What is the actual deal with the Huawei Mate 20’s square camera?

We managed to get our hands-on on the Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20 to see just what changed in the camera setup of Huawei’s latest and greatest.

Huawei’s Big Daddy

With leaks being right, we were pretty surprised to learn several new information about the Mate 20 Pro’s camera setup. It comes with a squarish design for the rear camera layout, while still continuing their famous triple-camera. Instead of lining all of the lenses up at the top-left, Huawei took a rather unique approach and centered them near the middle. And of course, Huawei is still partnered with Leica for their camera system.

What is the difference?

As per norm, Huawei downgraded the camera resolution of the Mate 20 to widen the gap between itself and the Mate 20 Pro. The difference is rather significant with the main 40MP wide angle lens dropping to 12MP.

If sharing on platforms that are viewed mainly by smartphones are your thing (e.g. Instagram), the Mate 20 would still suit your need even with 12MP. You also still get to enjoy the same 8MP telephoto lens for your zooming needs. Both also feature a pretty remarkable 2.5cm Ultra Macro Shot, where extreme close-ups are possible.

Goodbye Monochrome, Hello Ultra Wide

With the P20 Pro obtaining the best mobile score on DxOMark, Huawei decided to change the formula for their latest releases. Instead of using a Monochrome sensor for improved details and contrasts, an Ultra Wide Angle lens is installed into the Mate 20 series. Huawei claims that this provides owners with the versatility of taking a wider shot, which is similar to a 16~270mm wide-range focal length). This, combined with better post-processing, allows for less image quality to be sacrificed.

Here are some samples taken with the Ultra Wide Angle lens.

Even More AI

To make full use of the Kirin 980 and its dual-NPU hardware, Huawei added several functionalities to the camera.

AI Portrait mode

One of the new functionalities is the addition of AI Portrait mode, where the bokeh effect is dialed up to 11. Instead of merely providing a bokeh around the subject, the various effects (e.g. heart or swirl) can be added to the background. This is a step above the previous AI Lighting in the P20 Pro.

Video AI Color

Because of the additional NPU in the Kirin 980, the Mate 20 is now also able to handle real-time post-processing in videos! Imagine the color palette and effects in the movie Sin City (2005). Now imagine it being shot by a smartphone! The Mate 20 is capable of separating multiple subjects from the background, and as such, is able to bring several new functionalities. One such is the AI Color effect, where only the subject stays in color while the background is given a grayscale filter.

Full Specification Difference

We covered the highlights of the Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20 here, and also covered the differences between each device over here. You can also check out the Porsche Design Mate 20 RS over here, or view the specification comparison between the Mate 20 Pro and the P20 Pro in the table below.