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Huawei P20 

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The latest offering from Huawei a company that around two years ago was not heard of outside China, now they have Samsung and Apple worried with their technology and quality at a lower price than their competitors high end offerings.

Huawei P20 UK Android Smartphone
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Unlike the first Huawei unit I saw this is not all about its excellent camera. In its small overall size it packs a lot and while some might find a few minor niggles there are many more plus points.

It is 14.9x7x.7cm and weighs 165grams. Its pair of vertically mounted Leica cameras do protrude slightly from the back but the finger print reader is on the front below the screen in a horizontal format.

Talking of the screen it is 5.8inches which is almost unbelievable in a phone of the dimensions mentioned.

So going round the unit has the volume rocker on the right side with the on/off button below this. The base has a pair of speakers with the USB ‘C’ connection between them. The left side has the SIM entry point while the top has a pin hole microphone. On the back are the pair of Leica lenses towards the top left with the LED flash below them.

So there is no headphone socket.

Both the rear camera and the front camera work out at 16MP, the reason I say ‘work out’ is that the colour is 12MP and the monochrome is 20MP so when sliced together the result is 16MP.

The phone has Android 8.1 the absolutely latest version of Oreo with EMUI 8.1 skin which does not seem to impede it.

The processor is a Kiron 970 octocore offering with 4GB RAM and 128GB built in memory. However it does accept OTG external memory in the USB port.

The sealed battery is 3400mAh and it supports Huawei fast charge technology.

The second and perhaps more serious fault is no mention of waterproofing, and while I do not mean taking it into the shower with you I would like to know that the odd rain shower is acceptable.

The screen is crisp and clear and manages to get 428PPI so you really feel you have more than 5.8inch screen. The actual FHD + resolution is 1080x2244 so even better than most PC’s but for those with less than perfect vision and to even save some battery you can switch to HD+ 720x1496.

It easily accommodates seven rows of five icons without them looking even close to being squashed together.

Unlike some phones that get their screen resolution by using a curve at the side of the screen there is an actual edge to the screen here which for me anyway is a plus as there are defined boundaries.

Perhaps the main reason some will consider the P20 is the £200 cheaper price for only the very small number of minus points.

I found the battery easily lasted a whole ‘long’ working day and the screen is readable in almost all lighting conditions.

Some might find the camera notch at the top of the screen a little distracting but this can be hidden in settings.

These days while making phone calls is important most traveling companions tend to text or be on the Internet, however I do still hear some ‘hello, hello and even louder HELLO’ before an expletive or three in some poor connection areas and I can say I never suffered that with this Vodafone offering even when traveling through a known blackspot between Clapham Junction and Vauxhall.

If the real top of the range phones are just beyond your budget then the P20 may just be affordable it has a lot to offer.

Available on contract from the link below in black for only £9 upfront and £35 a month which gives unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 9GB of data, other plans are available.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/brands/huawei/p20/#Black/128  

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Features3
Performance3
Value3
Ease of use3
Design3
OverallHuawei P20 rated 80 out of 100

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