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 anymore. 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, although issues with the US may see Huawei's popularity in the west slip away, just as it was really getting going.
The issues in question relate directly to the relationship between the US and China. Huawei was placed on the USA’s ‘entity list’ back in 2019, 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 run open-source Android, they don't come with Google services preinstalled.
Sadly, we don't see this changing anytime soon, and that's bad news for the foldable Huawei Mate Xs and the Huawei P40 range. These will still be good phones, and the Kirin 990 5G processor is no slouch, but the lack of Google Play is a dealbreaker for many in the Western market. Huawei does offer its own alternative store dubbed AppGallery, but it pales in comparison to Google's offering.
The good news is that all Huawei phones that originally shipped with Google Play Services will continue to get access to security updates, Google apps and services. That includes essentially everything up to the Mate 30 range, which was the first to lack access to Google's services.
Android drama aside, here's a selection of what we consider to be the best Huawei phones available to buy in 2020 - we'll add the P40 phones once we've completed our full reviews.
Best Huawei Phones 2020
1. Huawei P30 Pro
- £899 (128GB), £1099 (512GB)
We love the P30 Pro. The design is top drawer stuff, the display is outstanding and the cameras are truly some of the best ever seen on a phone.
Priced have dropped since it launched early in 2019 and it’s great value compared to many rival flagships.
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
- Approx $750
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
- Not available
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
- $699
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 Mate 20 X
- £799
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.
6. Huawei Mate 20
- Around £712 (64GB) | Around £790.52 (128GB)
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.
7. Huawei Mate 20 Lite
- £379 (about $500)
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.
8. Huawei Mate 30 Pro
- N/A
The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is a promising phone that offers everything you'd want in a next-gen flagship but without the say-so from the US government, asking people outside of China to spend over €1000 on a phone that lacks what is considered a fundamental part of the Android experience in most other markets renders the Mate 30 Pro a tainted product that will likely perform far worse than it deserves.
9. Huawei P30 Lite
- Unavailable
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.
10. Huawei Nova 5T
- £399
While some manufacturers are looking for a headline feature to stand out from the crowd, the 5T quietly prioritises everyday usage by mastering the fundamentals of a solid smartphone. The design is superb, cameras great and battery life better than expected.
We are missing some premium features here - wireless charging, expandable storage, OLED display - but it’s remarkable how quickly you can look beyond these when you use the phone regularly.
As a complete package, it has to be considered among the very best mid-range phones you can buy.
What Should I Look For From A Huawei phone?
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 P20 models are still good phones, even if the P30 range is better.
Note that the Huawei P40 series is now official with the regular and Pro models arriving on 7 April. Then the Pro+ option with a ceramic finish and five cameras will launch later in June. So it's likely worth waiting for those to go on sale, even if this means the older models drop in price, getting you a better deal.
We also love the four versions of the Mate 20 series - each with different price, design and features. The Mate 30 series is a great progression, with improved cameras, an incredible waterfall display and improved internals, but the lack of Google Play Services will put many off in the Western world.
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 - lack of Google Play aside - 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.
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