Huawei P50 Pro Review: A Premium Flagship with a Software Challenge
Huawei P50 Pro features a 6.6" OLED display, Leica quad cameras, 120Hz refresh rate, and a 4360mAh battery with 66W fast charging.
Huawei P50 Pro is a high-end phone with impressive design, performance, and camera capabilities. However, it doesn’t have Google services due to a U.S. ban, and Huawei is trying to push its own app store, the App Gallery, which is missing some popular apps like Instagram and WhatsApp.
P50 Pro has a sleek design, is lightweight, and feels premium in hand. It runs on the Snapdragon 888 processor and 8GB of RAM, which makes it fast for most tasks. It also has 256GB of storage, but it doesn’t support 5G.
Its camera system is great, especially the main camera, which takes amazing photos in all lighting. The ultrawide and telephoto cameras, however, aren’t as good in color accuracy.
Battery lasts a full day with 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging, so you can charge it quickly.
P50 Pro is a solid flagship phone, but it may not be the best choice if you rely on Google apps.
Table of Contents
Huawei P50 Pro Specification
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | 📅 Announced: July 29, 2021 🚀 Released: August 12, 2021 |
| Body | 📏 Dimensions: 158.8 x 72.8 x 8.5 mm ⚖️ Weight: 195g 🛡️ Build: Glass front & back, aluminum frame 🛠️ SIM: Nano-SIM (Dual options) 🌊 Water & Dust Resistance: IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| Display | 🖥️ Type: OLED, 120Hz, 1B colors 📱 Size: 6.6 inches 🔍 Resolution: 1228 x 2700 pixels (~450 ppi) |
| Software & Chipset | 🖥️ OS: HarmonyOS 2.0 (China) / EMUI 14.2 (Europe) ⚙️ Chipset: Kirin 9000 / Snapdragon 888 4G 🎮 GPU: Mali-G78 MP24 / Adreno 660 |
| Storage & RAM | 💾 Storage Options: 128GB/256GB/512GB 💡 RAM: 8GB or 12GB |
| Main Camera | 📸 Quad Setup: 50 MP (wide), OIS 64 MP (telephoto, 3.5x zoom) 13 MP (ultrawide) 40 MP (Black/White) 🎥 Video: 4K, 1080p @ 960fps |
| Selfie Camera | 🤳 13 MP (wide) 🎥 Video: 4K @ 30fps, 1080p @ 240fps |
| Sound | 🔊 Stereo Speakers ❌ No 3.5mm Jack |
| Connectivity | 🌐 Wi-Fi 6, 🔗 Bluetooth 5.2, 📱 NFC, 🔌 USB-C 3.1 |
| Sensors | 🕵️ Fingerprint (under-display), ⚖️ Accelerometer, 🧭 Compass, 🕹️ Gyroscope |
| Battery & Charging | 🔋 Battery: 4360 mAh ⚡ Charging: 66W wired, 50W wireless 🔁 Reverse Wireless Charging |
| Colors | 🎨 Available Colors: Golden Black, Cocoa Gold, Pearl White, Charm Pink |
| Performance Tests | ⚡ AnTuTu Score: ~790K 🧑💻 GeekBench Score: 3145 🔋 Battery Life: 76 hours |
Huawei P50 Pro Review: date and price
Huawei P50 Pro was first launched in China and is now available in the UK, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. However, it is not sold in the US or Australia.
There is only one model of the phone available in the UK and the UAE, and it costs £1,099.99 (AED 3,999) and has 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. In terms of storage, this is more affordable than the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The UK version comes in Cocoa Gold and Golden Black, but it was once released in four colors.
Huawei P50 Pro Review: Design and display
The Huawei P50 Pro has a sleek and premium design, with a size of 158.8 x 72.8mm and a weight of 195g, making it comfortable to hold. The volume buttons and power button are on the right side, while the USB Type-C port and SIM tray are at the bottom. The fingerprint sensor is behind the screen, which has curved edges blending into the metallic frame.
Phone is available in four colors: Golden Black, Pearl White, Charm Pink and Cocoa Gold. The back has a shiny metallic surface that can attract fingerprints and features two large camera ring modules in a pill-shaped bump. This “dual matrix camera” design stands out and may get mixed reactions.
Huawei P50 Pro has a 6.6-inch OLED display with a 1228 x 2700 resolution and 450 ppi. Colors are vibrant, and videos look great. The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling smooth. You can set it to Dynamic to save battery or High for the best experience.
