#PhoneReview: Huawei P50 Unboxing and Review

Huawei has just released a new P series flagship phone in Malaysia – the P50, a slightly cheaper version of the P50 Pro variant. We’re lucky enough to get our hands on this new device and have been trying it out for almost two weeks by now, and we must say Huawei P50 impressed us – like most of its other flagship variants!

To be honest, we have always been a fan of Huawei smartphones since we first tested the P20 back in 2018. And again, Huawei P50 didn’t disappoint us.

We’re fascinated with Huawei P50 not only with its elegant and solid-built design, but also its cutting-edge technology and overall user experience that are both captivating and functional. And what made us most impressed was Huawei’s remarkable True-Chroma Dual Matrix Camera technology that enabled us to capture breath-taking, true to life photos effortlessly like a professional photographer!

But before we get into the in-depth review, let us show you what comes in the box of Huawei P50 in the unboxing video below.

Unboxing

The P50 device is packaged in a typical white, sturdy, cardboard box that has a minimal design – with the print of Huawei logo and model name of the device in matte gold hot stamping, two circle crop, light gold abstract images and a small Huawei AppGallery logo on the box.

Inside the box, it’s pretty simple too, you’ll see the handset itself with a clear silicone phone case, 66W USB charger, Type-C USB cable, SIM ejector tool, and that’s all! No user’s manual and warranty card in the box, and earphones are also not included like most of the new purchases of smartphones nowadays.

Design and Build

Huawei P50 is available in two classic colours – Cocoa Gold and Golden Black. Our unit is the Cocoa Gold in colour which gives an elegant and sophisticated feel. It’s a solid-built phone featuring a compact, premium metal and glass body with rounded edges and corners that surround a 6.5-inch display seamlessly. With measurements of 156.5 x 73.8 x 7.92mm and a weight of about 181g, the P50 is pretty light to hold in the hand.

Along the edge of the device, there’s a volume rocker and power button on the right-hand side, and a dual sim card slot and a single speaker grille at the bottom alongside a USB-C port. While at the top edge, there’s an Infrared (IR) blaster together with the speaker and microphone arrays.

In the front, the device has an impressive screen-to-body ratio thanks to its ultra slim bezels and the punch-hole selfie camera design placed right at the centre. While on the back of the device, there’s a sleek dual circular camera module design with a triple-camera setup.

Display and Audio

The large 6.5-inch capacitive touchscreen on the P50 have a full HD+ OLED display with resolution of 2,700 x 1,224 pixels that makes up to 1.07 billion colours, enable the phone displays content beautifully with crisp images in a full array of colours, providing a more superior viewing experience for gaming or streaming.

For audio, the device comes with dual speaker stereo sound as standard and supports its self-developed Histen sound effects, delivering vibrant, crisp sounds for an immersive audio experience.

Operating System and Features

Running on EMUI 12, with 8gb RAM and 256gb ROM, HUAWEI P50 offers a buttery smooth user experience with up to 90 Hz refresh rate displays that support a 300Hz touch sampling rate. Whether for working, studying, remote communication, gaming, entertainment or asset editing, the P50 offers a fast and smooth interaction without any lags or stutters.

In terms of connectivity, the P50 comes with a dual nano-sim card slot with both slots supporting 4G bands, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and GPS – but without 5G connectivity.

On the other hand, Huawei P50 comes with a handful of nice-to-have features such as Multi-Screen Collaboration, which allows for seamless screen sharing between the phone and Huawei’s laptops or tablets – to make calls, send messages, browse photos and edit files; and the useful AI Remove function that can remove any unwanted objects in the photos.

Same as other Huawei phones, the P50 does not support Google’s suite of apps, which can be a downside for users who are beholden to Google services. Alternatively, you can use Huawei browser to access Google services. And over the years, Huawei has also been continuously expanding its portfolio of apps in the AppGallery to develop a viable alternative to Google Play Store, from productivity to entertainment to cater to the majority of users’ day-to-day needs.

Camera and Video

Huawei P50 comes with the remarkable Dual-Matrix Camera system that comprises a 50MP True-Chroma main camera, a 12MP telephoto lens with 3.4x optical zoom, a 13MP ultra-wide angle camera, and a LED flash. Coupled with other powerful photography technologies such as the HUAWEI XD Optics and HUAWEI XD Fusion Pro, Huawei P50 offers incredible photography capabilities that can take your photos and videos to the next level – especially when it comes to image clarity and colour accuracy. Additionally, the powerful SuperZoom Matrix and AIS Pro True-Steady Shot allow you to capture faraway subjects with up to 80x zoom, while keeping the shots steady and stable.

The front camera of Huawei P50 is also impressive when it comes to taking selfies. The 100-degree ultra-wide angle True Chroma lens with 14cm auto focus is perfect for large group selfies and magnificent landscapes.

Let’s check out below some photo samples that we capture using the P50.

Scenery

Buildings & Object

Greenery

In terms of video recording, the P50 supports 4K video recording on both the front and rear with its Dual-View Video mode, and allows you to take dramatic slow-motion videos in 4K time-lapse style. Its AIS Pro telephoto stabilisation feature helps to ensure clear and steady shots with the telephoto zoom lens, even when using the camera handheld.

We learned that Huawei P50 series are the last Huawei phones to include Leica’s technology in the camera system as Huawei has confirmed that its partnership with Leica has ended on 30 March. (source: Android Authority)

Battery

The battery life of Huawei P50 is excellent as it boosts a battery capacity of 4100mAh. The non-removable battery, which supports fast charging takes only 40-45 minutes to charge it to full. However, it does not support wireless charging which is a little disappointing. But the brand claimed that the battery health will remain at least 90% even after three years of use, which sounds impressive – but it depends on users’ charging habits too!

Price and Availability

Huawei P50 is now available at the price of RM2,999 on the HUAWEI official website, as well as its online store in Lazada and Shopee. You can also experience the phone at your nearest HUAWEI Experience Store!

Verdict

Overall, Huawei P50 is a well-built phone that is elegant and sophisticated. It is no doubt one of the best Android phones we’ve seen this year. Equipped with cutting edge technology and impressive camera capability, the P50 promises an overall user experience that is both captivating and functional. If you’re looking for a high-quality phone with a price tag that won’t hurt your wallet too much, the P50 is an excellent choice for you given its overall performance and price range!

For more product’s information, head over to HUAWEI Malaysia’s website at consumer.huawei.com/my/ or follow its social media pages to stay updated with their latest offerings: