Huawei P20 range unveiled in Paris

Below you can read all the historical rumors and leaks that circulated around the Huawei P20 range before March 27. All the fakes and false steps have been exposed, but we also had a lot of good tips!

Previous questions about the Huawei P20: 

• When will the Huawei P20 arrive and what will it cost?
• What will the new Huawei smartphone be called?
• What will the Huawei P20 design look like?
• Does the Huawei P20's camera get even better?
• What are the technical specifications of the Huawei P20?

When will the Huawei P20 arrive and what will it cost?

We now know that the eagerly anticipated Huawei P20 will be unveiled during a special event taking place on March 27.

The invitations received reveal that this event will involve the unveiling of Huawei’s new flagship devices. Located in Paris, the event will be all about the showcasing of its latest technologies, and CEO Richard Yu will be in attendance to present the flagship. Huawei and its subsidiary Honor have previously presented smartphones in the city.

The delay in the brand's presentation of its new devices is supposedly due to preparing for the American markets, stabilizing supply and demand for the next chipsets and improving the standards of the triple camera. It could also be that Huawei didn't wish to compete for the spotlight with Samsung at MWC 2018.

Thanks a recent tweet from Roland Quandt, we now know some price information, and that the memory could be the same for both devices, which apparently will be 128GB - a huge improvement on the Huawei P10 that had 64GB as standard. It's great news then, that the version with a larger memory will be available in both models. 

In addition to this, we can see that the P20 will have a 5.8 inch display, 4GB of RAM and will cost around $833, whereas the P20 Pro is set to have a 6.1 inch screen and 6GB RAM, at around $1000. 

Keep in mind that this is the information for Europe, and the specifications for the US could vary:

What you get for ur money when buying the P20/P20 Pro (WEU):
P20 = 5.8in, 4/128GB = 679 Euro.
P20 Pro = 6.1in (not 6.01), 6/128GB = 899 Euro.
no other memory variants planned for Euroland, it seems. Other regions will get more variants. Some more official shots (size comparison): pic.twitter.com/ldi9oZ9jbj

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) March 18, 2018

For these specifications, Huawei are definitely offering an attractive price compared to the competition. Neither phones are cheap, but when you consider the camera set up, as well as the memory and RAM, they are set to be excellent devices.

What do you think about the latest leaks? Are you impressed by the 128GB standard storage? Leave a comment.

Of course, we'll have to wait for more information regarding US price and availability, if the device will even arrive stateside. The Mate 10 for example, isn't available through carriers due to some problems. 

Also worth keeping an eye out for, is a potential offer to get your hands on the Bose QC35 II headphones with the pre-order ot the P20 pro, which are worth approximately $350. This offer may only be available to Germany, though (sorry to disappoint!).

What will the new Huawei smartphone be called?

At the MWC 2018, the Chinese manufacturer made no more secret of the name. Directly at the entrance to the fair, a digital billboard displayed the invitation to the launch of the P20.

What will the design of the Huawei P20 look like?

Evan Blass isn't leaving much to the imagination leading up to the launch of Huawei's latest flagship. Thanks to his tweets, we know a lot about the devices and what they could look like. Here you can see the front and the back, further confirming some of the rumors we've seen rolling in ahead of its event in Paris at the end of the month. 

Huawei P20, P20 Lite, and P20 Pro (top to bottom) pic.twitter.com/FK8iyxyQND

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 7, 2018

First up, is the tweet above showing the P20 from all angles. Of course, the P20 Pro triple camera grabs our attention, and at a guess, this third camera will function to improve the optical zoom. 

The cameras on each device are unique to each other, with the P20 and P20 Lite both packing dual cameras. However, if you look closely at the above images, there is no Leica branding. If they are anything like the P10 cameras, they will work by combining color and black and white images to produce high quality, detailed photos.

Another characteristic that sets the three versions apart, is the fact that the P20 Lite has a rear fingerprint sensor rather than a front. It looks like the notch is here to stay, too, although those of you who aren't fans of this iPhone X- esque feature, there is still hope yet - rumor has it that Huawei have included software in order to allow the notch to be disabled. 

