Huawei P60 Pro Review: Low Light Legend

Huawei’s P60 Professional launched in China again in March 2023, however it has lastly landed within the UK and Europe.  

The Professional model is presently the one P60 smartphone to get a world launch, and this 12 months Huawei is placing a give attention to low mild and zoom images, aiming to finest the cameras on telephones from the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung. 

Because it’s a Huawei cellphone, it doesn’t assist Google companies or the Google Play Retailer, which has a big effect on the software program entrance – particularly for those who’re used to the standard Western Android expertise. Nonetheless, smartphone digicam buffs should be eyeing up this mannequin as it may possibly take a few of finest snaps attainable on a cellphone.

Design & Construct  

• Gorgeous Rococo Pearl end
• IP68 ranking
• No headphone jack

The Huawei P60 Professional is available in a selection of two colors: Black and Rococo Pearl. I examined the latter, which has a marble-like sample that’s distinctive to your smartphone – my unit had totally different shapes in comparison with different fashions I noticed. It’s bought a beautiful sheen to it and isn’t liable to catching fingerprints like another fashions.  

The Rococo Pearl mannequin is £100/€200 costlier than the usual black, so that you’ll need to pay out for that beautiful end.

This seems to be and looks like a high-end, premium cellphone, with a curved form that’s simple to carry and use. That’s aided by its mild weight (200g), and slim construct (8.3mm), and it isn’t humongous like different fashions such because the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and the iPhone 14 Professional Max.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The digicam module is on the left-hand facet, with the primary sensor dominating the design – a departure from the 2 large round lenses seen on the Huawei P50 Professional. It does stick out, so the cellphone doesn’t absolutely sit flat when positioned back-down however as you’ll be able to see, it’s designed to look and shoot like a digicam in panorama.

There may be one USB-C port, and a dual-SIM slot that additionally takes Huawei’s proprietary nano-memory playing cards for extra storage. There isn’t a headphone jack, however that’s anticipated with a cellphone of this worth level. The P60 Professional has an IP68 ranking, so it has a good stage of water resistance. Huawei additionally throws in an accompanying clear case within the field, must you need some additional safety. 

Total, Huawei has as soon as once more produced a shocking flagship smartphone with the P60 Professional that stands out from the smartphone crowd.  

Display screen & Audio system  

• 6.67in 1220p show
• Kunlun glass safety
• Stereo audio system

The Huawei P60 Professional comes kitted with a 6.67in curved glass show with a decision of 2700 x 1220, which is excessive definition however has a better pixel density than 1080p commonplace HD. The standard is just like what you’ll discover on the iPhone 14 Professional, however not fairly as spectacular as rivals such because the Galaxy S23+ which has a QHD+ panel.

It seems to be nice. Colors are daring and vibrant, making it nice for watching movies. There’s a little little bit of glare beneath direct daylight, however not sufficient to make the show unreadable. The always-on show is enabled as default and exhibits the time and notifications when the display is off, although you’ll be able to flip this function off for those who’re involved about battery life.

The under-display fingerprint sensor labored nicely, although face recognition did generally falter in low mild, or if I used to be sporting glasses. Not like the Huawei Mate 50 Professional, which has true 3D face scanning, the P60 Professional’s single selfie digicam solely has 2D face unlock, which is much less safe (and just like the vast majority of Android telephones).

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The cellphone comes with Kunlun glass, Huawei’s in-house various to business favorite Corning Gorilla Glass. I unintentionally examined this out when the cellphone slipped off the couch and landed on a ceramic plate. Regardless of a terrifying loud clang, the cellphone got here away unscathed.

The display has an adaptive refresh price that may show between 1- and 120Hz, which balances slick graphics with battery life. You can even have the cellphone on excessive (120Hz), or commonplace (60Hz) for those who’re acutely aware of energy. The P60 Professional additionally boasts 300Hz touch-sampling price, that means its quick and responsive for gaming.

