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The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has been spotted in public for the first time

By Joshua Swingle

Updated: Jul 23, 2019, 7:22 AM

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Android Huawei

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The second half of 2019 will undoubtedly be dominated by four flagships. Samsung, Apple, and Google’s offerings have already leaked in full but Huawei’s device has remained quite the mystery. Today, this changes because the Mate 30 Pro has just been spotted in public for the first time.

The wide notch and curved edge display are real

Undergoing what appear to be cellular connectivity tests, a pair of Mate 30 Pros have been spotted on public transport in China alongside two Mate 20 X 5G units. As indicated recently by leaked front panels, Huawei’s next flagship sports sharply curved edges on either side of its display and a rather wide notch above. Although not yet confirmed, the latter is expected to house an updated version of Huawei’s 3D facial recognition system which was first introduced on the Mate 20 Pro.

As expected from a 2019 flagship smartphone, the Mate 30 Pro’s side bezels are barely unnoticeable. However, due to the large protective case that Huawei has installed on its prototype units, the size of the chin can’t be determined. Nevertheless, previous leaks suggest it’ll be slightly smaller than the Huawei P30 Pro’s implementation.

Other details include the presence of a USB-C port along the bottom of the phone and what appears to be a dedicated speaker, something that’ll certainly be a welcome addition. After all, the USB connector on the Mate 20 Pro doubled as a bottom-firing speaker which, while a solution that made sense on paper due to the sleeker design that it permitted, ultimately resulted in poor sound quality which was largely criticized by users.

Completing the setup appears to be a SIM card tray that should also include a separate slot for expandable memory. But much like Huawei’s recent flagships, the Mate 30 Pro is expected to skip the microSD standard in favor of nanoSD alternatives. On a separate note, it’s worth pointing out that there appears to be no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Still no look at the back

Despite the very clear look at the Huawei Mate 30 Pro’s front panel, today’s leak fails to provide a glimpse at the rear. The latter was initially expected to include a large, square-shaped camera module but recent rumors suggest it'll adopt a circular setup. But regardless, this information is still far from confirmed.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro concept render

Something that does seem more certain at this point is the number of cameras. Per recent leaks, the flagship will feature an updated primary shooter alongside a super-wide-angle alternative and a periscope zoom camera much like the one found on the P30 Pro. Speaking of which, the Time-of-Flight camera included on the aforementioned device will probably be carried over to the Mate 30 Pro too.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro release and specs – could it support 5G?

In regards to specifications, Huawei’s next flagship is expected to adopt the Kirin 990 which will probably be announced in early September at IFA 2019 in Berlin. The chip should support 5G connectivity and the fact Huawei’s Mate 30 Pro has been spotted undergoing testing alongside the Mate 20 X 5G suggests it could be a standard feature rather than one that’s limited to certain variants.

Elsewhere, the smartphone should include 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage as standard, although variants with more of both are extremely likely. Previous reports have also listed a 4,200mAh battery on the inside. Considering the Mate 30 Pro is expected to launch in late October, it’s very possible the flagship will ship with Android 10 Q straight out of the box rather than Android 9 Pie. In that case, the newer EMUI 10 interface is likely too.

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro should make its international debut at an event held on or around October 15th. The smartphone will probably be joined by a cheaper Mate 30 and potentially a larger Mate 30 X which will target gamers.