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Huawei Mate 20 can now stream Netflix in HDR

The Huawei Mate 20 series (Source: Huawei)
The Huawei Mate 20 series (Source: Huawei)
Many Android phones, flagships and budget flagships included, often fail to integrate Widevine L1 support into their software. As a result, they lack the ability to play DRM-protected content such as that provided by Netflix in full HD or HDR. The Mate 20 series was one of these; however, this series has finally acquired the ability to stream in HD, while the Mate 20 itself can do so in HDR.
Android Smartphone Software Touchscreen

The owners of many Android devices are often disappointed when they discover that the OEM in quesiton has not secured level 1 (or L1) Widevine certification for its product's display. This prevents the device from streaming digital rights management- (DRM) protected media such as Netflix and similar paid subscriptions. Devices with sub-L1 Widevine support can only play this content in 540p at best. 

Popular examples of these phones have included the Xiaomi POCO F1 and most OnePlus flagships. It is particularly irksome for customers who have had to pay the premium for full-HD - or, worse, 4K - displays.  However, Huawei has finally addressed this problem. The latest round of devices listed as having acquired certification to stream Netflix in HD includes the Mate 20 series (which encompasses many different SKUs of the Mate 20, 20 Pro and 20 X). Furthermore, the Mate 20 itself now supports Netflix in HDR.

Huawei has also extended the new HD media support to other devices that are powered by either the Kirin 710 or Kirin 980 chipsets. This may be good news for potential customers waiting for the upcoming Honor V20 smartphone, which is also rumored to include the 2018 HiSilicon flagship. 

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Deirdre O Donnell, 2018-12-17 (Update: 2018-12-17)