Stereo audio system are fitted on the prime and backside of the cellphone. These are loud and punchy, with some music soundtracks having clearly outlined bass, mids and highs. Nonetheless, it does lack the identical color and punch that you just’ll discover on smartphones fitted with further audio processing and beefier {hardware} such because the superlative Asus ROG Telephone 7 Final.

Specs & Efficiency  

• Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip
• 8GB/12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage
• No 5G assist

The Huawei P60 Professional comes fitted with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. This is identical chip seen within the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Xiaomi 12s Extremely and the OnePlus 10T. That is paired with both 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, or 12GB RAM and 512GB.

This isn’t Qualcomm’s newest processor – that may be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is seen on the Samsung S23 collection, the OnePlus 11 and the Xiaomi 13 Professional. Nonetheless, the 8+ Gen 1 is a superbly succesful chip. I used to be in a position to multitask with ease, streaming movies on Twitch and looking social media with no stuttering or lag.

However resulting from Huawei’s ongoing tensions with the US commerce business, there is no such thing as a 5G assist – you’ll need to make do with 4G. I did discover the distinction when out and about, with net pages loading a lot slower than they normally do on my normal 5G cellphone.

Take a look at how the cellphone carried out compared to rivals:

Cameras  

• 48Mp triple digicam excellent for low-light zoomed in pictures
• Daylight pictures are equally beautiful
• Extensive-angle lens not as spectacular

Huawei aimed to impress with the P60 Professional digicam, and it’s secure to say it has solidly delivered. 

The cellphone has a triple digicam set-up led by a 48Mp essential lens that has the identical bodily variable aperture tech seen on the Mate 50 Professional. It has a transferring half that permits you to select 4 steps between f/1.4 and f/4.0 in a devoted Aperture mode within the digicam app. You can even go extra granular with 5 steps of digital aperture.

This makes the guide controls a little bit extra akin to a DSLR digicam. With the ability to change the aperture on the P60 Professional allows you to create a pure background blur on nearer topics with out using software program, or open up the lens to soak up extra of a panorama shot and hold all plains in focus. With the ability to ramp as much as f/4.0 additionally helps let in additional mild to get higher pictures when mild is scarce.

This intelligent essential lens is complimented by a 13Mp ultra-wide lens with an f/2.2 aperture, and maybe most excitingly, a 48Mp telephoto digicam with a f/2.1 aperture, and three.5x optical zoom.  

This digicam set-up excels for zoomed-in low-light pictures. I used to be in a position to seize this sundown shot of a giraffe at 3.5x zoom, with the digicam dealing with the orange glow of the solar’s rays with out blowing out the remainder of the shot while balancing the shadows on the bottom and retaining the detailed print on the animal. It’s definitely one of the vital spectacular photographs I’ve ever taken on a smartphone digicam – and I didn’t need to strive too exhausting. The digicam does quite a lot of the give you the results you want, although notice the anticipated lens flare that you just’d see on any digicam system when pointing instantly on the solar.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Even in an virtually pitch-black indoor room, the digicam managed to provide a gentle picture utilizing the software program’s night time mode, with colors lifted nicely with out showing too overblown or unnatural. The night time mode boosts the sunshine stage of the room to present a picture that isn’t true to life, however it’s spectacular all the identical.

The under left picture on the slider is taken on the P60 Professional. You possibly can see how a bunch of flowers compares to the right-side picture taken on the Galaxy S23 Extremely, which struggled to focus within the low mild setting. The Samsung’s picture additionally has a lot murkier tones general.

Zoomed in low-light pictures apart, the P60 Professional’s essential lens is a wonderful snapper. It copes nicely with colors each indoors and outside and captures the positive particulars in textures like fur and garments. The AI picture enhancing (which is finest turned on for the low mild snaps) doesn’t overblow the colors like on some cheaper telephones, and it nonetheless works a deal with – regardless of whether or not you’re capturing outside or indoors. 

There’s a Tremendous Macro mode for taking tremendous close-up pictures, which hones in on ultra-fine textures with readability. Focusing was largely constant – the cellphone solely struggled when there have been a number of objects in shot, reminiscent of quite a few flowers.

