Huawei’s new Mate 20 phones ‘challenge status quo’

11 months ago

Huawei’s new high-powered and fast-charging line of Mate 20 phones “issue a direct challenge” to the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy handsets, industry experts have said.

The Chinese firm has announced a trio of new Mate 20 devices as well as a luxury Porsche Design version of the phone at an event in London.

The new line-up included substantial power, battery and camera upgrades on previous generations of the phone, upgrades which mobile expert James Barron from comparemymobile.com said offered serious alternatives to the established names.

“Mobile experts will have marked Huawei’s Mate 20 as one of the most highly anticipated of the year on account of the Chinese brand’s seemingly overnight ascension to become one of the leading smartphones in the market, offering disruptive, top-tier technology at competitive prices and knocking Apple off their perch in terms of sales.

“Having aggressively undercut the competition and built up a reputation for excellent tech in the midrange, they have now issued a direct challenge to the big player, going head to head on performance against the XS in their own launch event.”

Fellow mobiles expert Ru Bhikha from uSwitch.com agreed that the updates represented a breakthrough moment for the Chinese company.

“The Mate 20 is yet another statement of intent from a manufacturer that has often impressed with its knack for creating powerful and exciting smartphones that challenge the Apple and Samsung status quo.

“With its latest flagships – the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro – Huawei has refused to rest on its laurels by simply building on the successes of last year’s Mate 10. The tweaks they’ve made look set to revolutionise the whole range, rather than simply evolve it.

“The improved camera is right at the top of its game when using the new AI portrait colour feature, which allows users to take striking Sin City-like video in real time – thanks to the AI – where the subject of the footage pops in full colour against a moody monochrome backdrop.

“Paired with hefty competitor-beating batteries for the Mate 20 and Pro, and smart, user-experience improving changes – like putting a fingerprint-scanner behind the screen – the Mate 20 manages to marry performance with genuine innovation.

“In what is fast becoming the norm for premium handsets, this phone slips in at just under the four-figure mark.

“All-in-all though, this tranche of exciting improvements to the Mate range could help the Chinese manufacturer win the droves of fans that it deserves.”