Huawei launches the Huawei P50 and P50 Pro, equipped with a 4G-only Snapdragon 888 and some superb camera hardware

After agonizing months of teasers and leaks, Huawei has now unveiled its latest and greatest smartphones yet. Welcome the Huawei P50 and P50 Pro, Huawei's new attempt at grasping victory from the jaws of defeat, all thanks to some dazzling hardware as is the norm with the company's flagship phones.

The Huawei P50 Pro is the star of the show with a 6.6-inch FHD+ 120 Hz OLED. Under the hood is the option of a Snapdragon 888 or a Kirin 9000. Interestingly, those chipsets are only equipped with 4G modems, likely due to Huawei's trade restrictions. 5G adoption is still ongoing, so this is unlikely to be a major issue for most. RAM and storage go as high as 12 GB and 512 GB respectively.

Huawei's P series has earned a reputation for delivering some of the best cameras on the market, and the P50 Pro is no different. At its rear is a stellar quad-cam system: a 50 MP main camera, a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 64 MP 3.5x optical zoom lens. Those three shooters are joined by what may be, to some, the most exciting lens onboard: a 40 MP monochrome lens. Yes, Huawei has finally returned to the monochrome camera for the first time since the P20 Pro was released in 2018. At the front of the phone is a 13 MP selfie shooter housed within a centered hole punch.

The regular P50 sports a less impressive 6.5-inch FHD+ 90 Hz display. It retains the 50 MP main camera and 13 MP ultra-wide shooter from the P50 Pro, but exchanges the 64 MP telephoto lens for a 12 MP one, albeit with 5x optical zoom capabilities. Gone is the 40 MP monochrome shooter, but the 13 MP selfie camera makes a cameo as well. RAM is standard at 8 GB, and storage only goes up to 256 GB, however.

A few other specs separate the two models: the regular P50 gets a 4100 mAh battery, while the P50 Pro offers a 4,360 mAh unit. While both phones offer 66 W wired charging, only the P50 Pro offers wireless charging (50 W). Both phones are available in colors of Yao Gold Black, Cocoa Tea Gold, Snowy White, but only the P50 Pro can be had in Dawn Power and Rippling Clouds. Both phones run Huawei's own HarmonyOS, offer an IP68 rating, and are scheduled for a global release down the line.

Pricing

• Huawei P50 8/128 GB: CNY 4,488 (US$695)
• Huawei P50 Pro 8/128 GB: CNY 5,988 (US$925)
• Huawei P50 Pro 12/512 GB: CNY 7,988 (US$1,325)

Buy the Huawei P40 Pro on Amazon.