Best Huawei phones 2019
Whether you want flagship or cheap, there's a Huawei phone for every budget. Here are the best Huawei phones.
You can't ignore Huawei any more. With increasingly premium smartphones on the market, the Chinese company is having a very good go at challenging Samsung, LG and Sony. In fact, it now outsells Apple globally.
There has been some rocky road along the way, though. Huawei has been placed on the USA's ‘entity list', effectively banning trade between Huawei and any American company. This caused Google to cease trade with Huawei, and although the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro will run Android, they won't come with Google services preinstalled.
For next year's Huawei P40 it's likely we may instead see Huawei's own Harmony OS. These will still be good phones even without Android, and the Kirin 990 5G processor is no slouch.
The good news is that none of the phones in this round-up are affected, and all current Huawei phones will continue to get access to security updates, Google apps and services.
The company has flagship devices in its P and Mate lines that are among the best smartphones out there. The P series is slightly more mainstream thinking, while the Mates are often photo-minded phablets but the lines are beginning to blur. Luckily, we are left with excellent phones either way.
But a Huawei phone doesn't have to be brand new to market. The older P10 models are still good phones, even if the P20 range is better. And now there's a new P30 and P30 Pro, sitting atop of this very round up.
We also love the four versions of the Mate 20 series - each with different price, design and features.
The P Smart is a cheaper way into the Huawei world, and you may even want to look at an older P-series phone to save a lot of money. It depends if you like Huawei's EMUI Android skin, as it changes the stock experience quite dramatically.
We are fans though - these days anyway - and Huawei has come from being a network equipment provider to a coveted consumer electronics brand in a matter of years. Mind you, it's not short on cash.
Here are the best Huawei phones you can buy in 2019.
1. Huawei P30 Pro
Taking lots of cues from the Mate 20 Pro, and improving the cameras and fingerprint scanner, the P30 Pro is Huawei's best phone yet.
The design is out the top drawer, the display is outstanding and the cameras are truly some of the best ever seen on a phone.
It costs more than ever, but if you want the best cameras around, this is the phone to buy.
If you want to spend less (and get a little less), there's the Huawei P30 instead.
Do note that the P30 was announced before Huawei was put on the US trade blocklist and Google announced its decision to pull support, and therefore will continue to have full access to Google apps, services and security updates.
2. Huawei Mate 20 Pro
The Mate 20 Pro is a very good phone, and it's even better at the current discounted prices. The cameras will be the highlight for many people, but it really is a fantastic all-rounder with a top-quality screen, super-fast charging, wireless charging and excellent battery life.
The newer Huawei P30 Pro has even better (and more versatile) cameras, but does cost a fair bit more.
3. Huawei P30
Huawei's pitch for the P30 is all about the camera, and it's fair to say that the company has delivered. The Pro model may be one step ahead, but this version is still a match for almost any flagship out there, especially in low light and long-distance shots, where Huawei has really thrown down the gauntlet with a combination of three great lenses and some software tricks that even Google's Pixel phones can't yet match.
The P30 also looks stunning, with a big display (and small notch), some lovely colourful finishes, and a seriously slim body - though the trade-off is one of the worst camera bumps we've ever seen. And there's even a headphone jack.
If you want a phone with a phenomenal camera but can't justify dropping close to a grand in one go, the Huawei P30 is seriously worth a look.
Do note that the P30 was announced before Huawei was put on the US trade blocklist and Google announced its decision to pull support, and therefore will continue to have full access to Google apps, services and security updates.
4. Huawei P20 Pro
In the P20 Pro Huawei has delivered a stunning phone which should be on your shortlist along with the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X. Sure, there are some niggles such as the lack of stabilisation for 4K video, no headphone jack and no wireless charging,but if your priority is photography then the P20 Pro does not disappoint.
Add in the long battery life, dual SIM slots and great screen and you've got the complete package: this is one of the best phones of 2018.
It's a fair amount more than the regular model so save yourself £200 on the regular P20 if you don't mind 'only' dual rear cameras, no waterproofing and an LCD screen vs OLED.
5. Huawei P20
The Huawei P20 is a phone we can recommend with hardly any reservations. It lacks a headphone jack and waterproofing, but aside from that is one of the best phones of 2018.
It holds its own thanks to outstanding cameras, excellent battery life and the most premium design on a Huawei phone ever. It has a notch, but you can hide it in the software settings, making it no issue.
At £599, we can recommend it alongside the Samsung Galaxy S9, though you might want to spend more on the S9 for the OLED display, waterproofing and headphone jack.
6. Huawei Mate 20 X
The largest Huawei phone you can buy is every bit as good as the Mate 20 Pro with practically the same specs. It has a slightly lesser resolution display and lacks waterproofing and wireless charging.
But it adds a headphone jack, physical fingerprint sensor and has a much larger battery. If you watch a lot of TV or game on your phone then it's a premium media dream.
It's too big for most people (and many pockets) but don't dismiss the Mate 20 X because of its size - we ended up loving it.
7. Huawei Mate 20
The Huawei Mate 20 may not have the headline features of the Mate 20 Pro, but it's an amazing smartphone in its own right.
The 7nm Kirin 980 chipset beat most 2018 flagships in our benchmarks, the triple-camera setup on the rear takes crisp, detailed photos and the Dewdrop display provides an amazing screen-to-body ratio.
The only real issue is that the Huawei Mate 20 isn't officially available in the UK or US, so you'll have to get it shipped in from overseas if you want to get your hands on it.
8. Huawei Mate 20 Lite
The Mate 20 Lite is a difficult phone to place. It looks attractive enough, if not exactly striking, and at £379 promises mid-range performance while falling short of the flagship processors found in similarly priced Honor phones like the Honor 10 or even the £100 cheaper Honor Play.
All of that would make for a solid if slightly over-priced mid-range business phone, but for some reason the best specs in here are saved for the 24MP dual front-facing selfie cameras, with Huawei touting the Mate 20 Lite as one of the best phones around for the self(ie)-obsessed.
This isn't an exciting enough phone for the Snapchat crowd, while business users can get better performance for less money elsewhere, meaning this doesn't really have an obvious audience. It's far from a terrible phone, but it's hard to see who it's best-suited for.
9. Huawei P Smart (2019)
Since the P Smart 2019 and Honor 10 Lite cost the same and are basically clones of each other, you're better off choosing the latter for its higher resolution front camera and bundled case.
10. Huawei P30 Lite
If you really want a Huawei phone but can't afford the flagship P30 models then the P30 Lite is a reasonable option.
It's got the same style and cameras that are excellent for the mid-range. There's also a decent amount of storage on offer and screen is fairly good, too.
However, we're disappointed by laggy performance and poor battery life. You're probably better off looking at the older P20 models which have dropped in price.
