Huawei Mate 50: a simpler flagship with a top-end camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip and satellite connectivity for $720

Another new product at today's Huawei presentation was the flagship Huawei Mate 50, the base variant of the premium line with some Mate 50 Pro features.

Here's What We Know

Externally, the Mate 50 is similar to its predecessor, the Mate 40, with the same curved edges and curved back panel. But the design of the main camera has changed - now it is not a "donut", but a solid round unit with sensors inside. It's a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 with variable aperture f/1.4-4.0 like the older model, a 13 MP Sony IMX688 ultra-wide-angle lens and a 12 MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom and optical stabilization. The device also supports XMAGE image processing technology, which helps improve photo quality.

On the front side there is a 6.7-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution (2700×1224 pixels), 90 Hz refresh rate, HDR support and under-screen fingerprint scanner, as well as a notch that houses a 13-megapixel front camera. There's IP68 water resistance.

Inside there is the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, which only supports 4G networks. This is primarily due to U.S. sanctions - they have weakened a little, but still did not go anywhere. The smartphone is powered by a 4,460mAh battery that supports 66W fast charging and up to 50W fast wireless charging.

The regular Huawei Mate 50 also gets a twist in the form of satellite support. It allows you to make calls and send messages where there is no 3G, 4G or 5G cellular coverage.

Price

Huawei offers 5 color options for the Mate 50 and several memory configurations:

• 128GB - $720
• 256GB - $790
• 512GB - $935

Source: Huawei