Huawei’s push into the smartphone market might have slowed down considerably but that doesn’t mean its ambitions in this highly competitive market have stopped completely. After two years of hiatus, the Mate series gets a couple of new devices, namely the Huawei Mate 50 and the Huawei Mate 50 Pro. This comes at an interesting time too since there’s news about the US government planning to reduce the restrictions on the company from the existing trade ban. 

The Mate 50 series comes in two major models, the Mate 50 standard and the Mate 50 Pro with a special Porsche edition tagging along too, like the old days. The three models feature very similar specs, but the Porsche Design stands out with a premium design, more RAM, and better cameras. Given the few differences between the three new models in the lineup, we’ve decided to take a closer look at the Huawei Mate 50, Huawei Mate 50 Pro, and the Huawei Mate 50 RS Porsche Edition. 

Huawei Mate 50 vs Mate 50 Pro vs Mate 50 RS Porsche Edition

DESIGN

Since Porsche Design models have always had a unique identity, let’s first focus on the Huawei Mate 50 and the Huawei Mate 50 Pro. 

The Mate 50 and the Pro editions have very similar back designs. You get a round camera housing with four camera sensors arranged in a 2 x 2 design. Well, technically, there are only three sensors at the back and the fourth sensor is a fake, added for symmetry. But overall, the back design looks neat and clean, and with multiple color options on both the models, like Black, Silver, Purple, and Orange, the new Mate 50 series gives a premium vibe. 

Coming to the Porsche Edition, the model comes with a similar octagonal camera module like its predecessor, the Mate 40 RS Porsche edition. In fact, a quick glance at the back would reveal its identity as the Porsche edition given its similarity to the previous generation models. But again, the number of cameras has gone down and is now limited to three. 

On the front, the Mate 50 comes with a single punch hole camera while the Mate 50 Pro and the RS Porsche edition feature a more traditional wide notch featuring a complex set of sensors for 3D face recognition. 

When you compare the dimensions, they three have some minor differences from each other. The Mate 50 is slightly shorter with dimensions of 161.5 x 76.1 x 8 mm while the Mate 50 Pro is thicker but slightly narrower than the Mate 50. On the other hand, the Mate 50 RS Porsche edition features a similar body profile as the Pro edition but is way thicker with a 9.9mm body. 

Notably, all three phones come with IP68 certification. 

DISPLAY

What’s really surprising is that all three models have the exact same screen size and resolution – 6.7 inches with 1224 x 2700. But the major difference comes in refresh rate, with the Mate 50 settling for a 90Hz panel and the Pro and Porsche models getting 120Hz panels. All three phones have the company’s self-developed Kunlun glass protection instead of traditional Corning Gorilla glass panels. 

Another big difference is in the type of display, with the Mate 50 getting a regular flat display while the Pro and Porsche edition models featuring a curved display. That’s also why the Pro and Porsche models have a higher screen-to-body ratio. 

SPECS

All three phones are powered by the same ​​Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 chipset featuring an octa-core architecture clocked at 3.2GHz. So you’ll never be short of power on these three models. However, like the other flagships of recent years, the snapdragon process will be a 4G-only chip, meaning there isn’t 5G support on any of the three models, which is disappointing. 

The Mate 50 and the 50 Pro max out at 512GB 8GB RAM while the Porsche edition takes things a notch further up with a 512GB 12GB RAM model.

As for software, all three phones run on EMUI 13 international version outside of China and HarmonyOS 3.0 for models in China. 

CAMERAS

The Huawei Mate 50 features a triple camera setup with a 50-megapixel flagship Sony IMX766 sensor, another 13-megapixel Sony IMX688 ultra-wide angle lens, and a 12-megapixel telephoto zoom lens that offers up to 5x optical zoom capabilities and OIS support. 

On the Pro model, there is a 50MP Sony IMX766 main camera featuring OIS, another 13MP ultra-wide shooter, and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS. The only difference on the Porsche edition is that it downgrades the telephoto camera resolution to 48MP with the remaining sensors being the same. 

All three devices support XMAGE imaging technology that will help improve the photography experience.

Meanwhile, the front of these three phones houses a 13-megapixel selfie shooter. However, thanks to the wider notch on the Pro and Porsche Edition models, they get an additional ToF 3D sensor for secure face recognition. 

BATTERY

All three smartphones feature fast 66W wired charging support and 50W wireless charging support. You also get 5W reverse wireless charging support. But the Mate 50 brings a smaller 4500mAh battery as compared to the 4700mAh ones found on the Pro and Porsche edition models. 

PRICING

The Mate 50 128GB model starts at 4,999 Yuan (roughly 720 US Dollars), while the 256GB variant has a price tag of 5,499 Yuan (roughly 791 US Dollars) and the 512GB model costs 6,499 Yuan (roughly 935 US Dollars).

The Mate 50 Pro is priced at 6,799 Yuan (~$977) and 7,799 Yuan (~$1,121), respectively while the RS Porsche Design model has a hefty price tag of 12,999 Yuan (~$1,868) and comes in just one 12GB and 512GB ROM edition. 

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