Technology & IT | Tuesday 6 November, 2018 4:05 am |

With Leica triple camera and the ultra-wide angle, Huawei Mate 20 Pro talks breakthroughs

After the successful launch of the Huawei Mate 20 series in London on October 16 and in Dubai one week later, on October 24th, we were lucky to get our hands on the King of Smartphones device and try out its AI photography and filmmaking capabilities.

Put in a distinctive matrix camera arrangement, Huawei Mate 20 Pro features a two-by-two camera array on the back of the device that gives the smart phone a look that closely resembles that of a supercar’s headlights.

HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’s Leica Triple Camera comprises a 40MP RGB camera, a 20MP camera with Leica ultra-wide angle lens and an 8MP telephoto camera, as well as the laser sensor and flash. All are encircled in polished metal frames, producing an avant-garde look that is both bold and distinct and satisfying individual needs. 

Building on the foundation of HUAWEI P20 Series’ camera system, Huawei has augmented the Mate 20 Pro with a powerful addition—16mm Leica ultra-wide angle lens. The first of its kind, this lens brings a wider perspective to users. From expansive landscapes to exquisite interior designs, the camera equipped with Leica ultra-wide angle lens excels in capturing all scenarios. 

The capabilities of the Leica ultra-wide angle lens are exemplified in tight spaces. With it, users can easily create a sense of spaciousness thanks to the superior field of view, and capture crisp, clean images with a high contrast, which gives the image a three-dimensional effect. It is ideal for capturing natural marvels such as vast plains, flower fields and mountain ranges, making it an ideal travel companion.

A picture of Dubai Marina taken by Talal Berkdar using a Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s ultra-wide angle feature.

The new camera system also supports macro photography, which produces crisp images of objects that are placed as close as 2.5cm from the lens.

Historically, smartphones have been ill-fitted for macro photography because the distance between the lens and the object often exceeds the minimum focal distance. 

The new camera enables consumers to enjoy true macro performance without splurging for a dedicated macro lens. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro is the industry’s first smartphone to support macro photography, capable of focusing on an object as close as 2.5cm—exceeding even the capability of the human eye.

A macro shot photo taken by Hessa Falaknaz using a Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro supports a new range of AI-enabled filmmaking tools. These features lower the barrier of entry of video-making, allowing common consumers to easily express themselves on social media with the increasingly popular medium that is video.

With the inclusion of the ultra-wide angle lens, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro supports video capture in ultra-wide 21:9 resolution—the same aspect ratio used by cinemas worldwide. Compared with the regular 16:9 aspect ratio, a 21:9 resolution looks a lot more expansive, professional and movie-like. Whereas devices from other manufacturers crop the footage shot to achieve a 21:9 ratio, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro can adopt 21:9 resolution as its native capturing resolution, right from the start.

Leveraging the powerful AI processing capabilities, HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro features professional filmmaking skills, making it possible for even novice filmmakers to create blockbusters. 

It has been always said that only experienced hands can get the most out of the best equipment—or so they say. This is a misconception Huawei is keen to dispel with HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro.

Trained with classical composition techniques, the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro totes an AI color feature. The controls are highly intuitive. Users only have to point the camera toward an object they want to capture and a prompt appears on the screen. Then, they point the camera toward the marker, and press the shutter button to take the perfect shot.

Landing the focus on moving objects is a tricky business that challenges even photography professionals with DSLR cameras. 

But HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro features AI 4D predictive autofocus (PDAF) capability. The powerful object recognition feature can accurately identify multiple objects, and track the moving subject in real-time when previewing the pictures. PDAF also allows users to manually change the focus. 

Lenses have different focal length, and each excels in its own area, producing various image effects. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’s new-upgraded portrait mode delivers background bokeh effect and high sharpness performance with minimal distortion. The tighter field of vision coupled with wide aperture effect produce creamy bokeh that adds a dreamy quality to the final shot.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s front camera also incorporates the 3D Depth Sensing Camera to collect the depth information of facial features. The data is then fed to the device to improve the accuracy of the beautification effects, which in turn leads to beautiful selfie pictures.

Video production is a professional skill, requiring extensive knowledge and technical know-how. Composition, focus and color adjustment are but a fraction of the areas one has to have a good command of in order to create a cinematic piece. Not to mention the staggering prices of professional video capture equipment.

Color is one of the most fundamental and essential elements of video. The proper use of colors enables a creator to establish an emotional connection with the audience and express his or her intentions in the most straightforward way. HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro supports the adjustment of hue, saturation and brightness. A few preset modes are available, including: Vintage, Fresh, Suspense and Background Blur. In addition, the device can identify and isolate the colors of a subject by desaturating everything else. This feature makes for a stunning visual impact. The convenience of smartphones has made them the go-to tool for many to shoot videos. However, as the volume of video grows, the task of organizing or editing becomes a large undertaking. For some, digging up a video from the archive may feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. 

Finally, in a time when smartphone manufacturers are still iterating on dual camera systems, Huawei has moved on to embrace triple camera setups with Leica Ultra-Wide Angle Lens. 

And, in a time when smartphone makers are playing catch-up in the wake of Huawei’s introduction of AI photography, Huawei launches AI filmmaking, a suite of features that support the more demanding video production processes.