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This could be our first glimpse of the Huawei Mate 30 (or Mate 30 Pro) circular camera setup

By Adrian Diaconescu

Published: Jul 04, 2019, 2:27 AM

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Android Huawei

This could be our first glimpse of the Huawei Mate 30 (or Mate 30 Pro) circular camera setup

Whether Huawei will be allowed to continue loading Android with full access to Google apps and services onto its future smartphones or not, the show must go on for the world's second largest mobile device vendor. The embattled Chinese company is obviously working on a number of different products, including new variants of its increasingly popular Mate-series flagships.

While there are practically no guarantees yet in terms of the specifications of the Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro, a surprisingly high-quality render might be offering us the first peek of one of the two upcoming high-enders today. We're talking a press-friendly image purportedly showcasing the backplate of either the Mate 30 or Mate 30 Pro in all its glory rather than a fuzzy or sketchy picture of some third-party protective accessory.

Naturally, there's no way to verify the reliability of this Weibo-originating leak, although at first glance, it looks at least slightly more plausible than the concepts making the rounds a couple of weeks ago.

Four rear cameras in a centered circular arrangement

Most companies tend to stick with design trends they set for industry rivals, but as Apple and Google are expected to adopt square-shaped camera modules on their next-gen flagships, Huawei is looking likely to ditch the appearance of the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro shooters in favor of yet another original approach.

Purported Huawei Mate 30 (left), Mate 20 Pro (right)

The circular Leica-branded camera setup on the back of the Mate 30 (or Mate 30 Pro) looks positively futuristic in this first semi-credible leak, sitting almost perfectly flush with the gradient rear cover of the unreleased high-end handset. There seems to be a large imaging sensor in the center of the eye-catching module, flanked by two other shooters to the left and a fourth camera accompanied by an LED flash to the right.

Obviously, we have no idea what specific tasks each camera will be in charge of, but oddly enough, the square-shaped periscope lens introduced by the P30 Pro appears to have gone missing. That could mean we're looking at the "regular" Mate 30 here (since the non-Pro P30 lacks the super-advanced periscope camera)... or it might suggest the render is actually a fabrication.

The truth is the image is a little too sharp and detailed to be taken for granted so early in Huawei's pre-release Mate 30 preparation, going so far as to include "confirmation" of 5x optical zoom capabilities (up from 3x on the Mate 20 Pro).

When should you expect the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro to be released?

This may have seemed like an easy question to answer just a few months ago, but we're no longer certain Huawei will be able to pull off a global commercial rollout in October or November in keeping with Mate family tradition. That's because no one knows what operating system these phones will run out the box and whether or not restrictions will be imposed on key Google services and Play Store access.

The Mate 20 Pro was unveiled in October and commercially released in November 2018

If the company can sort out the intricate political matters that have already caused some major financial losses, a fall release might still be on the table. If not, there's a good chance the Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will see daylight first in China in December, followed by a global expansion at some point in 2020 when the tech giant's homebrewed Android alternative is deemed ready for international primetime.

Of course, the Android issue is merely the tip of Huawei's concerns right now, as the company doesn't know what chips it will be able to use inside its future products. Hence, it's pretty much impossible to make any educated guesses regarding the specs of the Mate 30 duo, but for the sake of the smartphone market as a whole, we sure hope all the confusion will be cleared up in the near future.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.