Huawei P60 Pro brings variable aperture camera cleverness
Now Europe-bound after a Chinese debut
Huawei continues to double down on photography with its latest top-tier smartphone. The Huawei P60 Pro was launched in China back in March alongside the P60 and P60 Art, but is now set to bring its variable aperture lens smarts to other territories for the first time.
With a large central sensor flanked by two smaller ones, the P60 Pro’s rear lens trio look a bit like a compact camera when you hold the phone in landscape view. The main event is a 48MP main sensor with a variable f/1.4-f/4.0 aperture and optical image stabilisation, which promises to boost light intake by as much as 2.9x over the outgoing Huawei P50 Pro.
It’s paired with a 13MP, f/2.2 ultrawide and a 48MP, f/2.1 telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom and OIS. The latter is capable of 10x tele-macro closeups (something the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and Google Pixel 7 Pro can’t match, according to Huawei) and a whopping 200x digital zoom, although we’ll withhold judgment on that one given we’ve not been blown away by extreme phone magnification in the past.
There’s also a 10-channel multi-spectrum sensor to help deliver impactful colours, and the camera app has been updated with a new interface that’s easier to use one-handed. Finally, a 13MP f/2.4 front camera is on hand for selfies and video calls.
Europe will be getting the distinctive Rococo Pearl model, which has a unique textured finish that looks a little like marble. A sandblasted Black version is also on the way, with an anti-fingerprint matte finish, but the Green and Violet models will stay China-only. Both variants will be IP68 dust and water resistant.
There’s a 6.67in OLED up top with a 2700×1220 resolution and LTPO tech for an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. The panel is covered by quad-curved Kunlun Glass, Huawei’s bespoke version of reinforced glass, with an in-display fingerprint sensor underneath. It promises 10-bit colour with full coverage of the HDR-P3 gamut.
Elsewhere the Huawei P60 Pro is as fully featured a flagship as Huawei phones get, with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU, either 8 or 12GB of RAM, and 256 or 512GB of on-board storage. Blame the ongoing US trade ban on a lack of 5G or the latest generation Qualcomm chips – and for not having access to the Google Play Store in Huawei’s take on Android.
It should still be plenty powerful though, and the 4815mAh battery promises a full day’s use between top-ups. Huawei’s SuperCharge 88W wired charging is on board for rapid top-ups, as is 50W wireless charging through a compatible pad.
The Huawei P60 Pro hits Europe and the UK today, directly from the Huawei web shop, with other retailers set to follow from the 22nd of May. It’ll be facing off with top-tier flagships like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro, with prices starting from £1200/€1199 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. A 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant will set you back £1300/€1399. Nab one from the UK Huawei Store before the 5th of June and you’ll get a Huawei Watch GT 3 thrown in for free.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor