The Evolution of Smartphone Cameras: A Closer Look at the Huawei P20 Pro

In recent years, smartphone cameras have undergone significant improvements, and one of the most notable advancements is the integration of multiple camera lenses. The Huawei P20 Pro takes this trend a step further by featuring three camera lenses, including a five-time hybrid zoom, RGB lens, 20-megapixel monochrome lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. This combination allows for more versatile shooting capabilities, including improved sharpness and low-light performance.

The five-time hybrid zoom is particularly impressive, offering a level of detail that surpasses traditional optical and digital zooms. The camera system uses pixel fusion technology to capture four times the amount of light, resulting in spectacular low-light photos. This feature is not only exciting but also encourages creativity among photographers. We've had the chance to test this camera extensively, and we're thrilled with the results.

In addition to its impressive camera capabilities, the P20 Pro also features slow-motion video recording at 960 frames per second. This feature is perfect for capturing fast-paced moments or creating artistic effects. The phone's AI-powered composition system also attempts to recommend framing suggestions based on the scene being captured. This technology uses artificial intelligence to recognize and analyze the subject, ensuring that the frame is perfectly centered.

Another notable feature of the P20 Pro is its AI-enhanced stabilization system. This feature uses advanced algorithms to keep moving subjects in focus, even when using a portrait mode or zooming in. We've seen this feature work wonders on a flower being blown by the wind, keeping it sharp and clear throughout the process. While we haven't had the chance to fully test this feature yet, its potential is undeniable.

In terms of design, the P20 Pro boasts a unique gradient effect on its glass back, which is both visually stunning and reflective. The phone's color options include Twilight, a purpley-blue-green hue that looks particularly striking in sunlight. The device also features a 6.1-inch OLED screen, which provides vibrant colors and crisp visuals.

However, the P20 Pro is not without controversy. One design decision that has sparked debate is the presence of a "knotch" at the top of the screen. This feature, which was introduced by Samsung earlier this year, aims to provide additional functionality but currently lacks clear uses. When pulled down from either side of the screen, it behaves identically to traditional notification toggles.

Another design quirk is the placement of the fingerprint sensor on the front of the device, rather than the rear as seen on many other flagship phones. This decision has been met with some confusion, particularly in light of the phone's overall design aesthetic. Nevertheless, the fingerprint sensor remains fast and efficient, providing seamless biometric authentication.

In terms of build quality, the P20 Pro is a joy to hold. Its curved shape makes it incredibly comfortable in the hand, and its weight feels substantial without being overwhelming. This device is also IP67 rated, ensuring that it can withstand water and dust splashes with ease.

Finally, the battery life of the P20 Pro is nothing short of impressive. With a 4000mAh capacity, this phone should easily last two days on moderate use. While slightly smaller than its predecessor, the p20's 3400mAh battery still outclasses most of its competition, including the iPhone X and Galaxy S9.

