The P20 Pro remained at the top of DxOMark until the P30 and P30 Pro wererevealed today.
There are two key changes in particular.
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No, Huawei isnt the first to propose the idea, but its the first to execute it.
Instead of a traditional glass stack, this lens uses a mirror to fold like a periscope.
For some context, the telephoto lens on the iPhone XS and Galaxy S10 only provide 2x optical zoom.
In fact, though wecallthem telephoto lenses, they wouldnt qualify as such in traditional photography.
Theirequivalent focal lengthis approximately 52mm, which lies strictly in the normal range.
Huawei didnt stop there either.
Second is a major update to the primary 40MP sensor.
Huawei is using a new bang out design it calls a SuperSpectrum sensor.
Its aim is to capture much more light than previously possible enough to apparently challenge full-frame cameras.
If youre into the technical side of photography, youve probably seen the above image before.
Its called a Bayer filter, and its how the vast majority of cameras see color.
This plus some complicated math allows monochrome sensors to reconstruct a color image.
The problem is that, by definition, a filter limits the light that hits the camera sensor.
Huaweis solution: use brighter filters.
Specifically, it changed all the green spots which make up the majority of a Bayer filter to yellow.
The end result is a camera that can all but see in the dark.
The average smartphone camera works at up to ISO 6,400.
The P20 Pro reached 102,400.
The P30 Pro reaches ISO409,600.
Thats firmly in full-frame DSLR territory.
But Huawei didnt stop there, making other improvements throughout:
Dont sleep on the standard P30 either.
I was able to shoot with the cameras for a few minutes at a preview event.
I did have fun playing around with the new periscope lens.
If anything, Im actually a little concerned at how good the zoom feature is.
50x digital zoom lets you get creepily close to strangers hundreds of feet away.
Or perhaps even more than Google.
As Ive written before, I expect more from a phone that costs near a grand.
Theres a reason professionals still use DSLRs.
Huaweis showing smartphone hardware still has room for significant improvement.
And perhaps more importantly, theres no reason you cant advance both hardware and software at once.
I anticipate well see many copycats in the months to come.
The bar has been set.
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