Huawei came into the game bringing key features at low prices. Gaining popularity with the success of the Nexus 6P, the Mate 9 from Huawei was a reliable screen device. This year they came back with the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro. I have been messing with the Mate10 Pro for several weeks now.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro Specs
Display: 6 inch (1080x 2160) AMOLED | 402 ppi
Cameras: 12 mp rear camera | 20 mp monochrome rear camera / 8 megapixel front-facing camera
Processor / RAM: Kirin 970 / 4GB RAM / 6GB RAM
Memory: 64GB / 128 GB Internal Memory (no expansion slot)
Battery: 4,000 mah nonremovable
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2 / Wi-Fi / Nano SIM / USB-C
OS: Android Oreo 8.0 with EMUI 8.0
Features: Water-resistant IP67 rating | no headphone jack | IR Blaster
Design and Build
The Mate 10 Pro looks like the latest flagships. A long screen with no home button. The volume rocker and power button are on the right side of the screen
You wont find a headphone jack on this phone. You have the USB-C charging port at the bottom. On the top you have an IR blaster. The back of the Mate10 Pro houses the fingerprint scanner and the dual cameras. The glass back makes for a slippery but solid build. There is no expandable memory, but you do get 128GB of internal storage.
The blue is beautiful. The phone is stunning and you can feel the quality build. Not cheap or flimsy feeling at all.
Experience
The Mate10 Pro is pretty large. It’s similar to the size of the Galaxy S9+ (slightly shorter). It comes with a clear case and a screen protector which is great. Huawei anticipates you’ll want a case, and having it come with the phone lets you setup and play quickly. There’s no expansion slot on the Mate 10 Pro, so you have to decide which model you want. The phone is also one of the last few phones to have an IR blaster. The Kirin 970 helps this phone put on a great performance for everyday use and app switching. You won’t get much use of the single speaker on the bottom of phone, if that’s your thing. The single speaker won’t be enough for watching to watch a video comfortably.
Features
Like all flagship devices, the Mate10 Pro has features that they find worth paying more for. Here’s an overview of the cameras, scanner, and software experience.
Camera
The Mate10 is on board with the dual lens in the back. One is RGB and the other is monochrome. Like with most smartphone cameras in 2018, you can take a lot of great pictures with decent lighting and auto settings. If you are more of a professional, you will enjoy the Pro mode it offers. The Mate10 Pro is no different. Take a look at the slideshow of pictures to see how the pics turned out with Auto Mode and Portrait Mode. The Portrait Mode wasn’t always as clear as one would like them to be. At times the bokeh effect was barely noticeable. I did take a picture of three friends, and it did a great job of keeping their faces clear, while blurring the background. There were a few times the camera just missed. The pic was muddy and disappointing.
When taking selfies, I found that in an effort to “clean up” my face (even with Beauty Mode off) the Mate 10 Pro, made me look very pale. I was a few shades too light in my selfies. If I had makeup on, the only thing you’d be able to see is my lipstick. My face was mostly one shade.
Fingerprint Scanner
Huawei makes the fastest fingerprint scanner ever. It’s insane how quick the phone unlocks. It was quick on their midrange View 10 phone also.
EMUI 8.0
Huawei “cleaned up” their EMUI 5.1 and gave us EMUI 8.0. I think they can stand to clean it up a bit more. The text just looks weird and the curved edges don’t scream “premium look” to me. Going longterm, I’d definitely go Nova Launcher for this. EMUI 8.0 brings It’s a bit too colorful for my tastes, especially for a premium flagship device.
I do enjoy the “tap twice with your knuckle to take a screenshot” feature . It’s easier than trying to press two buttons at the same time. And while I never used the “Navigation Dock” others, with smaller hands or who preferred one-handed use may find Navigation Dock useful.
Battery Life
The Mate10 Pro comes with a huge battery, at 4,000 mAh. While the phone feels a little heavy, it doesn’t seem too big, considering the battery size. Out of the many phones I’ve tested in the last few months, the Mate10 Pro has one of the best, if not the best battery life out there. It can last through an entire day easily. I do wish it had wireless charging. It’s a feature that I see becoming a staple in flagship devices, and of course a “future proof” feature many would enjoy.
Pricing and Availability
Now here is where we run into a bit of an issue. If you’re shopping at your carrier store or even Best Buy, you’re not likely to see Huawei devices, including the Mate10 Pro. You can get it from Amazon.com at varying prices. Unless you want a stronger or thicker case, you won’t have to shell out extra for a case or screen protector. Huawei took care of that, and even though it’s not the most expensive thing to take care of, it’s nice that you can use the phone out of the box with no worries.
UPDATE: The price isn’t always $650, but there are some promotions. Check out the dates, pricing and where you can purchase the Mate 10 Pro below:
Mate 10 Pro (Mocha Brown): $150.00 off
$799.99 (MSRP) $649.99 (Promo)
Deal availability: Amazon, Newegg and B&H (May 6 – 19)
Mate 10 Pro (Midnight Blue & Titanium Gray): $150.00 off
$799.99 (MSRP) $649.99 (Promo)
Deal availability: Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, B&H (May 6 – 19)
Overall
Huawei has come hard in 2018 with their devices. The Mate10 Pro has incredible battery life and fun cameras to mess around with. Even after weeks of use, the experience seems fluid. No lag no matter what or how many apps are open. The original price of $800 was a little much for a phone without a 4K display. At the current price of $650, it’s a great buy.
