Device Advice – Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro
Welcome to the latest edition of our ‘Device Advice’ blog series, sharing our thoughts and insights into the most recent device releases from the world of mobile, tablets and beyond.
Without doubt, Huawei’s most successful product line to date has been the ‘Mate’ series, a range of devices that offer reliable batteries, bright and engaging screens and the latest specifications.
As the third-largest phone manufacturer in the world, Huawei is looking to reassess its placement in the market. After recently overtaking Apple in global smartphone sales, the newly released Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are certainly poised to take on Samsung in the top spot.
An enhanced design
Both the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro offer a more stylish and ergonomic design as compared to previous models. Built with curved edges and a glass back casing, both phones are built with an aluminium frame, while a contrasting stripe runs along the back of the device and around the camera.
Visually the devices are similar, though the Mate 10 Pro offers a longer, slimmer and lighter look than its sister device, weighing in at 178g and with dimensions of 154.2 x 74.5 x 7.9mm. The Mate 10 Pro is also water and dust resistant, remaining competitive against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and the latest iPhones. But with a compromise, the headphone jack is no longer a key element to the phone; unlike the Sony Xperia XZ1, Huawei has struggled to incorporate both features together.
Where the Mate 10 Pro excels in its look and feel, the Mate 10 offers its strength in storage, albeit through the presence of a microSD card slot. Outside of this, the Mate 10 offers 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the Pro offers 6GB of RAM storage capabilities up to 128GB. Although these figures may be lower in truth as both devices will come pre-installed with a number of games and apps, so-called ‘bloatware.’
Show-stopping processing capabilities
That said, storage isn’t always a deal breaker, particularly when Huawei can offer its user a stronger, faster processor than ever before. The Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro feature the new on-device Kirin 970 processor, with eight ARM processing cores and a new Neutral Processing Unit (NPU) that is full of AI capabilities. The device will be able to learn its owner’s habits and begin predicting the next move – whether its launching an app before the user has tapped it, or performing an action before the command has been made. Equally, if a feature in the device has not been used recently but is sapping the power from the phone in the background, it will be closed.
The on-device capabilities of both the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro are a key selling point, both in enhancing the speed of processing but also in offering a more secure experience for the user. All data and processing is done locally as opposed to contacting a server to perform functions, preserving the privacy of the user.
A comprehensive camera offering
The screen quality of these devices has improved, particularly in the Mate 10 Pro which features a 6-inch 18:9 aspect ratio elongated screen, partnered with an OLED display that sits beneath a full HD resolution. The result is a brighter and more engaging screen, but it is the camera quality in both devices that is worth highlighting.
The Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro feature a 20Mp monochrome and 12Mp colour sensor dual-lens camera pairing on the back of the device. The camera offering is competitive, sporting optical-image stabilisation, and a large f/1.6 aperture allowing for better lowlight shots. The AI capabilities of these phones allow for an advanced scene detection, recognising the subtleties between animals, buildings and people. The dual-lens enhances this further by allowing for a better depth of imagery captured. All in all, the Mate 10 and 10 Pro provide a comprehensive offering for photographers.
And for business?
For business users, the Mate 10 and 10 Pro will support dual-sim, allowing for two numbers to be accessed on one device. While Huawei’s ‘super charge’ feature will be a big hit for those in a hurry – the devices can be charged up to 58 per cent within 30 minutes on the smartphone’s 4000mAh battery.
For those who prefer the use of a desktop the device also allows for the connection of a mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth or a USB-C cable without the need for a specific dock unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. This will make business travel easier and working more accessible.
Stay tuned to the Adam Phones blog for more reviews of the latest devices, and make sure to keep in touch with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
