The Huawei P60 Pro was made official in Europe with a beautiful design and cameras that remain the biggest attraction of the Chinese cell phone line.
In addition, we also highlight the presence of the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. However, we have some critical points here.
The main one is on the tip of any western user’s tongue: the lack of Google apps and services. Another important and much-cited problem is the lack of fifth-generation connectivity.
Are these two points important limiters? Does Huawei’s hardware and heritage pay off? Well then. That’s what we’re going to try to answer in this hands-on.
The Huawei P60 Pro arrived in the TechSmart group shortly after the European launch and, without a doubt, the smartphone is elegant. Here on the P60 Pro everything is well harmonized and the rear camera module is slightly protruded in relation to the body of the device. Of course, his biggest highlight is the way the company has positioned the sensors.
The presence of the main lens so prominent ended up becoming an important design mark and this even serves to differentiate the Huawei P60 Pro from so many other Chinese cell phones.
The pearlescent finish also conveys a sense of elegance, exclusivity and uniqueness. The front follows that Huawei smartphone pattern.
That is, we have a display with few edges and a centralized hole to accommodate the selfie lens. That panel also has curved side edges and the bottom chin isn’t as big.
The glass used by Huawei to protect this smartphone is the self-made Kunlun Glass. The Chinese company highlighted at the launch that the material received a 5-star rating from the Swiss body SGS, something that guarantees resistance to falls.
If you have small hands, holding the Huawei P60 Pro won’t be a problem, even with such a large display. The weight of 200 grams also does not interfere because it is well distributed. The only detail that can make life difficult for some people is the placement of the fingerprint reader.
It is in a very low location and that requires some effort to reach it. Anyway, the sensor is responsive, fast and has a high degree of assertiveness.
And what comes in the box of the Huawei P60 Pro? Here we have the smartphone, SIM chip key, USB cable, charger, manuals and a protective case.
The Huawei P60 Pro was announced with a 6.67-inch OLED LTPO screen with Full HD Plus resolution and offering a refresh rate that can vary between 1 Hz and 120 Hz. The panel is of great quality, and its peak brightness can exceed 1000 nits.
Also, the color reproduction of this device is well calibrated and if you don’t like the default settings, just change it in the software.
Allied to this good quality display, we also have a set of speakers to provide stereo sound. The sound is full-bodied and doesn’t distort much at maximum volume, but of course the bass ends up being a little weaker.
And now let’s talk about the processor, namely the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. It is not the latest chipset from Qualcomm and there is no 5G connection here.
Even so, when aligned with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 manages to be efficient.
With it, the user will run all the games in the App Gallery with peace of mind. In Huawei P60 Pro you can still expand the internal memory using a proprietary card from Huawei. This solution is well known to the brand’s loyal audience.
Other important highlights include the presence of Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC and proximity payments. You can also use two SIM cards with a nano card.
Moving on to autonomy, the Huawei P60 Pro has a 4,815 mAh battery and a standard user can spend up to two days away from the socket. And if the P60 Pro runs low, we also have an 88 Watt charger in the box, which allows you to recharge the device in just half an hour.
Huawei P60 Pro
- 6.67-inch OLED curved screen with QHD resolution (2,700 x 1,220 pixels)
- 120Hz refresh rate and selfie camera hole
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 Platform
- Adreno 730 GPU
- 8GB/12GB of RAM memory
- Up to 512 GB of internal storage
- 13 MP front camera
- Three rear cameras:
- Main lens with 48 MP sensor
- Ultrawide lens with 13 MP sensor
- Telephoto lens with 48 MP sensor
- Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6, NFC and USB 3.1 Gen 1
- 4,815 mAh battery with 88W fast charging
- HarmonyOS 3.1
- Dimensions: 161 x 74.5 x 8.3mm
- Weight: 200g
It is undeniable that the lack of Google services and applications will leave many western users orphaned. In practice, many people do not even know how to use alternative solutions to Gmail, Drive, Docs or Google Maps. These services have always been available on the home screen whenever you set up a new smartphone.
Here on the Huawei P60 Pro, the App Gallery tries to compensate for this lack of Google services. For this, the software allows you to install shortcuts to Gmail, Drive or YouTube. Everything works like webApps. That is, it is basically a shortcut for the service to run in the browser.
Despite this, as Huawei has invested heavily in its proprietary app store, you will find here a number of options to replace Google’s proprietary apps.