More colors. pic.twitter.com/i5LoHmDcpi

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 7, 2018

And what about the color variants? Blass again shows us the different possibilities with two renderings. The one below is quite unusual and would surely stand out. Apart from the triple camera though, is there anything that sets this device apart from other flagships?

For some reason this one reminds me of a Hypercolor shirt... pic.twitter.com/DEPlnJa1Ci

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) March 8, 2018

Images and video leaks have been constantly rolling in ahead of the launch. We can also clearly see the notch in the image below, similar to that of the iPhone X: 

Huawei P20 (with two, not three, rear cameras) pic.twitter.com/GRJbIS8NNY

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 26, 2018

As for the camera, its quite likely that the triple version will only be available in one of the released devices, and we're guessing this will be the P20 Plus (or Pro). Regarding the display, it has the 18:9 aspect ratio, and the fingerprint sensor is located on the front. Looking more closely, the name Shirley appears as a decoy brand. 

Another potential look at the upcoming P20, or P20 Pro, comes courtesy of Slashleaks. In the video below, which may or may not be a legitimate hands-on of the device, has the Huawei logo clearly on the back. On the rear we also find a protruding dual camera setup, and a circular presence to the right of the flash, too indistinct to make out clearly. Could it be a clue to the position of the third camera?

More Huawei P20 renders

Over at Android Authority, they managed to get their hands on this early prototype of the successor to the P10, and provided a first glance at what's on the device. As you can see in the image below, we can't see the triple camera set-up that Huawei teased on its Paris event invitations, but this is rumored to be a feature for the P20 Pro or Plus:

Appearing to be missing is what should be an essential component for any high-end device, the fingerprint sensor. This cannot be seen on any of these photos, on the front or the back of the device, suggesting that it will be located in the display (wishful thinking).

A small change, but nevertheless noticeable on the overall look of the phone is the color difference around the camera. On the P10 devices, a contrasting color panel was located along the top of the device, and it seems that Huawei have ditched this design aspect in the new version. 

What's really interesting is that there are no buttons to control the volume, only a power button with what appears to be a touch sensor in place of the physical keys. This change in approach could be a welcome change to improve the user experience and ease of volume control, but it could prove difficult to get used to. 

Another more drastic change is what seem to be stereo speakers, which its predecessor did not have. However, don't get your hopes up too soon as this may be for stylistic purposes, making the phone look more symmetrical. Considering the competition though, it is likely that Huawei have improved the sound for the P20 series. Reminiscent of the Mate 10 Pro, the headphone jack is missing again if you hadn't noticed in the photo above. Therefore, we can assume the device will come with an adapter for the USB Type-C port.

Finally, it's not surprising that the P20 will opt for a sleek design with an almost bezel-less display, and the prototype shows improvements on the P10 in this area. We will have to wait for the real thing to see how the display looks, and how the touch-control volume and speakers actually function. Regarding specifications, we don't know anymore as of yet, but we can expect the details to flood in as we approach Huawei's press conference.

Video renders

Clearly visible in the video below is the star of the P20 devices: the triple camera that Huawei teased in the invitations to the upcoming Paris event.

As you may have noticed, It’s possible that the P20 will keep the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apparently though, this could be an infrared blaster (or IR blaster). The dual camera set-up on the front of the device is rumored to have a sensor that will allow facial recognition.

Regarding the internals, the P20 will pack the Kirin 970 chipset, combining AI components and an octa-core CPU allowing it to run at a speed of 2.36GHz. As with the Huawei Mate 10, the P20 will also pack the ATM Mali-G72 MP12. 

What’s interesting here is that the renders show only one of the two prototypes designed by Huawei, the version without the physical home button. We will have to wait and see which prototype Huawei decides to choose.

Differences between the devices

According to some charts leaked on Chinese social network Weibo, the three devices will have different designs and the range will be diversified just like Apple's iPhones: a basic model (perhaps the 'Lite'), a Plus and a Pro model very similar to iPhone X. Since the latest leaks divide the three along the names P20, P20 Plus and P20 Lite, it's possible that there will be variance in the naming convention among different regions, or that Huawei has simply updated the name scheme along the development line.

By analyzing the firmware test of the alleged P20 Pro (which is hidden under the code name EMILY) Mishaal Rahman of XDA has found several details that refer to the presence of a notch. First of all, an image showing a black zone similar to that of the iPhone X in the display area, even if it is smaller.

