From The Straits Times    |

huawei p30 launch

Is it a coincidence that the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, is in Paris as a guest of French President Emmanuel Macron, on the week that Huawei is debuting its new groundbreaking P30 series at its global launch event? Of course it is! Maybe one prez was gifted the new Huawei phone in return for some frommage and a case of Bordeaux’s finest.

Nonetheless, that’s where we are now, Paris, to witness yet another Huawei phone launch (the P20 was also launched here last year), this P30 series also co-engineered with Leica, as was its previous iterations. And when you add German engineering to what is already a lauded products in terms of AI, design and ergonomics, you’ve got this game-changing product.

huawei p30 models

“The latest Huawei P30 Series represents a breakthrough after decades of digital camera technology development that will rewrite the rules and reshape the perception that consumers have of mobile photography,” says Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer BG.

During the launch, he also adds: “We want to put the technology of DSLR and video technology into the phone. We want to rewrite the rules of photography. It’s no idle boast, the photos, zooms, videos, and end optics says it all. The live demo of competitor’s phones brought cries of ‘tres bien’ and many versions of “amazing” in different languages. You try impressing a room of 2,500 journalists…

huawei launch

The P30 series has the highest ISO of any smartphone, double that of a Canon 5D DSLR. Night photography? Yeah, bring it. The cut is exquisite and the slightly compact feel makes a difference. And the battery lasts, not quite a lifetime, but much longer than its competitors. Okay, enough tech talk.

Everything in this phone is an upgrade from the previous P20, some in the P30 series are transformative. Here are some other really impressive bits you should know about:

The Camera:

The Leica eggheads may have cracked it. They’ve provided both phones with the world’s first Super Spectrum sensor. Where previous RGB sensors could only absorb a single light, the new RYBY – with an additional yellow sensor –

can absorb both blue and red rays of light, allowing 40 per cent more light in.

What this means: You get enhanced multi-frame long-exposure that allows night mode to capture crisp photos even in the day – you can take zoomed shots of the moon. In low-light conditions, you can capture even more details, colours and vibrancy (say good bye to the flash…maybe.)

Combined Optical and AI Stabilisation:

With advanced motion detection, object tracking and AI Powered Predictive Focus, the Huawei P30 Pro can effectively predict the path and motion of the objects in the frame, and help you to capture smooth stunning action photographs.

What this means: You’ll now get clear and crisp images with minimised blurry effects (say hi to your new sports photography career.)

Ahead are the technical details, broken down. Prepare to be wow-ed:

back of P30

The P30 Pro has the world’s first Leica Quad Camera, that’s four lenses plus a 5x optical zoom for the strongest photos: 40mp wide angle lens +f/1.6; 20mp ultra wide angle lens + f/2.2; 8mp telephoto lens; and a ‘time-of-flight’ camera to give you greater depth and bokeh effect. (You can effectively zoom in up to 50 times to photograph the moon.)

huawei p30

The P30 has a Leica triple-lens camera, and the 5x optical zoom as well: 40MP wide angle lens f/1.98; 16mp ultra wide angle lens f/2.2; and 8mp telephoto lens f/2.4.

editor at huawei launch

It’s an enhanced selfie, a selfie plus, shall we say, shot at 32mp at ƒ2.0 aperture, in case, you know, you even need a movie poster of yourself.

huawei p30

With the in-screen fingerprint sensor and advanced biometric scanner, blink and you unlock the screen faster than ever (within 0.5 seconds).

huawei p30 breathing crystal

Most people will lean towards the fashionable Black or Aurora option, but I’m holding out for the Breathing Crystal – it shimmers, it’s inspired by the colours of nature, and it just feels… alive. (Note to self: don’t buy a protective cover.)

The new Huawei P30 ($998) and Huawei P30 Pro ($1,398 and more, depending on storage) will be available in Singapore from April 6, 2019 onwards.

Huawei will be holding a sales launch event on April 6, 2019 at Vivoctiy, Central Court Level 1. From 10am to 10pm, customers will receive a premium gift set (worth up to $470*) with every purchase of the Huawei P30 or P30 Pro. Customers are also invited to experience the new features of the P30 Series in the different interactive zones and meet local celebrities like Rebecca Lim, Romeo Tan, Sonia Chew and Jean Danker. #rewritetherules #HuaweiP30

 

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