Perhaps the biggest problem is specific services, such as bank applications and even government options. As an example, you will not have the Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Nubank or any other application here.
Other apps we’ve noticed are also missing include Netflix, Instagram, Prime Video, and everything Alexa-related. You can even find shortcuts for them within the Huawei store, but the download is not direct.
User is redirected to third party services to download apk and this undoubtedly compromises security. Curious to know that Huawei’s own software warns about this problem, but does not offer decent support.
Speaking a little more about Huawei’s proprietary applications, the company delivers good options like Pental Maps and its proprietary browser. Of course, the map service will not have details like Google’s Street View, but it is quite competent.
In general terms, the Chinese software is well optimized and manages to open applications quickly, has good transitions and, as mentioned earlier, consumes little battery. Not to mention the good design language. When it comes to software, it’s all a matter of choice.
In the Huawei P60 Pro we have three cameras, the main one having 48 megapixels. This sensor has optical image stabilization and its biggest highlight is the ability to vary the aperture between f 1.4 and f4. The secondary sensor is a 13-megapixel ultrawide and the last one is a 48-megapixel telezoom.
It also has optical stabilization, the ability to deliver up to 3.5 times zoom and is one of the biggest stars of this set. All three cameras enjoy XMAGE technology for processing and there is artificial intelligence with computational photography algorithms.
This even resulted in the lead on DxOMark. Starting with the ultrawide camera, the 13-megapixel sensor is the weakest of the three. It delivers good results during the day, but loses sharpness around the edges.
Even so, the colors are well calibrated and this is something that guarantees an even ok result during night shots. Check it out below:
On the other hand, the 48-megapixel main sensor reaps all the laurels of this photographic set. This is because it offers the user the possibility of manually choosing the aperture on a ladder that goes from f 1.4 to f 4 and this is not a software trick.
It is something that is present in the lens. We are talking about a real diaphragm. The result is well-calibrated photos that can be easily adjusted by users, especially photography enthusiasts.
Even so, those users in a hurry will be able to enjoy great quality images. We have photos with well-balanced colors, focus as expected and noticeable details. HDR also does a good job in more complex situations, and sometimes it tends to overdo it.
In addition, at night the photos are of good quality, there is not much loss of detail and this is directly related to the white balance within the expected range. This makes the photo more realistic and is a huge plus point. Look:
The third and final camera is the 48 MP telephoto with 3.5 times optical zoom. With it, you will find the same positive points as the main sensor. That is, photos with good sharpness, rich in details and balanced colors. What draws the most attention is that with it it is possible to take pictures in portrait mode in a much more convincing way.
Not to mention that the mobile lens array makes macro shots much more competent than any software mode available on other smartphones.
In practice, it is possible to capture that photo of a drop of water in a super competent way and with results close to the professional. See the examples below:
Obviously, the Huawei P60 Pro is capable of recording 4K videos at 60 frames, and the result is satisfactory. Optical stabilization makes the difference to keep everything shake-free, while the focus speed is very well calibrated.
Last but not least, the Huawei P60 Pro has a 13-megapixel front camera. In practice, the sensor delivers selfies within the expected standard of a high-end cell phone. Nothing too exceptional.
And we come to the moment where we answer whether the P60 Pro is worth the investment or not. Well then. Abroad, this smartphone costs the equivalent of BRL 6,530 in the version with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage.
It’s definitely a high price. Especially when we take into account the two negative points that scream loudly that the P60 Pro is not worth buying.
Huawei fans, don’t get me wrong. The P60 Pro does have a good set of hardware. The processor is good, the screen is good, the cameras are of excellent quality and the autonomy is also good.
However, the lack of Google services and the 5G connection prevents this device from being suitable for ordinary users. Still, even if it had the fifth-generation network, we’d still have reservations about the P60 Pro.
That’s because you have to make a whole learning effort when it comes to software. Me, you and many other enthusiasts are even prepared to venture out, but the zap aunt and even other young people are definitely not.
With the price you pay on the Huawei P60 Pro, you can get good options from the competition and many of them that don’t require so much renunciation and learning.
That is, it is much easier to remain accommodated at this price and take a Galaxy S23, Xiaomi 13 or even iPhone 14, even if it means giving up exceptional cameras.
In any case, as there is no forecast for the sale of the P60 Pro in Europe, we emphasize that this device will only be purchased by enthusiasts of the brand.
The Huawei P60 Pro is not yet available in Europeian stores. To be notified when it arrives click here.
