Best Huawei phones 2019

Whether you want flagship or cheap, there's a Huawei phone for every budget. Here are the best Huawei phones

You can’t ignore Huawei any more. With increasingly premium smartphones on the market, the Chinese company is having a very good go at challenging Samsung, LG and Sony. In fact, it now outsells Apple globally.

There has been some rocky road along the way though, recently Huawei was placed on the USA’s ‘entity list’, effectively banning trade between Huawei and any American company. This meant that Google ceased to trade with Huawei briefly in 2019 and for a while it looked like future Huawei phones might not be able to run Google services or have access to the Google Play Store.

But this ban seems to have been reversed in late June 2019, and for now it looks like it was no more than political posturing on Donald Trump’s part. We have a run down of events here.

The good news is that it now looks like none of the phones in this round-up are affected, and all existing Huawei phones will continue to get access to security updates, Google apps and services.

The company has flagship devices in its P and Mate lines that are among the best smartphones out there. The P series is slightly more mainstream thinking, while the Mates are often photo-minded phablets but the lines are beginning to blur. Luckily, we are left with excellent phones either way.

But a Huawei phone doesn’t have to be brand new to market. The older P10 models are still good phones, even if the P20 range is better. And now there's a new P30 and P30 Pro, sitting atop of this very round up.

We also love the four versions of the Mate 20 series - each with different price, design and features.

The P Smart is a cheaper way into the Huawei world, and you may even want to look at an older P-series phone to save a lot of money. It depends if you like Huawei’s EMUI Android skin, as it changes the stock experience quite dramatically.

We are fans though - these days anyway - and Huawei has come from being a network equipment provider to a coveted consumer electronics brand in a matter of years. Mind you, it’s not short on cash.

Here are the best Huawei phones you can buy in 2019.

Best Huawei phones 2019

1. Huawei P30 Pro

• Rating: 
• Reviewed on: 20 May 2019
• RRP: £899 (128GB), £1099 (512GB)

Taking lots of cues from the Mate 20 Pro, and improving the cameras and fingerprint scanner, the P30 Pro is Huawei's best phone yet. The design is out the top drawer, the display is outstanding and the cameras are truly some of the best ever seen on a phone.

It costs more than ever, but if you want the best cameras around, this is the phone to buy.

If you want to spend less (and get a little less), there's the Huawei P30 instead.

Do note that the P30 was announced before Huawei was put on the US trade blocklist and Google announced its decision to pull support, and therefore will continue to have full access to Google apps, services and security updates.

Read our Huawei P30 Pro review.

2. Huawei Mate 20 Pro

• Rating: 
• Reviewed on: 25 January 2019
• RRP: Approx $750

The Mate 20 Pro is an outstanding phone. The cameras will be the highlight for many people, but it really is a fantastic all-rounder with a top-quality screen, super-fast charging, wireless charging and excellent battery life.

It isn't perfect, but the small niggles shouldn't be deal-breakers for most people.

Read our Huawei Mate 20 Pro review.

3. Huawei P30

• Rating: 
• Reviewed on: 20 May 2019
• RRP: Not available

Huawei's pitch for the P30 is all about the camera, and it's fair to say that the company has delivered. The Pro model may be one step ahead, but this version is still a match for almost any flagship out there, especially in low light and long-distance shots, where Huawei has really thrown down the gauntlet with a combination of three great lenses and some software tricks that even Google's Pixel phones can't yet match.

The P30 also looks stunning, with a big display (and small notch), some lovely colourful finishes, and a seriously slim body - though the trade-off is one of the worst camera bumps we've ever seen. And there's even a headphone jack.

If you want a phone with a phenomenal camera but can't justify dropping close to a grand in one go, the Huawei P30 is seriously worth a look.

Do note that the P30 was announced before Huawei was put on the US trade blocklist and Google announced its decision to pull support, and therefore will continue to have full access to Google apps, services and security updates.

Read our Huawei P30 review.