more streamlined staggered positioned of the P20 Pro), the Mate 20 Pro is expected to have a 40MP f/1.8 primary camera, a 20MP secondary camera, and an 8MP f/2.4 wide-angle camera. It is also suggested that the Mate 20 Pro’s cameras can achieve up to 5x optical zoom as well as take great macro shots with distances of only 2.5cm.
At the front of the device, meanwhile, lies a 24MP front-facing camera. As with previous Huawei smartphones, the front-facing camera will also come with Face Unlock capabilities.
Still a massive notch at the top
The rumor mill suggests that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will receive an upgraded screen. Older leaks tell that the smartphone might have a 6.9-inch display. The most massive leak for the Mate 20, however, proposes a more moderate 6.39-inch screen.
On the renders posted, it seems the Huawei won’t be abandoning the notch with this generation of smartphones yet. Despite this, the Mate 20 Pro’s OLED screen is expected to have a 3120 x 1440 resolution.
What else can we expect from the Huawei Mate 20 Pro?
It’s almost definite that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will be running the latest Android 9.0 Pie with Huawei’s own EMUI 9.0. The smartphone is anticipated to be IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.
Powering the smartphone will be a 4,200mAh battery alongside a 40W charger to deliver a better Quick Charge experience. It is suggested that the Mate 20 Pro charging system can deliver 70% of charge in just 30 minutes. Aside from a wired connection, the smartphone may also support wireless charging and act as a charging dock for the upcoming Huawei Freebuds 2.
Huawei may also be introducing a smaller Nano Memory Card slot for the Mate 20 Pro. Despite being smaller than the usual microSD card, the Nano Memory Card on the Mate 20 Pro will provide largely the same speed and capacities.
Could Huawei be gearing up for a gaming smartphone?
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Mate 20 are expected to make an appearance on its launch. Last week, however, Huawei posted a teaser image on their official Twitter about the rumored Mate 20X.
Not much is known about the Huawei Mate 20X but we can expect it to have largely the same specifications as the Mate 20 Pro. The Mate 20X, as teased, might release with a better cooling system for a longer and better gaming experience.
That’s about all we know about the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and some of the other smartphones that Huawei is expected to release on October 16, 2018. If you’re interested in joining Huawei as they unveil the Huawei Mate 20 series, they will be livestreaming the event via their official YouTube page.