In case you favor, it’s also possible to go for the Aperture mode to manually regulate the main focus to fit your tastes, however I discovered the automated Tremendous Macro mode to work fairly nicely for many duties.

On prime of the optical zoom lens, there’s additionally as much as 100x digital zoom. There’s a noticeable downgrade in high quality when capturing something additional than 3.5x zoom, with traces barely fuzzier and shades not as true to life.

The 13Mp wide-angle lens pales compared to the standard of the 2 different lens. While its ample for panorama tons or large group photographs, the colors grow to be much less pure trying, and the ultra-fine particulars are misplaced.  

In case you’re taking photographs of individuals or animals, the portrait mode is one of the best to make use of – shades distinction far more dramatically than for those who simply use the traditional photograph mode. Plus, there’s simply the correct amount of blur, with no errant strands of hair getting smudged into the background.  

The 13Mp entrance digicam has a wide-angle mode, making it helpful for large group selfies. Oddly, the bokeh impact doesn’t appear to activate robotically on portrait mode, and you need to choose an impact within the digicam app.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Video recording is out there in 4K, 1080p and 720p in each 30fps and 60fps. When capturing, the color balancing isn’t fairly as spectacular as what you’ll discover on nonetheless pictures, with tones extra washed out. There may be additionally some jolting when zooming out and in – we noticed these points on the P50 Professional as nicely.

Nonetheless, the microphones choose up a good stage of audio, and movies stay solidly regular for those who’re transferring about.

Battery Life & Charging  

• A day-and-a-half battery life
• 88W quick charging
• Wi-fi and reverse wi-fi charging supported

There’s a 4815mAh battery packed into the P60 Professional. As flagship telephones go, the battery life is healthier than some rivals. I managed round a day and a half on common, streaming Twitch, taking photographs and utilizing Huawei’s Petal Maps.  

In case you’re snapping tons of photographs and movies and have the brightness whacked all the best way up, then the battery will naturally drain faster.  

Charging smart, the P60 Professional comes with an 88W brick and accompanying USB-C cable. This may juice the cellphone from flat to 89% in half-hour, so even a five-minute cost ought to get you a good quantity of utilization earlier than you head out of the door – simply be sure you allow ‘turbo mode’ if you need the quickest charging speeds.  

As well as, it additionally helps 50W wi-fi charging, and seven.5W reverse wi-fi charging. It’s value noting that the cellphone bought heat throughout quick charging, which is widespread for telephones with this know-how however one thing to remember in relation to the long-term battery well being. You might need to hold the turbo mode turned off and cost the cellphone slower, which has been proven to place much less put on on lithium-ion batteries over time than quick charging.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Software program & Apps  

• No Google assist
• A lot of bloatware

And now for the large sticking level of this cellphone, the software program. In case you’re used to the Google ecosystem like me, then you definitely’ll discover the Huawei P60 Professional fairly exhausting going – however that doesn’t make it fully unusable.  

The P60 Professional runs on EMUI 13.1, an open-source pores and skin primarily based on Android. Relatively than Google Play, Huawei makes use of its personal AppGallery app retailer, which isn’t probably the most user-friendly – it’s chock stuffed with adverts and simply doesn’t have the identical clear end that the Google equal boasts.  

On prime of that, it doesn’t embrace most of the commonplace Western apps like WhatsApp, Fb, Twitter, Netflix and PayPal. You possibly can nonetheless seek for these within the AppGallery or on Huawei’s search engine Petal Search, and the outcomes generally hyperlink to APK variations of those apps which you can set up from different web sites

This is named sideloading, and doing so on Android is completely authorized, however it may be complicated. While Huawei does state that it scans apps earlier than they’re put in, there are nonetheless safety considerations, as you’re not downloading one thing from the Google Play Retailer, however a third-party website. 

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

I had a number of points with APKs, with the Geekbench benchmarking downloading however refusing to put in till I went to a different website. The hyperlinks for downloading on the websites additionally aren’t clear to see. It’s a foul consumer expertise.

