The Mate 50 Pro, the tenth model in the series since the Mate 1 from 2013, is now making it to the European market after being announced in China. The latest Huawei flagship comes with a 10-level variable aperture for the primary camera. The Mate 50 Pro starts at a price of 1,199 euros.
A Mate traditionally combines extensive equipment in the productive area with a high-quality camera. The Mate 50 Pro continues that mantra, breaking away from the foldables as the company's largest smartphone, filling its 6.74-inch screen with 2,616 × 1,212 pixels with a 120Hz refresh rate. Huawei operates the HDR-capable OLED panel with a sampling rate of 300 Hz for touch inputs and 1,440 Hz for PWM dimming. Instead of the well-known Gorilla Glass, the company's own “Kunlun Glass” is used for protection.
3D Face Unlock is retained
Apart from the current iPhones, the Mate 50 Pro is still the only smartphone that still offers a 3D process with a time-of-flight sensor for an unlocking method in the upper area of the screen, analogous to Apple's Face ID, instead of only a 2D method as with other competitors – Camera to use for this. In addition to the face unlock system, there is a 13 MP camera in the notch, which can be operated with three viewing angles (digital crop). In addition, Huawei accommodates a display fingerprint sensor in the smartphone.
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Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Matte silver and glossy black for Germany
Of the three colors in total, Huawei is bringing silver (silk matt) and black (glossy) to Germany, while the “vegan” orange with leather structure is reserved for China. What all variants have in common is IP68 protection for water up to 6 m deep. The Mate 50 Pro measures 75.5 × 162.1 × 8.5mm and weighs 209g.
Variable aperture camera from f /1.4 to f/4.0
The rear is dominated by a centrally positioned camera array, which at first glance appears to have four lenses, with only a proximity and light sensor installed on the bottom left. At the top right, Huawei accommodates the new primary camera with a focal length of 26 mm and a resolution of 50 MP. The image output is 12.5 MP by default, and the full resolution can also be accessed in Pro mode. The camera's new feature is a ten-stop variable aperture that can be set in Pro mode in increments of 0.2 from f/1.4 to f/4.0. This mechanically influences how wide open or closed the aperture works. It is therefore possible to adjust whether more or less light should fall on the sensor and how quickly the drop-off in the bokeh area takes place. Aperture changes can be easily observed by looking into the camera lens.
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Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Zoom with native 95 mm
The second camera is 13 MP at f/2.2 and serves ultra-wide-angle photos with a focal length of 13 mm. This camera is also designed for macro photography. In contrast, the telephoto lens, which is equipped with a periscope zoom and has a 3.5x optical magnification at a focal length of 95 mm, looks into the distance. In the viewfinder, the camera app also offers a button for a tenfold magnification with “270 mm”, whereby a hybrid zoom is already used in this area. In the digital area, the Mate 50 Pro covers up to “2,700 mm”.
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 must do without 5G
Qualcomm provides the processor with the current Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (benchmark) in the 4G version. The San Diego company is allowed to supply Huawei with an exemption, but sanctions continue to prevent 5G equipment. Aside from the adapted modem, the chip corresponds to the configuration known from other devices. The 4G model is also manufactured in N4 at TSMC and offers current Arm IP such as the Cortex-X2, A710 and A510. Qualcomm contributes a powerful GPU with a higher clocked Adreno 730. The smartphone comes to Europe with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 as well as an optional extension via Huawei's own NM cards 1 percent battery
The battery comes to 4,700 mAh and is therefore larger than in all previous Mate Pro. The energy storage offers a new emergency mode, which is automatically activated when there is 1 percent remaining capacity and is said to provide 3 hours in standby mode or 12 minutes for telephoning. For wired charging, Huawei relies on its own SuperCharge with up to 66 watts (11 V/6 A) or wireless SuperCharge with up to 50 watts. In the opposite direction, for example for headphone charging cases, the smartphone can emit up to 7.5 watts.
EMUI 13 gets larger clipboard
The software runs under the name EMUI 13 and uses the AOSP as a foundation without Google services. Huawei no longer talks about Android versions, instead it says that other smartphones will also receive EMUI 13 over time, although specific dates are still pending. Among other things, EMUI 13 brings the SuperHub, a new clipboard for multiple images, documents or text snippets at the same time, which can be accessed via a small window on the side of the screen. The operating system also makes quick contact with its own accessories such as headphones or smartwatches and, with Huawei Share, offers a function for sharing documents on tablets or desktop PCs.
SuperHub for EMUI 13
Start for 1,199 euros in a bundle with headphones
The Mate 50 Pro starts online sales today at Huawei itself and at partner 1&1. The recommended retail price is 1,199 euros, which is on par with the P50 Pro. For early buyers, a promotion is running from today until November 30, 2022, during which the FreeBuds 2 Pro (test) worth 199 euros (RRP) can be obtained free of charge.
Huawei Mate 50 Pro Huawei Mate 10 ProHuawei Mate 20 ProHuawei Mate 30 ProHuawei Mate 40 ProHuawei Mate 50 Pro ✔ Software:
(when released) Android 12.0 Display: 6.74-inch, 1,212 × 2,616
428 ppi, 120 Hz
OLED, HDR, Kunlun Glass Operation: Touch, fingerprint sensor, face scanner SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
1 × Cortex-X2, 3.20 GHz
3 × Cortex-A710, 2.75 GHz
4 × Cortex-A510, 2.00 GHz
4 nm, 64-bit GPU: Adreno 730
900 MHz RAM: 8,192 MB
LPDDR5 memory : 256/512GB (expandable) 1st Camera: 50.0MP, 2160p
LED, f/1.4, AF, OIS 2nd Camera: 13.0MP, f/2.2 3rd Camera: 64.0 MP, f/3.5, AF, OIS 4th Camera: No 5th Camera: No 1st Front Camera: 13.0 MP, 2160p
Display Flash, f/2.4 2nd Front Camera: No GSM: GPRS + EDGE UMTS: HSPA+
↓42.2 ↑5.76 Mbit/s LTE: Advanced Pro 5G: No WLAN: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth: 5.2 Positioning: A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC Other standards: USB 3.1 Type C, NFC, infrared SIM card: nano SIM, dual SIM battery: 4,700 mAh, 66.0 W
permanently installed, wireless charging Size (W×H×D): 75.5 × 162.1 × 8.50 mm Protection class: IP68 Weight: 209 g Price: €1,199/–
ComputerBase received information about this article from Huawei at an event organized by the manufacturer in Berlin under the NDA. The only requirement was the earliest possible publication date.