The Huawei P30 Pro looks set to be one of the best phones of 2019, but it has landed alongside the standard Huawei P30, which has a lot of similarities along with a lower price tag.
Of course, there’s also plenty that’s different, and price aside most of it works in the Huawei P30 Pro’s favour, but depending on what you want from your phone the Pro model won’t necessarily be the best one to buy.
With all that in mind we’ve created this guide to the similarities and differences between these two phones, covering their design, display, power, camera and more.
Huawei P30 (149.1 x 71.4 x 7.6mm) vs Huawei P30 Pro (158 x 73.4 x 8.4mm)
The Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro mostly look very similar. They both have a tiny teardrop notch above the screen, a small bezel below and otherwise an all-screen front (albeit with a curved screen on the P30 Pro and a flat one on the P30).
They also both have a metal frame and a glass back, with the main difference there being an extra camera lens on the rear of the Huawei P30 Pro.
In theory both phones come in the same colour range. However, in the UK at launch you can get the Huawei P30 in Aurora, Breathing Crystal and Black, while the P30 Pro is available in all of those shades as well as Amber Sunrise.
Dimensions and weight differ too, with the Huawei P30 coming in at 149.1 x 71.4 x 7.6mm and 165g, while the Huawei P30 Pro is 158 x 73.4 x 8.4mm and 192g. So the Pro model is slightly larger, wider, thicker and heavier than the standard Huawei P30.
However, it’s also more water-resistant, with IP68 certification meaning it can be submerged up to 1.5 metres deep for up to 30 minutes, while the standard P30 has just an IP53 rating, meaning it’s splash-resistant but not much more.
Huawei P30 (6.1-inch 1080 x 2340) vs Huawei P30 Pro (6.47-inch 1080 x 2340)
As noted above, the Huawei P30 Pro has a curved screen while the Huawei P30’s is flat. That’s not the only difference though.
The Huawei P30 Pro has a 6.47-inch 1080 x 2340 screen with a pixel density of 398 pixels per inch, while the standard Huawei P30 has a 6.1-inch screen with the same resolution and a pixel density of 422 pixels per inch.
So the P30 Pro’s is larger but slightly less sharp, but they both use OLED and both have a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Note also that both phones have a fingerprint scanner built into the screen.
Neither phone is as high resolution as some flagships, including the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, but they both still have high-quality, high-end screens.
Huawei P30 (octa-core Kirin 980, 6GB RAM) vs Huawei P30 Pro (octa-core Kirin 980, 8GB RAM)
There’s not a whole lot to choose here, as both the Huawei P30 and the Huawei P30 Pro have an octa-core Kirin 980 chipset. This is Huawei’s top-end chip so it’s very powerful, and it has a maximum clock speed of 2.6GHz.
Where there is a difference is in the RAM, as in the UK the Huawei P30 comes with 6GB of the stuff while the Huawei P30 Pro comes with 8GB, so the latter should be slightly more powerful, particularly where it comes to things like multi-tasking and storing apps in memory.
Huawei P30 (40MP + 16MP + 8MP rear, 32MP front-facing) vs Huawei P30 Pro (40MP + 20MP + 8MP + ToF rear, 32MP front-facing)
Both of these phones seriously impress on the camera front, but one more so than the other. Starting with the less impressive, the Huawei P30 has three lenses on the back. There’s a 40MP f/1.8 main lens, a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one and an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto one, the latter of which has optical image stabilisation (OIS).
Combined they make for a very versatile setup, but they’re shown up by the Huawei P30 Pro which has four rear lenses.
These include a 40MP f/1.6 main lens, a 20MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, an 8MP f/3.4 periscope lens (allowing for 10x hybrid zoom) and a Time of Flight (ToF) 3D lens for judging depth. It’s an even more capable setup and arguably makes this the best camera phone on the planet at the time of writing.
Both phones also have strong selfie snappers, as they each have a 32MP f/2.0 camera on the front.
Huawei P30 (128GB, 3,650mAh) vs Huawei P30 Pro (128/256/512GB, 4,200mAh)
The Huawei P30 has a 3,650mAh battery, which is reasonably large but dwarfed by the 4,200mAh battery in the Huawei P30 Pro. Additionally, while both phone support fast charging, the P30 Pro lets you charge wirelessly and even offers reverse wireless charging, so you can use the phone as a wireless charging mat to juice up other devices.
The Huawei P30 comes with 128GB of storage, while the Huawei P30 Pro comes with a choice of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB, so there’s more choice with the Pro model, but both phones also have a nano memory card slot, meaning that if you buy one of Huawei’s cards you can expand the storage by an additional 256GB.
Connectivity options on both phones include Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC, but it’s worth noting that the P30 Pro additionally has an infrared blaster, but no 3.5mm headphone port, whereas the standard P30 has said port but not infrared.
Both phones are available to pre-order now (March 2019) and will hit stores on April 5th – so they may well be available by the time you’re reading this.
As for pricing, you’re looking at £699.99 for the Huawei P30 and a starting price of £899.99 for the P30 pro (with more storage costing more). That’s if you go SIM-free of course. Both phones are also available on contract, with the Huawei P30 starting at around £32 per month and the P30 Pro starting at roughly £43 per month.
So they’re both expensive, but the Huawei P30 Pro has a truly top-end price (albeit still undercutting the likes of the iPhone XS) while the standard Huawei P30 is a bit more affordable.
The Huawei P30 Pro has a better camera, a bigger battery, more RAM, and - for better or worse – a bigger screen than the Huawei P30. Those are the main differences, but there are also some smaller ones – you can get the P30 pro with more storage, but it doesn’t have a headphone port, which for some people will be a significant point in the standard P30’s favour.
The standard Huawei P30 is also a lot cheaper of course, and still has a great camera, plenty of power and a similarly premium design to the P30 Pro, so if you just want a great phone rather than needing the best phone it might make more sense to save some money and opt for the standard model. But if you want the best handset that Huawei has to offer then, well, the Huawei P30 Pro is it.