As soon as they had been downloaded and put in, apps labored as normal. I nonetheless bought notifications and had no points with apps crashing. However this isn’t appropriate for anybody who isn’t tremendous tech-savvy, or not aware of how Huawei telephones work.  

Not all apps will work as meant, although. Google apps use Google servers, so while they are often put in, they gained’t work as normal, so you’ll be able to’t sync your Google calendar or signal into Google apps. You can also’t use the likes of Uber and Citymapper, as they base their knowledge off Google Maps. 

Huawei does embrace its personal Google alternate options like Petal Maps, which I discovered to be correct for getting round London when it got here to buses and trains. In case you use Google apps, then I counsel trying elsewhere.  

App woes apart, the Huawei P60 Professional has a format that jogs my memory of Xiaomi’s MIUI in some respects. It adopts Apple’s fast navigation of swiping down from the highest of the display for the notification shade, with a proper swipe down from the highest pulling up fast settings.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Huawei shares Xiaomi’s annoying behavior of together with bloatware, with tons of pre-installed apps taking over area and folders cluttering up the house display – and a few of these aren’t tremendous simple to eliminate, both.  

A Huawei spokesperson advised us the cellphone will get two years of Android platform updates taking the cellphone to Android 15, and three years of safety updates till 2026. This isn’t too dangerous, however Samsung affords 4 years of updates and 5 of safety patches, that means Huawei is lagging behind right here contemplating the value of the cellphone.

To summarise, if the shortage of Google companies isn’t a difficulty for you, then the Huawei P60 Professional may nonetheless be a consideration. In any other case, this cellphone shouldn’t be simple to make use of, and rivals provide far more seamless experiences with the straightforward entry to the apps you might be used to utilizing.

Value & Availability  

The Huawei P60 Professional prices £1,199/€1,199 for the black 8GB variant, and £1,299/€1,399 for the 12GB Rococo Pearl model.  

It’s available for purchase from the Huawei Retailer within the UK and can launch from different chosen retailers from 22 Could 2023. In case you order earlier than 5 June 2023, then it’s also possible to bag a free Huawei Watch GT 3, and a £100 voucher to make use of within the Huawei Retailer.  

It ought to come as no shock that the P60 Professional isn’t out there within the US. Nonetheless, American viewers could possibly pay money for one by way of AliExpress.  

That is very costly for a cellphone, not to mention one with out Google companies, and while the digicam {hardware} on the P60 Professional is extraordinarily spectacular, the software program woes make it a a lot more durable promote over rivals.

You may get stellar smartphone cameras from the Google Pixel 7 Professional, the Samsung S23 Extremely and the iPhone 14 Professional, amongst many others. Take a look at our chart of one of the best digicam telephones for extra choices.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

Verdict 

There is no such thing as a doubt the Huawei P60 Professional packs some critical digicam know-how, and for those who’ve been trying to find one thing that may take close-up pictures in extraordinarily darkish circumstances while retaining tons of element, then this smartphone can’t actually be overwhelmed.  

On prime of that, it has a shocking sturdy design, wonderful battery life with nice fast-charging tech, and slick efficiency.

Nonetheless, I’d solely advise shopping for it for those who’re planning on utilizing this predominantly as a second smartphone digicam along with your day-to-day cellphone, or if the shortage of Google companies isn’t a significant concern to you. 

If that’s not the case, then the Huawei P60 Professional is arduous to make use of, with many apps requiring sideloading and a few companies simply outright lacking. It’s a disgrace, because it does tar what may have been an actual flagship contender.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 4G
• EMUI 13.1
• 6.67in 120Hz OLED show
• 8/12GB RAM
• 256/512GB storage
• Nano reminiscence card expandable
• 88W wired charging
• 50W wi-fi charging
• Digicam:
  • 48Mp f/1.4-f/4.0 essential digicam with OIS
  • 48Mp f/2.1 telephoto digicam with OIS
  • 13Mp f/2.2 ultrawide digicam
  • 13Mp f/2.4 selfie digicam
• Wi-Fi 6
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 161 x 74.5 x 8.3 mm
• 200g
• Black or Rococo Pearl