The Huawei Mate 30 series (official product website) will be officially made available in Singapore from 16 Nov. The retail price is S$948 for the Mate 30 and S$1298 for the Mate 30 Pro. During the one-day launch event at 313@Somerset Level 1 Atrium, 500 units will be available for sale, which will come with a gift bundle worth up to S$463. Customers can also purchase the Mate 30 series at selected M1 and StarHub shops, consumer electronic stores, official online store at Lazada, and all Huawei Concept Stores.

All Mate 30 series owners enjoy HICARE PRESTIGE package which includes:
- One year door-to-door repair pick-up and delivery service
- Two-year warranty
- One-time complimentary screen replacement within first three months of purchase
- Dedicated VIP Customer Service Hotline Support

Hands-On Preview
I’ve had a few days of trying out the smartphone and have mixed experience. There are quite a lot of brand new capabilities that Huawei is bringing to the smartphone. It is the first smartphone camera that can record in ultra slow-motion 7680 fps, providing amazing motion picture perspective. The low-light capability is also extended to creating time-lapse videos. The AI Auto Rotate will follow the orientation of your face to rotate the screen. The touch-less gesture control lets you navigate the screen without touching, and while it is rather cumbersome to scroll, it is still a viable option in the event that you are unable to reach for the screen. The hardware volume buttons are removed, so users have to double tap the Horizon Display sides to adjust volume, but the good thing is that you can trigger the volume control on either sides of the phone.

The biggest handicap is not the missing Google Play Store. Sure, you can use alternative app stores like Amazon, APKPure, APKMirror to find most of your apps like Whatsapp and Instagram. You can also download apps from official apps like Facebook. The biggest problem is that many Google branded apps are unable to run properly, like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Home. Even if some Google apps like Chrome appears to work, there are some underlying functions that will cause the app to crash or stop functioning. So if you have been a loyal supporter of Google products, the Mate 30 Pro is not going to work for you.

Conclusion
All said, the Huawei Mate 30 series is yet another significant leap from Huawei, contributing more towards improving the mobile experience. I would recommend the smartphone only if you are not a heavy user of Google suite of apps, and I know there are people who do not use them, so the Mate 30 will appeal to these consumers. And they will be the envy of many, as the imaging features are simply outstanding and blazes ahead of competition.

Visit the official product website here.





