Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsHUAWEI, Where Have You Been All My Life? THE BEST PHONE!
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020
7 months of ownership. Mate 20 Pro. One hell of phone better than Samsung or Apple for seriously about half the price (when I bought it pre-COVID in Oct. 2019). I'm a 25+ year pro commercial photographer, and the camera / lenses (Leica, no less!) are nothing short of amazing. I also do pro printing, and I can display the 30" prints from the Mate 20 Pro right alongside the 30" prints from my Sony A7RIII. Especially the semi-macro stuff! Camera is fast, responsive, but lenses and resolution are just incredible. Phone function is perfect. Battery life longer than a day, usually 2 days, and I use full power all the time, and this is my business phone so it gets A LOT of use. Phone supports fast charging and it is FAST. Goes from 8% to 98% power in about half an hour. Also has wireless charging which is also really convenient. This phone came with Google Play, so it has all the Google Play apps AND you have access to all the Huawei equivalent apps, so it's the best of both worlds. I find myself using many of the Huawei apps. HereWeGo mapping app is at least as good as Google Maps. And I prefer Huawei email apps. Lots and lots of options, many of which I do not use as I really bought this primarily for the crazy good camera. Phone can double as a hot spot. Huawei's desktop app is very useful. You can backup your phone to your own PC, not just to someone's "cloud". And it works great.
Had to throw a Hong Kong SIM card (cheap, 13bucks, on Amazon) in the phone to BEGIN receiving software updates, but after that it has received all Google updates, security updates, and HUAWEI updates on its own. So whatever it cost, add thirteen smackers for that convenience. Still a great deal. Updated to Android 10, EMUI 10, and yes, it is nice! You will need a case. The phone without a case is too slippery. It will slide off anything. I recommend the Unicorn Beetle case. And I don't throw my phone around, but I do get around carrying it mostly in my pocket. This phone has held up better than any phone I've ever owned. Especially the charging port...All is like new, seriously LIKE NEW after 7 months. Absolute keeper. I think USA sanctions HUAWEI because HUAWEI is making such great phones with latest tech and pricing them where they are AFFORDABLE for anyone. But the Mate 20 Pro came out before the sanction nonsense, so you're good with this phone if that is a concern. You have Google and HUAWEI and all updates in one device.
CONS: It's slippery. A case is a requirement if you use a phone like I do. And hat's it. I cannot find fault with this magnificent device. I waited 7 months to write this review because this was my first HUAWEI device and wanted to make sure it was built solid for the long haul. Well, it is, and this is my first HUAWEI, but it will definitely not be my last HUAWEI.
