Does the Huawei P60 Pro stand a chance? Maybe — here’s why

The Huawei P60 Pro is here — just announced at an event in Munich and its clear that the company has its sights set on the big ultra premium competition like the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

But does it have what it takes to go after the biggest and best smartphones in the industry? Let’s get into it.

Looking fresh

As you can see, the 200g P60 Pro is quite the looker — measuring in at a svelte 161 x 74.5 x 8.3mm. The Kunlun glass panel up front has a subtle curve to all four sides, which creates this seamlessness to the frame. 

Plus, thanks to the nanocrystal construction of the glass, it provides impressive drop resistance too (and IP68 dust and water resistance), which keeps that 6.67—inch OLED display with LTPO adaptive refresh rate (1-120Hz) and a 2700 x 1220-pixel resolution.

But of course, we’ve gotta talk about that behind. As someone who is usually a fan of minimalist utilitarian aesthetics, I’m surprisingly taken aback by the gorgeous pearlescent Rococo Pearl finish.

To pull off this matte pearl-esque texture, Huawei uses a natural mineral pearl powder. Sounds great already, but to make it even more jaw dropping, given its a natural mineral, each phone looks unique! It just screams luxury, just like any phone at this price should. It is quite the stunner in person!

Getting snap happy

Of course, one of the main strengths of the P series of Huawei phones continues to be its photography, and the P60 Pro is exactly the same. This time, the focus is placed upon providing incredible low light performance.

You’ll hear the company use the phrase “The Eye of Light” a lot when it comes to this phone, and you can see why, thanks to that large Ultra Lighting Camera. With a resolution of 48MP and a physically adjustable aperture from f/1.4 to f/4.0, this is a very versatile main snapper.

Pair that with a 13MP ultra-wide with f/2.2 and a whopping 48MP periscope telephoto that is capable of 100X zoom, and your camera system should be able to handily keep up with any photographic demands that you may have.

P also stands for pitfalls

First, Huawei runs its own OS with its own app store. This time round, you’ve got EMUI 13.1, with interesting new innovations such as a 3D weather always-on display presents fun dynamic effects based on what the upcoming forecast is set to be. It’s a smooth OS too with a nicely laid out UI.

But you cannot get around one simple fact: it’s not real Android. That means no access to the Play Store, any of Google’s OS innovations, or a firm commitment to regular security or content updates.

And as you can see, Huawei’s 5G ban continues to be a pain for the brand, as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset is limited to a 4G connection. Of course, these speeds are still respectable, but pale in comparison to what you’d be able to get from similarly-priced competition.

Outlook

With the P60 Pro, Huawei is setting its sights on ultra flagships — providing premium aesthetics and focussing its efforts on becoming an undisputed photography champ.

Can the company pull it off? That’s a question we will answer in our hands-on review. There are some obstacles for it, such as the lack of a true Android OS and the ban on the company using 5G technology meaning you’re stuck to using 4G only. But time will tell whether these are overcome by a strong phone experience.

Because one is needed when you look at the price tag. You can pick up a P60 Pro (opens in new tab) starting on June 5th, and its available from £1,199.