Which Huawei smartphone to choose in 2024?

Summary:

Despite Huawei's setbacks with the USA, some smartphone models from the brand remain interesting. Here are our recommendations for finding the best Huawei phone in 2024. 

The best Huawei smartphones in 2024

Let's not beat around the bush: we do not recommend that you buy a Huawei smartphone. From a challenger on the verge of becoming an equal to Samsung or Apple a few years ago, the Chinese firm had to fight for its survival after three years of American sanctions. Huawei was subject to a US embargo in 2019, which prohibits US companies and other allied countries from supplying technologies and products to Huawei. To the point that the firm is no longer in the top 5 in the world, or even in China.

Certainly, progress has been made, notably with the introduction of Petal Search as a search engine and Petal Maps for cartography, but we still need to be on par with Google. We therefore necessarily recommend these new terminals without Google with much more reluctance. Especially since HarmonyOS 3, the ultimate OS promised by Huawei, is struggling to arrive in Europe.

Google services have become too essential to do without them without significantly degrading the experience. And if some older models like the excellent P30 Pro are still sold, they clearly show the weight of the years and a price that is today too high for what they offer. If the Huawei P50 Pro is the brand's flagship in Europe, other models are also available, such as the Huawei Nova 9 or the Nova 8i. However, These smartphones are sold for around 350 euros: it is difficult to recommend them when competitors, such as Xiaomi or Realme, offer better at the same price.

However, Huawei has recently tried to reinvent itself by diversifying into other types of products, notably connected watches and bracelets, as well as laptop PCs – with, it must be said, some success.

For its part, Honor, the brand's former subsidiary, has become independent. More affordable and mainly aimed at young people, the latter offers alternatives to high-end Huawei at good value for money.

The high end: Huawei P60 Pro

In an alternative universe where Huawei did not get into trouble with the United States, the P60 Pro would have been crowned as the best photo smartphone on the market. The construction is quite strange with a glass back which makes it slippery to hold. Above all, the composition of the camera offers a rather particular final result with a massive main lens.

The composition of the technical sheet is also satisfactory with the arrival of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 which offers power worthy of the best devices on the market. Likewise, the EMUI overlay is customizable as desired even though the software is based on Android open source. The absence of Google services is still felt by ordinary people.

Among the big strengths of the phone, are the battery with 88W fast charging and especially its camera. But given the enormous inconvenience posed by its daily use, we still do not recommend the purchase of the Huawei P60 Pro.

The software without subscribers: Huawei P50 Pro

Still mired in its embargo and supply problems, Huawei continues to release new smartphone models in Europe. Released in January 2022, the P50 Pro attempts to make a fairly marginal proposition. A high-end smartphone without Google and 5G, but which shines in photos and on its touch screen.

Before discussing the recurring problem of the Chinese manufacturer's smartphones, the hardware part deserves a more detailed focus. First via its 6.6-inch OLED panel which is certainly one of the best in circulation at the moment. With variable refresh at 120Hz, you will have an optimal viewing experience. The Full HD+ definition in no way spoils all the elements mentioned.

In terms of raw power, the P50 Pro integrates the 4G version of the Snapdragon 888. This chip is accompanied by 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It allows you to run any mobile title smoothly without the slightest problem. The 4360 mAh battery ensures a full day's battery life. Finally, 66W fast charging allows you to be at 100% in less than an hour.

Unfortunately, the promise in terms of equipment is not quite complete. Long a leader in the segment of smartphones dedicated to photography, the P50 Pro disappoints. On paper, however, the performance is there with good equipment. However, the zoom as well as the portrait mode have some detrimental failures in smartphone conditions.

Indeed, despite all its goodwill, the Chinese manufacturer cannot get rid of software problems on its devices. The absence of Google services remains a problem since the Huawei P50 Pro multiplies approximations and errors. To take full advantage of this phone, you will need a minimum of knowledge in downloading software and APKs.

The other element that makes the Huawei P50 Pro difficult to recommend is the lack of 5G given its price. It's a great product, but it lacks a good interface. Under normal conditions, it would have been easy to recommend it to you. In this case, we still have some reservations.

The photo pro: Huawei Mate 50 Pro

This new Huawei smartphone model was released in our region in November 2022. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro has a large 6.74-inch OLED screen. It is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, with 8 GB of RAM. In terms of performance, the Mate 50 Pro is impeccable, and it also avoids heating.

Huawei has focused on photography for this device. It has three rear sensors with a 50-megapixel wide-angle, a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with a 3.5x optical zoom and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle. When we used the phone, we were able to see the usefulness of its variable opening. The main sensor offers stunning shots, it must be said, and the Portrait mode is excellent. The night mode, however, has some limits, and the ultra-wide angle suffers a little in low light... Nothing to complain about the autonomy, which is average. It supports SuperCharge 66W fast charging so you can refuel in around 30 minutes.

Of course, still no Google services here... nor 5G.

Huawei foldable smartphones

HUAWEI MATE XS 2

For its book-sized folding phone, Huawei took a different approach from Samsung. The Mate Xs 2 folds not inwards but outwards. Its large 7.8-inch OLED panel, of excellent quality, has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, this choice is not necessarily instinctive, and a specific button is also there to unlock the unfolding. It houses a largely efficient Snapdragon 888 chip, as well as three photo lenses that do a good job. Its autonomy is, however, unconvincing, with a 4880 mAh battery.

Although it has good arguments, the Mate Xs 2 is nevertheless sold for 2,000 euros; without Google services, 5G, or waterproof certification, it is impossible to recommend it.

HUAWEI P50 POCKET

The Huawei P50 Pocket is a foldable clamshell model from the Chinese brand. Compact, and elegant, its design is reminiscent of a powder compact and it was designed as a fashion accessory. It hides a Snapdragon 888 chip, coupled with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 256 or 512 GB of storage. The internal screen is a very large 6.9-inch AMOLED panel with a rather discreet fold. Concerning the external screen, however, you will have to make do with a very small 1.04-inch round Oled panel capable of displaying only a few elements. The Huawei flip phone has three photo sensors that do well during the day, a too light 4,000 mAh battery, and 40 W fast charging.

Understanding the embargo and HarmonyOS

Since the implementation of its embargo, the Chinese manufacturer can no longer use Google services, and can no longer equip foreign companies. This means that the smartphones do not integrate Android or the manufacturer's applications. A real problem as alternatives to the operating system are non-existent. Huawei, therefore, chose to develop its software, called “HarmonyOS”.

The new OS developed on open-source software is already deployed in China on many of the manufacturer's products. In France, it is only possible to discover the operating system on Huawei touch tablets such as the MatePad Pro (2021) the MatePad 11, or the Huawei Watch GT3. However, the manufacturer aims to gradually deploy its software, particularly for the European market.

However, the leaders of the Chinese firm recently declared that HarmonyOS was not ready to arrive on the Old Continent. For the moment, Huawei smartphones in Europe therefore run under EMUI 13.

What to know before buying a Huawei smartphone

Who is the Huawei brand?

To put it simply: Huawei is a Chinese telecommunications giant and today one of the largest companies in the country with a turnover which exceeded 120 billion dollars in 2019. If it is best known to the general public for its smartphones, tablets, and PCs, it also designs 4G and 5G telecommunications antennas. However, with accusations of espionage, several countries have refused the company's development of 5G. It also has numerous subsidiaries including HiSilicon which designs the processors integrated into the brand's phones.

What happened between the USA, Donald Trump and Huawei?

What we call “the Huawei affair” is a long story that can be summarized very quickly as follows: Huawei was suspected of wanting to spy on the Americans. The Americans, under the leadership of the president at the time, Donald Trump, decided to sanction Huawei by prohibiting it from installing Google services (and therefore Android) on its — new — smartphones. The Chinese company was also banned from collaborating with American companies. There have of course been many twists and turns, but that's where we are as far as phones are concerned.

Will my Huawei smartphone be updated?

A priori yes. Despite American measures, Huawei still has access to AOSP, the open-source version of Android, which continues to be updated by Google, both in terms of security and functionality. On the other hand, this will not allow you to benefit from Google services again if they are not present.

It is unlikely that Huawei will be able to use Android again.

What applications are available without Google services on my Huawei smartphone?

To compensate for the absence of Google services and the Play Store, Huawei offers “AppGallery”, its in-house application store. The proposal is certainly very – very – far from being up to the standard of the Android Play Store. But the most popular applications are still available, like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Telegram, Spotify, and Tinder... for certain apps like WhatsApp, you will have to download the APK directly from the official website.