Overall, the Huawei P20 Pro represents a significant leap forward in smartphone camera technology and design. With its impressive feature set, stunning visuals, and comfortable build quality, this phone is an absolute must-have for photography enthusiasts and tech aficionados alike.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhile weighs p-series phones have always been about style and the camera this is the Hawaii p20 Pro and how exactly does why improve on the already pretty great while we p10 well it's done a really spectacular job and we're gonna turn the phone over so you get to see exactly what it's done this is the Huawei P 20 pro and if you're thinking it looks similar to say a regular camera you'd be right and that's why lies in tension because on this side you've now got three camera lenses instead of just a dual set up the way that regular used to seeing that I just on why my finds but on phones like the Samsung Galaxy S nine plus and of course the iPhone series why three camera lenses well this has got especially been a team that we've not seen in any other phone for a start there is a five times hybrid zoom that's greater than we've seen on any other regular smartphone which is usually two perhaps three depending on the phone that you get zoom that this zooms in five times we've got a familiar pattern here we've got an RGB lens 40 megapixel RGB lens a 20 megapixel monochrome lens and then an 8 megapixel telephoto lens so you're getting a combination when you take pictures of all three of those cameras often working together and the results we've seen early on a pretty spectacular why three camera lenses very good reasons you can improve sharpness using the three lenses at once you get a more versatile link via zoom as we were talking about a second ago and while they're using a technology called a called pixel fusion allows four times the amount of light to be captured by the pixels inside giving you spectacular low-light photos we've taken a few samples here just to show off the zoom lens which we think is really cool we go into the gallery here we've got a regular shot some macaroons very nice and then we go to three times zoom and five times ooh and even on the video that you're seeing here you can see the difference and when you get in close to these the detail is all there and usually on a five times optical hybrid zoom on a digital zoom rather there's no detail it's incredibly noisy incredibly Pixley looks terrible no one in their right mind would use it but this is really versatile we like cual ways cameras because they encourage that creativity and having that greater zoom and the ability to take better low-light shots really makes this camera exciting what else can this special camera do but we have a look under video here there's a trend that we're seeing a lot more of recently and there is slow motion video this shoots at 960 frames per second that really amazingly creative slow motion video capture we've given it a try and in indoor lights and the the effects were really great it does shoot at 720p those it doesn't quite match up to Sony's 1080p efforts however that matches Samsung's Galaxy s 9 and we know the day's a very fun feature to use now why is also upgraded it's AI in the new phone now we've seen this on the may 10 Pro where it has scene recognition it understands what you are pointing the camera at there are now 19 categories for understanding what it sees and the way it does this is also really quite clever the AI composition system now actually tries to recommend the way that you frame a shot so say you were shooting at a portrait environment there's a group of people it will highlight around the screen an effort to say well you need to get in a little bit closer or you need to get in to get a little bit further away to make sure everybody's in the shot a really great idea it's also got lines on the screen for ensuring that your horizon is straight and this is all powered by artificial intelligence so it's reacting to what it's seeing instead of just using an onboard sensor additionally the ia does something clever with stabilization now we've probably all done it where we've tried to take a picture of something moving in the wind for example a flower well a focal system here that also uses AI keeps the flower in focus even if it's moving around and we've never seen anything quite like that before and we're looking forward to trying it out we haven't had the chance yet but it certainly looks really impressive add in the usual features we've got while is portrait feature we've got highways aperture feature which blurs the background on what you'll see and we're pretty excited about the triple-n's camera on the p20 pro if you buy a regular p20 you only get a dual lens camera very good I'm sure but let's face it you're going to want to buy the p20 Pro and when you do buy the p20 Pro you're going to want to buy in this one it comes in a color called Twilight and as far as we're aware it's the first in the industry to use a gradient across the glass back here it's really difficult to see on video but this comes in sort of a purpley blue e green the more you move it around in sunlight and it looks fantastic it is very reflective and we've cleaned this a hundred times or more to get our finger prints off however is worth it because it looks fantastic you can also see here how good the blue looks on the p20 also available p20 Pro and a really nice black e gray granite version flip the p20 Pro around and we're greeted by this a 6.1 inch OLED screen and it is beautiful what you will notice of course is up here there's a knotch controversial design decision we're sure you'll agree particularly because at the moment we can't find any function for the knotch Davide ie it doesn't do anything new when we pull down the notification screen on either side it does exactly the same and there's a split for notifications on this side and the usual information on that side so at the moment we're not seeing any and any reason outside of design to do this however the other design decision that we're surprised about perhaps is the fingerprint sensor down the front it's not on the rear like previous highway larger phones for example the main 10 Pro the fingerprint sensor down here is easy to touch and as usual it's extremely fast as we experienced on most part way phones another thing worth noting here is just how comfortable this phone is to hold this is beautifully curved and absolutely perfect for the hand really super comfortable it's also quite weighty but in a very pleasant why and for the first time too this is ip67 rated so it's water and dust splash resistant which is great however p20 doesn't have such a high water and dust resistance so if you're clumsy peter p20 pro is the one to go for inside on the pro is a four thousand milliamp hour battery which should see this last a similar way to what we're experiencing on the main 10 pro which is to say about two days if you really care for its excellent battery life slightly smaller in the p20 it's 3400 milliamp hours but still that's larger than most of the competition the iPhone 10 and the Galaxy S 9 for example and we're going to be playing with the of AP 20 pro a whole lot more and we're very much looking forward to in it if you're wondering what the video performance is like well this is being shot on a 20 pros so you've got a good idea of how good the video performance is you can reap plenty more about this exciting new phone on digital trends and look out for a lot of camera comparisons because we can't wait to use this money\n"