Then there is the system property ro.config.hw_notch_size with coordinates that should identify the position of the notch, as well as the boot animation of 2244x1080 pixels compared to the display of 2160x1080 pixels (the missing pixel space could be what's taken up by the notch).

Roland Quandt tweeted and revealed the colors and codenames of the different models:

Huawei P20 family - codenames and colors

Huawei P20 - "Emily" - Ceramic Black / Twilight
Huawei P20 Plus - "Charlotte" - Ceramic Black / Twilight
Huawei P20 Lite - "Anne" - Midnight Black / Klein Blue / Sakura Pink

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 27, 2018

If you're a fan of English literature, these may be familiar to you. They correspond to the Brontë sisters, famous 19th-century poets and novelists, which is certainly a romantic touch! Given how the smartphone market works, it's still possible that the same phones could have different names in different regions, and possibly different color options.

The front fingerprint reader remains in place

The design of the Huawei P20 and P20 Plus will be more classic and will resemble that of the Huawei Mate 10 with a fingerprint reader at the front and a display covering most of the front surface. On the back and surrounding the camera section, it seems there will be a band with a different finish to the bodywork, as already seen on the models in the manufacturer's Mate series.

Three-eyed monsters: the triple camera will be a highlight

As we know, Huawei has taken things a step further than most with its innovative triple camera set-up, and we can finally get a glimpse of what it will look like in newly leaked promos from Weibo, that were spotted by Telefoon Abonnement.

Three things are revealed by these official-looking images. Firstly, we can of course see the third camera which interestingly, lies separately below the other two. And as we've heard, this feature is highly likely to be available on the Pro only. Secondly, we can clearly see that the device will be available in at least two colors, black and blue. And, that controversial notch looks like it's here to stay. 

Clearly, Huawei is highlighting its developments in artificial intelligence, as we can tell from the "SEE MOORE WITH AI" slogan, and we're excited to see how this has been incorporated into its camera.

Since the P9 and the official cooperation with Leica, Huawei has attached great importance to the camera characteristics of the Mate- and P-Series. The previous Huawei smartphones with dual camera and Leica branding rely on the combination of RGB and black and white sensors. The B/W sensor is supposed to feed the images from the RGB sensor with better brightness information, so that higher-contrast images are produced.

With the triple camera in some models of the Huaweis P20 series, the Chinese manufacturer wants to use a third sensor to achieve photos with around 40MP. The high resolution should also be used to achieve a lossless, 5X hybrid zoom. Until now, Huawei smartphones have managed to achieve a 2X zoom.

An impressive 40MP camera

Just under a week from now, we'll see the unveiling of the P20 family. We already know that the Pro version will have the triple camera set-up, and some further details recently surfaced from WinFuture. The main camera sensor will be 40MP, supported by a latent 8MP sensor. The combination of these cameras will allow for a zooming feature up to 5X. Just underneath the double camera, the third camera could be 20MP, focusing on black and white shots.

If the P20 family is to achieve the status as having the best smartphone camera range, then they will have to compete with Samsung, and the upcoming generation of Pixel smartphones, and even Sony is stepping up to the challenge to win the best camera title!

What else do we know about the future P20? The two basic models will integrate the Kirin 970 processor with artificial intelligence that is already in use in the Mate line and now also on the Honor View 10. With P20 and P20 Pro, this could be connected to the LTE network at different speeds. In both cases, however, the new NPU supports AI and machine-learning scenarios with increasing frequency.

As for the Huawei P20 Pro, on the other hand, there seems to be a slight upgrade with a Kirin 975 CPU (the only difference in comparison to the Kirin 970 should be the higher clock frequency), 6 GB of RAM in the 128 GB and 8 GB version of RAM in the 256 GB version. On the display side, the device looks like it will be fitted with a 6.01-inch Samsung LCD panel.

The software will obviously be Android 8.0 Oreo and EMUI as a skin, but it could arrive in version 8.0.1. The P20s should then support Easy Projection (already seen on the Mate 10) and therefore offer a USB 3.1 Type C port.

Source: Weibo, SlashLeaks, Telefoon Abonnement