Huawei P30 Pro quad cameras overview: Closer look at Super Sensing, Super Zoom and every other super detail

Huawei has launched the P30 and P30 Pro – two high-end phones that are out to challenge the conventional DSLR with their Leica-tuned triple and quad camera setups. Although Huawei’s association with German brand Leica goes back to the P9 (launched in 2016), it was only last year when critics started paying attention to the potential that a certain P20 Pro brought to the table – even though the P20 Pro wasn’t the best camera phone around, it was better in some ways than the best in the business. There’s no question that the P20 Pro’s triple cameras were way ahead of their time.  

The P30 Pro is an evolutionary update to the P20 Pro (even in terms of camera elements to an extent), and yet Huawei has somehow managed to outrun itself – in building yet another powerful phone with potentially very powerful cameras. No wonder it says, the P30 Pro rewrites the rules of photography. Now that’s something only time will tell but going by history (with phones like the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro), what we’re looking at right now, the P30 Pro could well be the best camera phone of 2019. 

I will have more to say about the P30 Pro’s cameras in the days to come, but for now, here’s step-by-step breakdown of the phone’s four rear cameras: 

- 40MP primary camera 

On paper, this may seem like the same as the primary camera onboard the P20 Pro and the Mate 20 Pro – but it is not. Not only is Huawei using a new sensor (Huawei is calling it Super Sensor), it is also using a new type of colour filter on this new sensor. Not to mention, it is using a brighter lens (f/1.6 aperture) with optical stabilization – the two when combined are enough to warrant an upgrade. 

But coming to the new sensor and the new colour filter - the P30 Pro’s 40MP primary rear camera (27mm f/1.6 with OIS) uses a custom Sony sensor that uses an industry first RYYB array (as opposed to RGGB on others) for up to 40 per cent more light intake. 

When paired with the large 1/1.7-inch sensor (and large effective pixels resulting from pixel binning) the P30 Pro’s 40MP primary camera can theoretically take better low light photos than any other phone in the market right now including the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, Apple iPhone XS Max and Google Pixel 3 – this should also result in an insanely better night mode on this phone. For some perspective, the P30 Pro can shoot at ISOs up to 409600, according to Huawei.  

- 20MP ultra-wide camera 

The P30 Pro has a 20MP ultra-wide camera (16mm f/2.2) - this is the same as the one onboard the Mate 20 Pro. 

- 8MP periscope telephoto camera 

Not only does the 8MP telephoto camera on the P30 Pro have a bigger sensor (also, with OIS), Huawei has thrown in a periscope mechanism which refracts light at a 90-degree angle towards the sensor by a prism – concept which isn’t new but Huawei might just be the first company to be able to sell it making sense of it all without compromising on the phone’s sleek form factor. 

This 8MP periscope telephoto camera (125mm f/3.4) can achieve 5X optical zoom, 10X hybrid zoom and 50X digital zoom (Super Zoom). "The Galaxy phone can't shoot the galaxy," Huawei consumer group CEO Richard Yu took a subtle dig at Samsung at the P30-series keynote event, adding that the P30 Pro "can shoot seemingly clear photos of the moon in auto mode."   

- Time-of-Flight camera  

The fourth camera in the P30 Pro is a Time-of-Flight camera. A ToF system calculates the time it takes for an IR laser to bounce off subjects and return to the device to create a more accurate 3D picture of the environment – this should theoretically entail in better portrait or bokeh shots.  

Also Read:  Huawei P30, P30 Pro Launched With Gradient Glass Body, 40MP Primary Rear Camera And Kirin 980: Specs, Features And Everything To Know