(26 Mar 2019) LEADIN:
Huawei's new P30 Pro smartphone can "see" in the dark.
The flagship, camera-focused handset features a new quad camera system that lets users take pictures, even in darkened settings.
STORYLINE:
Huawei's new P30 Pro smartphone might not look different to other devices. But turn it around, and you might notice one new addition.
The handset comes with a new Leica quad camera system. That's one more than its predecessor, the P20 Pro, launched in March last year. But one less than, for example, the new Nokia 9 PureView, which has five lenses.
But Peter Gauden from Huawei claims it's not a competition for more lenses, but a desire to deliver an "amazing photograph".
"We don't believe in a lens arms race, what we do believe is looking at the technology to achieve the end goal. With the end goal being that amazing photograph," he says.
"We look at all sorts of different routes to achieving that. In this instance, we're combining four different cameras together to build that Leica quad camera system.
"But it doesn't mean that we're just in a race to get five, six, seven. It's whatever we need to put in to get that amazing photograph at the end."
The P30 Pro features a curved 6.47-inch, OLED FHD+ display with a 19:5 ratio and a finger print sensor embedded below the screen.
The new smartphone's quad camera includes a 20 mega-pixel ultra-wide-angle lens, an 8 mega-pixel telephoto lens, a new time-of-flight lens and a new 14 mega-pixel "Super Spectrum" lens, which helps users take photos, even in darkened settings.
The "Super Spectrum" lens claims to absorb higher levels of light, delivering a 400,000 ISO level.
"The more light that we can absorb, the better quality the image at the end of that process," says Gauden.
"So, we start with more light using the Super Spectrum sensor. The end product is clearer, is crisper, is more vibrant, is more beautiful and ultimately a much, much better photograph."
The P30 Pro's telephoto lens promises five-times optical zoom, meaning a longer zoom without affecting picture quality and added AI stabilization to avoid shaky shots.
"I think what Huawei is doing quite sensibly is really selling itself on the camera technology, really making itself stand out from the competitors in that way. Whether it's a major break from the past, no I don't think so," says Shona Ghosh, senior tech reporter for Business Insider.
"I think it's just selling that story of we're really, really good at letting you take pictures of stuff. And I think they've done that again with this device."
Huawei's P30 Series will not have 5G connectivity.
The Chinese tech giant's folding-screen phone, the Mate X, revealed last month in Barcelona, will be able to connect to 5G networks when released later this year.
Huawei didn't reveal pricing for the P30 Pro or lower spec standard P30 handset. But both are expected to be cheaper than the Mate X, which will sell for 2,299 euros ($2,600 USD).
Samsung was the no. one smartphone seller for all of last year, followed by Apple, according to research firm International Data Corp.
Huawei came third, though in some quarters it took second place, IDC data showed.
The company stealthily became an industry star by ploughing into new markets, honing its technology, and developing a line-up of phones that offer affordable options for low-income households and luxury models that are siphoning upper-crust sales from Apple and Samsung in China and Europe.
"Not being in the U.S. doesn't seem to have been a great hindrance, we don't know how that may have impacted its core finances as yet," says Ghosh.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
