Huawei unveils new flagship Mate 20 handsets

Huawei has unveiled two new models of its flagship Mate 20 series smartphone on Tuesday at a launch in London, the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro.

Huawei's launch for its latest flagship smartphones, the Mate 20 series, in London on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Richard Yu, Huawei's CEO, presents the new Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. [Photo: VCG]

Both handsets are powered by Huawei's Kirin 980 SoC, the world's first 7nm processor-based chipset, and the first designed by Huawei to provide "System on a Chip" (SoC) integrated processing. According to the company, the cutting edge TSMC 7nm processor technology enables the Kirin 980 to pack 6.9 billion transistors into one square centimeter, 1.6 times the number of processors that can fit onto the same size chip. Compared with similar 10nm model chips, the new 7nm chipset delivers a 20 percent improvement in performance and a 40 percent improvement in power efficiency.

The Kirin 980 processor is equipped with a Dual Neural Processing Unit (NPU). This "Dual Brain" technology is said to improve the Artificial Intelligence experience for users by providing more processing power, intelligence, and image recognition capability compared to previous model processors. This means AI functions that would ordinarily be processed by a cloud server can now be done on the phone itself.

A Huawei Mate 20 Pro model. [File Photo: VCG]

The Mate 20 has a 2244 x 1080 6.53-inch RGBW display, with a teardrop notch screen. The Mate 20 Pro has a 3120 x 1440 6.39-inch OLED screen.

The Mate 20 Pro has an in-screen fingerprint sensor, while the Mate 20 has had the fingerprint sensor moved to the back of the handset. 

A Huawei Mate 20 model. [File Photo: VCG]

Both the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro can be unlocked using facial recognition, but only the Mate 20 Pro supports 3D Face Unlock, which Huawei claims can unlock the phone within 0.6 seconds.

The main cameras of both the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro feature a four-point design. Their triple Leica sensors includes a super wide-angle lens, and support macro photography.

A Huawei Mate 20 Pro model. [File Photo: VCG]

The Mate 20 Pro features an f/1.8 aperture 40-megapixel sensor, and an f/2.2 aperture 20-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens, and an f/2.4 aperture 8-megapixel telephoto lens. The triple lenses can work together to capture ultra-macro shots from a distance of just 2.5 centimeters. It also offers improved low-light photo capture options. And the Mate 20 Pro is also water-proof, which allows it to be used for underwater photography.

A Huawei Mate 20 model. [File Photo: VCG]

The Mate 20 packs a 4,000 mAh battery. The Mate 20 Pro houses a larger4,200 mAh battery, and can be charged up to 70 percent capacity from flat in just 30 minutes thanks to Huawei's 40W Supercharge technology. 

The Mate 20 Pro also boasts a 15W wireless quick charge feature, and a said-to-be world's first wireless reverse charge that can wirelessly charge other phones and accessories.

The Mate 20 Pro also comes with 3D live object modeling ability, twin speakers, and dual-frequency GPS-backed maps.

Huawei's launch for its latest flagship smartphones, the Mate 20 series, in London on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Richard Yu, Huawei's CEO, presents the company's new handsets. [Photo: VCG]

Along with the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro smartphones, Huawei also debuted its gaming-friendly Mate 20X, which has a massive 7.2-inch display, an industry-leading cooling system, and a stylus. Huawei also unveiled its Mate 20 Pro Porsche Design handset, and its new Huawei GT smartwatch.

A Huawei's gaming-friendly Mate 20X model. [File Photo: VCG]

Pre-sales for Huawei's Mate 20 series began on October 17.

A Mate 20 Pro Porsche Design handset.[File Photo: VCG]