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Huawei Mate 20
Huawei Mate 20
Huawei Mate 20
Huawei Mate 20
...


8.6/10
Informr score
The Huawei Mate 20 currently has an Informr score of 8.6 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 22 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

The "1-Minute" Review

Verdict

The Mate 20 provides an all-in-one package of sleek design, a beautiful display, great performance, and amazing battery life. While it cut features from the more expensive Mate 20 Pro, it is one of the better Android smartphones available on the market.

What's good

  • Great battery life
  • Beautiful display
  • Clean, modern design
  • Decent camera
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Speedy performance

What's bad

  • Display not color accurate
  • Camera image details a little muddy on zoom
  • No water- and dust-resistance

With the Mate 20 Pro receiving high praise from tech outlets that doesn’t mean the Mate 20 isn’t worth your time. While it might not have the trendy features of its more expensive sibling, it holds its own against other smartphones in the looks and power department.

The Mate 20 design is almost identical to the Mate 20 Pro -- right down to the square camera housing unit. But, it’s only splash resistant so make sure you don’t drop it into any puddles. 

There is a variety of different colors to choose from, but only the Midnight Blue and Emerald Green provide Huawei's "vinyl" textured back. While barely noticeable, the texture provides a better grip than the standard smooth glass you’ll find on the other color options.

A 6.53-inch IPS display takes up most of the phone's face with an 88% screen-to-bezel ratio. At 2,244-by-1,080 pixels, it isn't the sharpest panel available. But, for most people, it’s sharp enough. And thanks to an RGBW stripe configuration, it looks sharper than its 381 PPI suggests.

There’s more to a screen than its sharpness. Fortunately, the Mate 20 delivers on most counts. Colors are bright and vibrant. Despite not sporting an OLED display, blacks were dark. Sadly, the colors themselves aren’t super accurate and whites have a bluish tint.

Like the Mate 20 Pro , the Mate 20 uses the Kirin 980 octa-core processor and 6GB of RAM. Thanks to the Neural Processing Unit (NPU), the phone can manage tasks effectively leading to what critics consider one of the fastest smartphone experiences available. Whether reviewers were browsing the web or playing 3D games, it worked seamlessly.

Battery life sets the Mate 20 apart from other smartphones in its price bracket. Thanks to the NPU, experts could squeeze almost two-and-a-half days worth of use out of a single charge. Heavy users can go a full day without worrying about their phone shutting down. 

Should you find the battery low, fast charging offers a 50% charge in only 30 minutes.

The phone features a three-lens camera system with a 12MP main lens, 8MP telephoto lens, and a 26MP wide-angle lens. Despite lacking the beefy 40MP lens of the Mate 20 Pro , the camera on the Mate 20 captures excellent images. 

Reviewers were impressed with the performance of all three lenses and captured good images. The only complaints centered on a lack of detail when zooming in. Still, for how most people will use the phone, image quality is good enough.

Night mode is where the camera really impressed critics. It took very detailed images with little grain. Unfortunately, Huawei ditched the image stabilization, which means you’ll have more motion blur in your images if you are not careful.

While it might not be perfect, experts highly recommend the Mate 20. Android Police states, “... the Mate 20 is one of the best Android phones out there right now…” Stuff.tv adds, “... the Mate 20 is a superb phone. It takes great photos, has oodles of power and a long-lasting battery…”


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.6 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.6 GHz
6.53"
Screen Size
Screen Size
6.53"
12+ MP, f/1.8
Camera
Camera
12+ MP, f/1.8
4000 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Android Guys
Android Guys

There’s a ton to love about the Huawei Mate 20. While not the Pro version, it offers a ton of features, fantastic build quality, and top-tier performance and battery life without busting your budget.

- Matt Adams, Android Guys
PhoneArena
PhoneArena

It has its kinks and its slight issues and annoyances, but at its core, this phone is solid and reliable. Its battery life is not quite insane, but it will last you more than 99% of the phones out there right now. The camera is a bit unpredictable: it can either impress with some very nice photo at...

- Victor Hristov, PhoneArena
Hothardware
Hothardware

Despite its short comings (in the U.S market at least) the Huawei Mate 20 is one hell of a phone. The battery life is industry leading and the camera is excellent. Picture quality was outstanding in a wide variety of environments and lighting conditions. The Mate 20's screen is also striking. For mo...

- Chris Ledenican, Hothardware
Android Authority
Android Authority

There’s so much to love with the Mate 20, from the cameras, to the performance, to the overall presentation. The Mate 20 didn’t give me much to complain about. Its user experience is clean, apps and services open near instantly, and you have plenty of options for taking great photographs and videos....

- Kevin Parrish, Android Authority
AndroidPIT
AndroidPIT

It's dazzled me from the beginning to end. It can hold its own without slowing down my daily rhythm. The photos are better than good, the facial recognition is effective. It's beautiful and powerful.

- Silvia Santos, AndroidPIT


Prices (Where to Buy)




Common Questions


We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Huawei Mate 20 user manual here.


Huawei backs up the Mate 20 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.


If your Mate 20 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Huawei support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Huawei's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.



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Quick view

Screen Size
6.53"

The Huawei Mate 20's screen size is 6.53 inches with 1080 x 2440 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.6 GHz

There is a HiSilicon Kirin 980 Octa core 2.6 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 9.0 Pie operating system (OS).

Camera
12+ MP

You can take photos or capture video with the phone's onboard 12+ MP, f/1.8 camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 24+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
128 GB

Internal memory is 128 GB. An external, nanoSD (up to 256 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
4000mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol), 4000 mAh battery. Huawei's performance ratings are 1370 minutes, 1182 minutes Wi-Fi surfing.

Mate 20 Specs

Overview
Release Date December 30, 2018
Regions Available United Kingdom
Operating System Android 9.0 Pie

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor HiSilicon Kirin 980 Octa core 2.6 GHz
Internal Storage 128 GB
RAM 4/6 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible No
TTY/TDD No
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Head: 0.44 W/kg
Body: 0.99 W/kg
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Headphones, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE
Mobile / Cellular Data
4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Yes
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Yes
SIM card size
Nano-SIM
Dual SIM Yes
Connectivity
USB USB Type-C
USB OTG Support Yes
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared Yes
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, OPP/FTP, HID, HFP, HSP
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info nanoSD (up to 256 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
12+ Megapixels, f/1.8
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Effects, Face detection, Geotagging, Image stabilization, Multi-shot, Self-timer, Second camera(16 MP, Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2), Third camera(8 MP, Telephoto, f/2.4 )
Video Recording Formats
MPEG-4
Video Recording Parameters
Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels), 30 fps
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
24+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
Aperture f/2.0
Video Recording Parameters
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology LCD (IPS)
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 2440 pixels
Pixel Density 381 pixels
Size 6.53 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touchscreen
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol)
Battery Capacity 4000 mAh
Removable Battery No
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging Yes
Video Playback Time Up to 878 minutes
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Up to 1182 minutes
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Up to 1370 minutes
Standby Time Up to 26 days
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Glass
Colors Black, Midnight Blue, Twilight
Dimensions [H x W x D] 15.82 x 7.72 x 0.83 cm (6.2 x 3 x 0.3 in)
Weight 188 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof No
Rugged design No
IP Rating No
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Yes
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key No
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes
More
Additional Information Other Names (AKA):
Related Links Quick Start Guide (PDF)
Manual (PDF)
Huawei Mate 20 Reviews
Where to buy Huawei Mate 20
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