Huawei unveiled its latest premium smartphones -- the Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro -- on Thursday, at an event in Munich. The new phones, particularly the Mate 30 Pro, will compete with Apple's new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 phones and the upcoming Google Pixel 4, launching on Oct. 15.
The Mate 30 phones feature a Kirin 990 processor, which will allow for 5G and AI capabilities. The Kirin 990 is Huawei's answer to Apple's A series chipsets and Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors. The Mate 30 Pro runs a huge 4,500-mAh battery, compared to up to 3,969 mAh in the iPhone 11 Pro. Its "horizon" display curves over the side of the device.
Huawei says the Mate 30 has the longest-lasting 5G battery and best 5G cooling system when compared to the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. The devices have 27-watt wireless charging, and the option for an in-car wireless charger for easier charging on the go.
The cameras could be a major draw to the Mate 30 series: Huawei is touting the Mate 30 Pro as the world's first smartphone with a dedicated 40MP cine camera, which includes real-time bokeh effect, 4K 50-fps resolution, and 4K HDR+ time lapse. It also has four rear cameras, and the ability to take ultra-slow motion video.
The Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro are available in space silver, cosmic purple, black and emerald green, as well as vegan leather forest green and vegan leather orange. A Porsche Design Mate 30 Pro RS edition, which features a leather covering on the back of the phone, is also available. Like the Apple Watch Series 5, these phones feature an always-on display. They also have a dark mode for night use for both the phones and the apps on them.
The Mate 30 release comes at an uncertain time for Huawei: The US Commerce Department blacklisted the Chinese company in May, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively banning Huawei from US communication networks due to national security concerns over Huawei's ties to the Chinese government, which Huawei denies. Google parent company Alphabet also revoked Huawei's Android license.
Despite the US executive order and resulting fallout, Huawei remains one of the most valuable companies in China, bringing in more than $100 billion in revenue in 2018. It is also the No. 2 smartphone vendor worldwide, according to market researcher Gartner, accounting for nearly 16% of the market (Samsung is no. 1, at 19%, and Apple comes in third, at about 12%). In the first quarter of 2019, Huawei smartphone sales grew across all regions, particularly in China and Europe, Gartner found.
Smartphones sales in general aren't what they used to be: This year, global shipments of mobile phones are expected to decline by 68 million units, or 3.8%, from the year before, according to Gartner research. People are keeping their phones longer, and don't want to buy increasingly expensive premium phones that don't include radically different upgrades, the report found. Apple's decision to sell the iPhone 11 starting at $699 seems like a direct response to falling iPhone sales.
Earlier this month at IFA, Huawei announced its foldable Mate X phone and its wireless Apple AirPods competitor, the FreeBuds 3.
For a deeper dive into the Mate 30 Pro, check out CNET's hands-on look at the phone's launch.
Originally published Sept. 19 at 05:15 a.m. PT.
Update, at 06:00 a.m. PT: Added more information about the devices.