Is Huawei P50’s Leica camera the best phone camera so far?

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Huawei Unveils the P50: Huge 50MP Camera Bumps, Improved Tech

Huawei has announced two of its latest flagship smartphones -- the Huawei P50 and P50 Pro -- which will have a 50-megapixel main camera and be the first major phone series to launch with the company's own HarmonyOS.

The Huawei P50 and P50 Pro will join the brand's P Series product line. First teased during the HarmonyOS 2 online launch event, the company says that the P50 is set to deliver a "revamped camera experience" with a strong focus on photography technology. Huawei says that these new smartphones bring perfect image clarity, high dynamic range, and improved smart snapshot capabilities.

According to The Verge , due to the ongoing sanctions imposed by the US -- which have also contributed to the absence of 5G in the P50 Series -- some of the models have Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 888 processor, while others have by Huawei's own Kirin chips. The debuted phones have what is best described as a sleek design with a 6.6-inch 120Hz 1228p OLED display for the P50 Pro and a slightly smaller 6.5-inch 90Hz 1224p OLED display for the P50.

Huawei P50

Richard Yu, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Consumer BG, believes that the new series represents "a new chapter in Huawei's history of camera excellence, as well as a paradigm shift in mobile photography, aesthetic design, and all-scenario experiences." Thanks to the incorporation of multiple cameras -- three for P50 and four for P50 Pro -- users will get to benefit from a variety of photography options.

Huawei P50 Pro

Building on the previous Huawei P40 Series, which debuted the XD Fusion Image Engine that the company says helps deliver better image quality, the company has now launched XD Fusion Pro, which comes as an improved solution of the imaging technology for enhanced close-ups, zoom range, image clarity, and more. For video shooters, the P50 series supports 4K video recording across the full focal range and has a new AIS Pro image stabilization to help capture better handheld videos.

Example of the P50 Pro telephoto camera

Both P50 and P50 Pro have a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel selfie camera, with P50 also housing a 12-megapixel telephoto with a five-times optical zoom, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera, while P50 Pro has a 65-megapixel telephoto with a 3.5-times optical zoom, a 40-megapixel monochrome, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera. Huawei has typically leaned heavily on its imaging technology, so it stands to reason that the same will be the case here and that the company has packed the smartphones with considerable photo-taking prowess.

The P50 Series will be powered by HarmonyOS 2, Huawei's own operating system, compared to past models that have run on Android. The new deciecs are currently only slated for release for the Chinese market, and no expectations for their release elsehwere have been noted. The Huawei P50 starts at 4,488 yuan (about $695) with eight gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage, and 5,988 yan ($927) for the P50 Pro which also ships with a baseline eight gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage. The P50 supports up to 256 gigabytes of storage and the P50 Pro can hold up to 512 gigabytes. Both models will go on sale in September.

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Huawei Teases New Flagship P50 and Its Giant Dual Camera Array

Although detailed information about the Huawei P50 smartphone line wasn't revealed during the HarmonyOS 2.0 online launch event, Huawei did share a brief sneak peek of its upcoming "spring flagship."

During the company's HarmonyOS and New Products Launch live stream that took place today, the company revealed its plans for introducing its latest OS for smartphones and other smart devices -- which won't rely on Android no doubt mainly due to the company's current blacklisted status -- and promises to be more efficient for its customers in the long run.

Although the company went into great detail about some of its new products, such as MatePad tablets, a MateView monitor, a curved display MateView GT, and others, the rumored and previously leaked P50 smartphone was of particular interest. It didn't receive an official launch date during the event, but Huawei did share a brief trailer showcasing its outer design, with a heavy focus on the Leica-branded cameras in particular which confirms the continuation of the collaboration between the two companies. The new smartphone is set to elevate mobile photography to a new level, says Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO Richard Yu.

While rumors appear to have come close to the look and design of the phone, none of the specifications for the camera were speculated on before the HarmonyOS 2.0 event nor were they confirmed after. However, the released renders of what the rear camera will look like -- a giant, oval-shaped hump that hides the actual camera systems and takes up a huge portion of the backside of the smartphone -- were confirmed by the company's official teaser.

The company describes the upcoming Huawei P50 Series as "a sheer beauty with an ultra-thin and lightweight design, and iconic design language," and says it is supposed to be launched this spring, but no official date has been confirmed yet.

"I am of course speaking about the P50 Series that is supposed to be launched in this spring," the direct translation reads.

Considering that spring is coming to a close in the Northern Hemisphere and giving way to summer, this choice of language is a bit confusing. It is possible that Huawei is referring to spring 2022, but equally possible that the company intended to launch the phone in the spring of this year but could not due to business complications. It may also be the result of a translation error. More details on its release will likely become available at a later date.

The brief teaser didn't explain which particular model from the series is pictured in the video, but TechRadar suspects that this might be the top-end Huawei Pro50 Pro Plus (the name may change but its placement in Huawei's line is not likely) and that other cheaper versions of the new smartphone line might look different.

As reported earlier this spring, the heavy focus on the unique-looking rear camera array design is likely to have been highlighted by the company to bring much-needed media attention to Huawei, following a difficult period where it faced U.S. sanctions that have caused a steep market share drop for the Chinese tech giant.

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