Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: a head-to-head comparison of Huawei’s newest flagships

Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: specs

First, let’s start the comparison from the main specs of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro.

Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: design, display, size and waterproofing

The Huawei P30 is slightly smaller than its Pro counterpart measuring 5.9 x 2.8 x 0.29 inches compared to 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.33 inches on the Pro version. The P30 sports a relatively large 5.9 inch display and there is a tiny waterdrop notch at the top housing the front camera. The Huawei P30 Pro looks practically the same on the front but with a larger display measuring 6.1 inches. Both phones feature the same screen resolutions and aspect ratios: 2340 x 1080 resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. This means, that out of the two phones, the P30 is actually capable of a shaper image quality.

Both smartphones come with water and dust protection but on different levels. The P30 features IP53 protection rating while the P30 Pro is even more resistant to water and dust rated at IP68, just like, for instance, the Samsung Galaxy S10.

Both phones are available in a rather interesting set of colours: Amber Sunrise, Breathing Crystal, Pear White, Aurora and the classic Black.

Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: CPU, storage and battery

Both smartphones run on the Kirin 980 processor, marketed by Huawei as the first 7nm AI chipset featuring dual NPU design and supporting LTE Cat.21. With that, the Pro version of the phone pairs that with more RAM (8GB), a larger battery (4200mAh) and three storage options: 128GB, 256GB and 512GB.

The Huawei P30 is a bit more modest coming with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 3650mAh battery.

With the Huawei P30 Pro, you also get the option for reverse wireless charging (as seen on the Mate 20 Pro). The P30, however, is missing this feature and there is no wireless charging support.

Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: best camera performance according to DxOMark

One of the key differences between the Huawei P30 and the Huawei P30 Pro lie in the rear cameras. The Huawei P30 gets a triple camera system, while the P30 Pro features four cameras.

The Huawei P30's triple camera system consists of a 40MP main sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, a 16MP ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and an 8MP zoom sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The cam features a 3x optical zoom and a 30x digital zoom.

The P30 Pro comes with a number of upgrades in the camera category. Its quad camera system is made up of a 40MP primary sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, a 20MP ultra-wide sensor with an an f/2.2 aperture and an 8MP zoom sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and an additional Time of Flight sensor (TOF) allowing for more depth. The P30 Pro also features a 5x zoom and a 50x digital zoom.

On the front, both smartphones come with a 32MP selfie shooter with AI beautifying features and smart lighting.

Huawei P30 vs. Huawei P30 Pro: the verdict, price and availability

Naturally and as the name suggests, the Huawei P30 Pro comes is a superior version of the Huawei P30. The P30 Pro’s main upgrades include a more powerful camera setup, more RAM and internal storage, a larger battery with reverse wireless charging and a larger display.

The Huawei P30 Pro is, naturally, also more expensive. The Huawei P30 is available for over $900 while the Huawei P30 Pro’s starting price is close to $1200.

As we can see, none of the devices are cheap — and you will need to pay about $300 extra for the upgrades on the Huawei P30 Pro. For that, though, you will be getting the number one ranking camera phone on DxOMark.