Huawei P50 and P50 Pro Launched With Best Cameras But No 5G

Huawei has this habit of making everyone wait for big reveals, and this time around, the brand has done something quite similar with its highly-anticipated P50 lineup.

While there’s no Pro+ model in the mix this time, Huawei has added a slew of flagship features to the new devices, making them stylistically unique and bold in every way.

Design and Display

For starters, the P50 comes with a 6.5-inch OLED and 90Hz refresh rate coupled with a resounding 300Hz touch sampling rate.

The Pro model features a curved 6.6-inch OLED which comes with a far superior 120Hz refresh rate and an identical 300Hz touch sampling rate.

Both variants share an HDR-enabled display panel and a common 13MP wide selfie shooter in the punch-hole cutout up front.

Both phones feature an under-display fingerprint sensor and boot Huawei’s Harmony OS 2.0 fresh out of the box.

Internals and Storage

The main chipset on the standard P50 model is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm) and doesn’t come with a Kirin offering in any of its two variants. Moving on, this is paired with up to 8GB RAM and up to 128GB/256GM UFS 3.1 storage.

On the other hand, the Pro model comes in two versions – one with Kirin 9000 and the other one with Snapdragon 888. Similar to the standard P50 lineup, the Pro model also doesn’t support 5G, even though the chipsets are 5G-capable. In terms of storage, the P50 Pro sports multiple configurations. The standard variant sports 8GB RAM and 128/256/512 GB ROM, while the full-option model comes with 12 gigs of RAM and 512GB ROM.

Both phones offer expandable storage up to 256GB through the Nano Memory slot.

For what it’s worth, both phones have stereo speakers and are IP68 certified for dust and water resistance.

Cameras

While most of the spec sheet looks identical on both sides, the only conclusive difference between the two is the cameras, which are Leica-branded on both devices.

Besides the main 50MP camera sensor on the back which is the same on both phones, the P50 Pro model is equipped with a far superior and complete camera setup. It has a 40MP black and white sensor with a 26mm lens and f/1.6 aperture.

Next up, there’s a 13MP ultrawide sensor with 13mm f/2.2 lens and the entire module is supported by Laser autofocus.

Added to this, there’s a 64MP periscope sensor that offers 2,700mm on digital zoom and OIS.

Overall, other features include the XD Fusion Pro option that doubles the amount of gathered light and enhances dynamic range of the lens by 28%.

The standard P50 camera shell sports a 12MP telephoto sensor which offers 5x optical zoom with OIS.

Other than the above, both models are capable of 4K video capture, but there’s no 8K option. For slow-motion recordings, they can go as high as 1080p@960 fps.

Battery and Pricing

Both devices have similarly sized batteries on board with support for 6W fast charging through a USB Type-C port and 50W wireless charging. The P50 Pro packs a 4,360mAh power cell while the standard P50 battery is 4,100mAh.

The P50 Pro will be available for pre-order on 31st July 2021, and will ship on August 12. The cheaper model with Snadragon 888 and 8/128 GB will cost $930. The 256 GB and 512 GB models, that come with an option of Snapdragon 888 or Kirin 9000 chipsets, cost $1,005 and $ 1,160 respectively.

The 12/512GB model will be available in September in two colors. The cheaper option is $1,240 while the other one is $1,299.

The standard P50 model will also arrive in September. The base 8/128GB will go for $700 while the 8/256GB variant will sell for $774.

Huawei P50 Specifications

CPU: Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
GPU: Adreno 660
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm)
OS: HarmonyOS 2.0
Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
Display:
- 6.5 inches, OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz
Memory
RAM: 8 GB
Internal: 128/256 GB
Card slot: yes, Nano Memory
Camera:
- Primary: 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.28″, 1.22µm, omnidirectional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
  12 MP, f/3.4, 125mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom
  13 MP, f/2.2, 16mm (ultrawide)
- Secondary: 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide)
Fingerprint scanner: Under-display, optical
Headphone jack: No
Colors:Black, Gold, White
Battery: Li-Po 4100 mAh, non-removable, 66W fast charging
Price: Starting $700

Huawei P50 Pro Specifications

CPU: Octa-core (1×3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3×2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4×2.05 GHz Cortex-A55) OR Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
GPU: Mali-G78 MP24 OR Adreno 660
Chipset: Kirin 9000 (5 nm) OR Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm)
OS: HarmonyOS 2.0
Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
Display:
- 6.6 inches, OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, 450ppi density
Memory
RAM: 8/12 GB
Internal: 128/256/512 GB
Card slot: yes, Nano Memory
Camera:
- Primary: 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.28″, 1.22µm, omnidirectional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
  64 MP, f/3.5, 90mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom
  13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide)
  40 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (B/W)
- Secondary: 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide)
Fingerprint scanner: Under-display, optical
Headphone jack: No
Colors: Black, Gold, White, Pink, Blue
Battery: Li-Po 4100 mAh, non-removable, 66W fast charging
Price: Between $900-$1,300