The latest Huawei Mate 30 leak suggests a disappointing backward step in its design

A new photo posted to SlashLeaks by the tipster Leakspinner is described as a "Huawei Mate 30 screen protector". Those expecting a breakthrough design to match the appealing quad-sensor rear cameras in their round housing also now linked to this upcoming phablet series may be bemused by its appearance, however. It has the long, narrow notch that somewhat resembles those found in some of its predecessors.

This apparent leak may seem regressive in 2019. However, should the object in this image prove genuine, it may have been a necessary evil for Huawei. The screen protector clearly exhibits cut-outs for 5 distinct sensors. All but 1 are round and are of different sizes, thus suggesting that at least some of them may be camera modules.

The "Mate 30 screen protector" also has 1 square cut-out. This invites speculation that it may fit around a front-facing time-of-flight (ToF) sensor. This, in turn, hints that Huawei may be preparing the particularly premium feature of depth-calculation in the Mate 30's selfie-cam array.

Nevertheless, it may strike many consumers as an old-fashioned design at this stage. This impression is hammered home by a second leaked screen protector, this time attributed to the Huawei Mate 30 Lite. It shows a teardrop-shaped notch.

Furthermore, it appears that the OEM has avoided a full-scale display cut-in for this putative device as the screen protector here also exhibits additional, thin incursions into its black border at the top and bottom edges.