Huawei has announced its Mate 30 series in the standard Mate 30 and the Mate 30 Pro at an event in September 2019. The two devices share similar designs and they come in the same six colour options but there are a number of differences between them.

Here we are looking at how the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro compare to help you decide which might be the right one for you.

You can also read our feature on how the Mate 30 Pro compares to the P30 Pro that launched earlier this year.

What's the same between the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro?

  • Similar design
  • Six colour options
  • Kirin 990
  • 27W wireless charging/40W wired
  • Android 10 with EMUI 10, no Google apps or services

The Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro share an almost identical design, with both featuring a notch at the top of their displays and a circular camera housing on the rear. They both come in six colour options and they both have the same finishes, with a glossy to matte gradient. 

You'll find 27W wireless charging on both, 40W wired charging and three times faster reverse wireless charging, and they both have the Kirin 990 chipset under their hoods.

The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro also both run on Android 10 with EMUI 10. Neither offer Google apps and services though, which is down to the US trade war with China.

What's different between the Mate 30 and the Mate 30 Pro?

While they might look near enough identical, there are a number of differences between the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro, as you would expect.

Display

  • Mate 30 Pro: 6.53-inch, Horizon Display, OLED
  • Mate 30: 6.62-inch, OLED

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has a 6.53-inch display, while the Mate 30 has a 6.62-inch display. It isn't just the size that differs though. The Mate 30 Pro has a waterfall display - or Horizon Display as Huawei calls it - which sees the screen transcend down the edges of the metal frame.

The Mate 30's screen is flat meanwhile, which some might prefer in terms of useability, even if the curved display is more striking.

Display resolution

  • Mate 30 Pro: 2400 x 1176 resolution, 409ppi
  • Mate 30: 2340 x 1080, 389ppi

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has a slightly higher resolution than the Mate 30 and because it is smaller, it has a higher pixel density too, just.

The Mate 30 Pro has a pixel density of 409ppi, while the Mate 30 has a pixel density of 389ppi - similar to the P30 Pro. It's unlikely you'd spot the difference with a human eye, but the Mate 30 Pro has more pixels packed in per inch in terms of the numbers.

Camera

  • Mate 30 Pro: Quad rear camera, Cine Camera
  • Mate 30: Triple rear camera

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro has a quad rear camera setup, while the Mate 30 Pro has a triple rear camera set up. The Pro model has a 3D Depth Sensing camera and it also offers what Huawei calls a Cine Camera, which is not just for videography but it offers 4K 60p and, at lower res, can shoot up to 7680fps slow-mo.

Both the Mate 30 Pro and Mate 30 offer 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom from their ultra-wide angle cameras.

Physical size

  • Mate 30 Pro: 158.1 x 73.1 x 8.8mm, 198g
  • Mate 30: 160.8 x 76.1 x 8.4mm, 196g

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is the slightly smaller of the two devices being compared here. We're talking a couple of millimetres though. 

The Pro model is also heavier than the standard Mate 30, but only by two grams so we don't see this being a game changer.

5G capabilities

  • Mate 30 Pro: 5G and 4G capabilities
  • Mate 30: 4G capabilities

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro comes in a 5G model and a 4G model, while the Mate 30 is only available with 4G capabilities.

The Mate 30 Pro is more expensive, especially in the case of the 5G model, but Huawei claims it is the fastest 5G smartphone available with a total of 22 antennas under its hood, 14 of which are 5G.

Battery capacity 

  • Mate 30 Pro: 4500mAh
  • Mate 30: 4200mAh

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro comes with a 4500mAh capacity battery compared to the Mate 30's 4200mAh capacity.

Both should see you through the day but the Mate 30 Pro is likely to offer that little bit longer than the standard model.

Storage

  • Mate 30 Pro: 8GB RAM/256GB storage
  • Mate 30: 8GB RAM/128GB storage

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and that applies to both the 4G and 5G model.

The standard Mate 30 meanwhile, has 8GB of RAM but 128GB of storage. Both have Huawei's NM slot for storage expansion though.

Price

The Huawei Mate 30 will start at €799, making it the cheapest of the devices being compared here, as you may have expected.

The Mate 30 Pro will start at €1099 and the Mate 30 Pro 5G will start at €1199.

Conclusion

The Huawei Mate 30 Pro is the superior Mate 30 Series model on paper, offering a more striking display, more impressive camera specifications, a larger battery, more storage and the option of 5G capabilities.

The Huawei Mate 30 has plenty of good things going for it though, including a significantly lower price point. Neither the Huawei Mate 30 Pro or the Mate 30 feature Google's apps and services either, so that's worth bearing in mind too, especially given the P30 Pro and its excellent camera does have Google services.

We will update this feature when we have reviewed the devices in full.