Did I forget to mention the other stuff Huawei announced yesterday? Here’s a catch-up of the other Mate 20 phones and wearables

I have no qualms about saying the main product of interest to me, and likely you, at Huawei’s Mate 20 Series launch event yesterday was the announcement of the Mate 20 Pro.

But after announcing that and the Mate 20 (not destined for a UK release), Huawei sprung another few surprises on us. I’ve already covered the Watch GT in my last post, but here are the three other products that Richard Yu, CEO, slipped in at the end:

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Porsche Design Mate 20 RS

First up was the Porsche Design Mate 20 RS, a far more premium version of the Mate 20 Pro, with the addition of natural leather on the rear, and a design that has followed through the entire range of Porsche Design collaborations with Huawei in recent years.

With the Mate 20 Pro now having the curved-edge glass, in-glass fingerprint reader and the 3D facial unlocking technology, it’s perhaps the first time that a Porsche Design variant hasn’t come with a number of unique features not available elsewhere.

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This time around, it’s the unique look and extra RAM and storage options that sets it apart.

While the Mate 20 Pro isn’t a cheap phone by any stretch of the imagination, it’s a bargain compared to the €1695 price tag for the 8GB/256GB model. And the 512GB model tops two grand, at a cool €2095. You do get a few more things in the box, but let’s not pretend a fancy case justifies such a price!

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The phone doesn’t go on sale until 16th November, giving you a few more weeks to save up, but it’s fair to say that neither Huawei or Porsche Design wants or expects the phone to fly off the shelves.

Let’s be honest, if you owned one then you’d want a certain level of exclusivity – and this phone offers that in spades.


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Huawei Mate 20 X

There were rumours ahead of the event that Huawei had another Mate 20 variant in the offing, but it was also expected that the large screened version wouldn’t be heading to Europe. But as this was a global event, it was announced to all.

It’s not clear if this will come here anytime soon, if at all, but I had a chance to play with the phone that comes with a huge 7.2-inch HDR10 AMOLED display.

With a minimal bezel and a mere tear-drop notch design, the only disappointment is the fact the screen is a ‘mere’ 1080p panel – but it’s so bright and crisp, you’d be unlikely to notice.

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Inside this beast of a phone is a 5,000mAh battery and the same triple-camera setup as the Mate 20 Pro. It is also powered by the same flagship Kirin 980 chipset, so you aren’t expected to compromise on performance by getting this phone – if you actually can.

The Mate 20 X has stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos support, dual-band Wi-Fi, fast 4G and all that, but Huawei also took the opportunity to make a rather unexpected comparison to the Nintendo Switch.

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With an optional clip-on game controller, the Mate 20 X was compared directly with the Switch, noting the higher-resolution display and superior battery.

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Of course, it’s not quite a fair comparison given the library of Nintendo titles that offers a more diverse range of games designed for use with game controllers than most Android titles that are geared towards touch-screen control.

The phone also features Huawei Supercool technology, a liquid-cooling/vapour-chamber system combined with graphene film to dissipate heat quickly, keeping the phone as cool as possible and preventing thermal throttling.

There are plenty of great Android games out there, so if you are happy with those then it could become an even more exciting proposition for gamers than the Honor Play (or the Razer phones).

The €899 price might change a few minds though, although you have to consider the flagship chipset and camera tech packed inside.

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I was impressed with the look and feel of the phone, having assumed that it might have come with a cut-down specification. Sure it’s big, but if you want a fantastic screen experience for more than just games (I can imagine watching Netflix and YouTube, especially HDR content, being very pleasurable indeed) then it would be a great alternative to the Mate 20 Pro.

There’s just that slight issue of whether you’ll be able to get one officially here, and when.


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Huawei Band 3 Pro

Last up was the latest fitness band, the Huawei Band 3 Pro, with a 0.95-inch colour AMOLED display, built-in GPS and up to seven hours of GPS tracking.

The latest fitness band also has water resistance of up to 50 metres, with swimming style recognition and eight workout modes.

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The Band 3 Pro will retail at €99, making it – like the watch – a potentially good Christmas gift choice for a loved one, or perhaps yourself!


  • Information on all of the Mate 20 Series phones, including the new watch and fitness band can be found on the Huawei website.

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