Huawei P20 Review: Specs & Leica Dual Camera Features

Huawei P20 (2018): Premium Mid-Flagship with Leica Dual Cam & Kirin 970 | Full English Details & Specs

Brand: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.

Category: Premium mid-flagship 5.8-inch FHD+ OLED smartphone, co-engineered with Leica for advanced photography, powered by Kirin 970 AI chipset; targeting photography enthusiasts, style-conscious users, and tech-savvy consumers seeking a balance of performance, camera quality, and premium design.

Core Value: 5.8-inch FHD+ OLED “notch” display, Kirin 970 AI processor, Leica dual rear cameras (12MP RGB + 20MP monochrome), 3400mAh battery with 18W fast charging, Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1, IP53 water/dust resistance, and in-display fingerprint scanner (optical).

Launch Timeline: Announced March 27, 2018 (Paris); released April 12, 2018 (global); variants: EML-L09 (Europe), EML-L29 (international), EML-AL00 (China); colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Pink Gold, Champagne Gold, Twilight (gradient finish).

Core Specifications

1. Display & Design

Display: 5.8-inch OLED, FHD+ (2244×1080 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio, ~429 ppi, 16.7M colors, HDR10 support, DCI-P3 wide color gamut; small “notch” for front camera; scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Body: 149.1×70.8×7.65mm, 165g; aluminum frame + glass back (gradient finish for Twilight variant); IP53 splash-resistant rating (protection against dust and water spray); in-display optical fingerprint scanner (a flagship feature in 2018); Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (dual-standby) or Nano-SIM + microSDXC (hybrid slot, up to 256GB).

2. Performance & Storage

SoC: HiSilicon Kirin 970 (10nm); CPU: Octa-core (4×2.36GHz Cortex-A73 + 4×1.8GHz Cortex-A53); GPU: Mali-G72 MP12; Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI tasks (scene recognition, portrait mode, low-light enhancement).
OS: Android 8.1 Oreo with Huawei EMUI 8.1; officially upgradable to Android 10 with EMUI 10.0; no further major OS updates.
RAM/Storage: 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X RAM; 64GB/128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage; hybrid microSDXC slot (up to 256GB expansion, shared with second SIM).

3. Cameras (Leica Co-Engineered Dual Setup)

Rear Cameras (Leica Summilux-H optics):
- 12MP RGB main: f/1.8 aperture, 1/2.3″ sensor, 1.25µm pixels, PDAF, OIS, 4K@30fps video recording, EIS.
- 20MP monochrome: f/1.6 aperture, 1/2.78″ sensor, 1.0µm pixels; enhances contrast, detail, and low-light performance when paired with RGB sensor.
- Features: Leica color modes (Standard, Vivid, Monochrome), AI scene recognition (19 categories), portrait mode with bokeh control, night mode, 2x hybrid zoom.
Front Camera: 24MP, f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.8″ sensor, 0.9µm pixels, fixed focus; 1080p@30fps video; AI beauty mode, portrait selfies with bokeh.

4. Battery & Charging

Battery: Non-removable Li-Polymer 3400mAh; mixed usage up to 1.5 days; talk time up to 22h (4G).
Charging: 18W Huawei SuperCharge (wired, USB-C 2.0); 0–50% charge in ~30 mins; no wireless charging support.

5. Connectivity & Extras

Network: 4G LTE Cat18 (1.2Gbps downlink), 3G HSPA+, 2G GSM; no 5G support; global band compatibility for international roaming.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE), NFC, USB-C 2.0, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo, infrared remote control.
Sensors: In-display optical fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, ambient light, compass, hall sensor.
Launch Price: ~€599 (Europe, 6GB/128GB); ~$649 (US, unlocked, 6GB/128GB).

Key Features & Series Significance

Balanced Mid-Flagship Package: Blended premium design, flagship-level camera performance, and solid AI features at a price below top-tier flagships (e.g., iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S9).

Leica Dual Camera Innovation: The 12MP RGB + 20MP monochrome combo delivered industry-leading low-light photography and monochrome shots, setting a benchmark for Huawei’s camera-focused flagships.

Kirin 970 NPU: The dedicated AI chip enabled intelligent scene recognition and camera optimizations, a precursor to Huawei’s future AI-powered imaging systems.

Gradient Design Trend: The Twilight color variant with its gradient glass back popularized the gradient finish trend in smartphone design in 2018.

In-Display Fingerprint: One of the early mainstream phones to adopt in-display fingerprint scanning, moving away from rear-mounted sensors for a cleaner look.