Huawei P50 Pro Review: Specs & Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which powers numerous top phones from the previous year, powers Huawei P50 Pro. It does not, however, provide 5G connectivity; only LTE/4G.
Our review model has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage which is enough for most users. There are also 128GB and 512GB versions available with 512GB version offering 12GB of RAM. You can expand storage with Huawei’s Nano Memory (NM) card which fits in the same slot as a Nano SIM card.
The P50 Pro performs smoothly with everyday tasks. It scored 3018 in Geekbench 5, similar to other Snapdragon 888 phones.
Due to restrictions, it doesn’t have 5G, but we tested the 4G speed and achieved a download speed of 292 Mbps. For comparison, the iPhone 13 Pro Max with 5G reached 586 Mbps, but for streaming 4K videos, you only need 25 Mbps.
Huawei is also good at connecting its devices. If you have a Huawei laptop, tablet or MateView monitor, you can easily connect and share data with your Huawei phone.
Huawei P50 Pro Review: Camera
Huawei P50 Pro has four AI-powered Leica cameras: 50MP main, 64MP telephoto (3.5x zoom), 13MP ultra-wide and 40MP monochrome. Photos are sharp with natural colors and AI mode enhances images without over-saturation.
However, colors may vary between lenses. Ultra-wide lens can look cooler than main camera and zoom shots up to 50x are usable, but quality drops beyond that.
In good lighting, camera performs well but shutter speed is slow making it hard to capture fast moments. The viewfinder may show overexposed skies but final images turn out fine.
For low light, photos are decent but not as sharp as competitors. Night mode can cause blur, and the ultra-wide lens struggles with color accuracy and quality.
P50 Pro records 4K video at 60fps. The main and telephoto cameras have stabilization, but the ultra-wide does not. Switching lenses while recording can be rough.
13MP front camera takes good selfies with a wide field of view. Low-light selfies may be a bit soft, and even with beauty mode off, skin smoothing is noticeable.
Huawei P50 Pro Review: Software
Huawei P50 Pro runs on Android but does not have Google services due to U.S. restrictions. International versions use EMUI 12 (based on Android 10), while HarmonyOS is used in China.
Without Google services or the Play Store, users must rely on Huawei’s App Gallery. Many local apps are available, but big ones like Instagram and WhatsApp are missing. While some apps can be sideloaded, Google apps won’t work, meaning services like Gmail, Google Photos, and YouTube must be accessed via a web browser.
Despite this, EMUI 12 looks polished with redesigned icons, smooth performance and handy features like large folders and widget access. However, lack of Google support could be a dealbreaker for some users.
Huawei P50 Pro Review: Battery Life
Huawei P50 Pro has a 4,360mAh battery which is decent but not very large for its size. However, since phone lacks 5G, battery life is sufficient for a full day of moderate use.
Expect around 6-7 hours of screen-on time but heavy use (GPS, video recording, etc.) may drop it below six hours, requiring a mid-day recharge.
Charging is fast with 66W wired charger, reaching 70% in 30 minutes and a full charge in under an hour. It also supports 50W wireless charging but reverse wireless charging is missing which is surprising for a flagship phone.
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Is the Huawei P50 Pro Worth Buying?
Buy it if…
✅ You want a great camera
The P50 Pro takes amazing photos in any lighting.
✅ You don’t need Google apps
If you can live without Gmail, YouTube, or Google Maps, this is a top Android choice.
✅ You use Huawei devices
It works smoothly with Huawei laptops, tablets, and monitors.
Don’t buy it if…
❌ You rely on Google services
Without Google apps, it may not fit your needs.
❌ You want 5G
This phone only supports 4G.
❌ You’re on a budget
It’s a premium phone with a high price tag.
Huawei P50 Pro: Pros & Cons
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| 📱 Slim, stylish design (IP68-rated) | 🔋 Average battery life |
| 🌟 Bright 120Hz OLED display | 🚫 No Google services |
| 🔊 Great stereo speakers | 🎬 Limited HDR10 app support |
| ⚡ Fast 66W charging | 📶 No 5G |
| 🚀 Smooth performance | 🔥 May slow down under heavy use |
| 📸 Excellent camera quality | ❌ |
| 🤳 Impressive selfies | ❌ |
| 🎛️ Feature-rich EMUI 12 | ❌ |
| 🔄 Works well with Huawei devices | ❌ |
Conclusion
Huawei P50 Pro is a stunning phone with great performance and an excellent main camera. Huawei has added many regional apps to its platform, but major ones like Google services are still missing. If you rely on Google apps, this may not be the right phone for you.
