Huawei P10 Plus Unboxing And First Impressions
In collaboration with the legendary Leica Camera of Germany, Huawei crafted the P9 series last year, a revolutionary smartphone designed to capture the hearts of mobile photographers. The result? It was a HUGE success, Huawei, the world's number 3 smartphone maker has sold over 12 million units of the P9 and P9 Plus.
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| This is the Huawei P10 Plus! |
That's why its only logical for the two iconic brands to continue their partnership in-order to create the best possible smartphones for photography. As a matter of fact, both brands co-built the Max Berek Innovation Lab in Germany to continue the development of high-quality Leica cameras for Huawei smartphones.
See also: Huawei P10 Plus Vs Samsung Galaxy S8+ - Point & Shoot Camera Comparison
See also: Huawei P10 Plus Vs Samsung Galaxy S8+ - Point & Shoot Camera Comparison
Fast forward 2017, the new P10 series was introduced. Both devices are received numerous upgrades in design, specs, performance, and of course cameras.
For this review, we'll check the P10 Plus, it's the beefier variant of the P10 w/ bigger screen, better specs, longer battery life, 4.5G LTE, IR Blaster, and Leica Dual Camera 2.0 Pro Edition sensors. To be precise, it has a brighter and wider Summilux 20 MP f/1.8 monochrome sensor + 12 MP f/1.8 RGB sensor w/ 4-in-1 Hybrid AF, OIS, 2x zoom, and dual tone LED flash cameras for better sharpness, tonality, clarity, and wider dynamic range.
Now, the question is, can this device live up to the hype? Let's check it out!
Huawei P10 Plus Specs
Display: 5.5 Inch WQHD IPS-NEO 2560 x 1440 resolution w/ 2.5D curved glass and Gorilla Glass 5 protection at 534 ppi
CPU: 2.4 GHz 64 Bit Kirin 960 octa core processor
GPU: Mali G71
RAM: 6 GB
ROM: 128 GB expandable via micro SD card slot up to 256 GB
Back Camera: 20 MP f/1.8 monochrome sensor + 12 MP f/1.8 RGB sensor w/ 4-in-1 Hybrid AF, OIS, 2x zoom, and dual tone LED flash
Selfie Camera: 8 MP f/1.9 aperture w/ wide angle lens, AF, and screen flash
Battery: 3,750 mAh w/ 5A Super Charge
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.1 skin
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 3G, LTE, IR Blaster, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, A GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, dual SIM (hybrid)
Sensors: G, gyroscope, compass, light, proximity, hall
Others: Fingerprint sensor, USB Type C, 192 kHz / 24 bit HiFi DAC, Colors: mystic silver, rose gold, graphite black, dazzling gold, dazzling blue, greenery
Dimensions: 153.5 x 74.2 x 6.98 mm
Weight: 165 g
Price: PHP 36,990
Disclaimer: This is a borrowed unit from Huawei Philippines for testing and unbiased review.
We love the new packaging of the Huawei for the P10 Plus. It has a center french door like experience when opening the box.
Then it includes the new flagship packaging from the brand which includes the 5A Super Charge USB Charger, USB Type C data / charging cables, earbuds w/ microphone, clear case, and SIM ejector tool.
You'll also get the usual paper documentations and warranty card.
The P10 series are the first smartphones in the world to boast the hyper diamond-cut finishing for added strength, color, and prevent scratches. It comes in high gloss or sandblast type of texture. For our review unit, we got the one with high gloss style.
Like the P9, the P10 Plus still comes with the mostly metal frame, curved glass plate on the dual camera part, and a Gorilla Glass 5 protected 2.5D curved screen on top. The metal power button is also textured w/ Leica red accent. The fingerprint scanner that's now in front is under the Glass as well. Also, it has IPX3 rating for water splash resistance.
It's flagship grade and sturdy overall. Both the hyper diamond-cut finish and the addition of Gorilla Glass 5 protection should also prevent occasional hairline scratches. However, the back plate of the high gloss model is prone to fingerprint smudges unlike the sandblasted variant.
Looking at the design, the antenna bands and curves reminds us of the Apple iPhone 7 series and the Vivo V5 Plus. It differs in the slimness of screen bezel, shape of fingerprint scanner, textured power button, and curved glass camera plate. It looks very good, but not as flashy as the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 series.
The phone is also quite slim at 6.98 mm and not that heavy at 165 g. As a result, you'll get a highly comfortable hold of the device.
Note: The high gloss model is slippery. The sandblasted variant provides better grip.
1. As expected, the aesthetics of this device is absolutely top notch and safe. It isn't just as flashy as the 2:1 ratio full screens of the newer Korean flagships, but hey at least the screen is now using the very sharp 2560 x 1440 WQHD resolution.
2. It's still equipped with the proven Kirin 960 chip w/ Mali G71 graphics that's also found with the Mate 9. But, Huawei increased its RAM size to 6 GB and storage to 128 GB (expandable). Currently, that's the largest RAM and ROM capacity found on competing mainstream flagship phones. The addition 4.5G quad band antenna design for better signal reception and Super Charge 5A charging are cool as well.
3. The company also updated the OS of this device. It's now running on the more refined Android 7.0 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.1 skin.
4. This is the first Huawei handset to load with Leica Dual Camera 2.0 Pro Edition Summilux sensors. If you are familiar with Leica lenses, Summilux is one of the higher-end versions. It's normally found on very expensive cameras. In front, it has a Leica powered 8 MP f/1.9 aperture w/ wide angle lens, AF, and screen flash. On the software part, bokeh in monochrome mode is now possible, Leica style portraiture (back and front) is now possible, and it has an impressive adaptive selfie w/ auto wide angle for perfect framing.
5. OTG works and LED notification is present. The fingerprint placement is weird coming from P9, but it's very fast and accurate. Talking about that weirdness, our favorite scrolling feature from the P9 series and Mate 9 are gone.
Related: Huawei P10 Plus: First Camera Samples
There's a very good chance that the Huawei P10 Plus will live up to the hype. It's highly impressive on first look and we find its cameras top notch. This could be on par or even better than most of the higher-end flagship smartphones out there.
For our review: Huawei P10 Plus Review - One Of The Best Today
Disclaimer: This is a borrowed unit from Huawei Philippines for testing and unbiased review.
Unboxing / Accessories
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| Everything inside the box |
Then it includes the new flagship packaging from the brand which includes the 5A Super Charge USB Charger, USB Type C data / charging cables, earbuds w/ microphone, clear case, and SIM ejector tool.
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| Unboxed! |
You'll also get the usual paper documentations and warranty card.
Build Quality / Design
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| Leica Dual Camera 2.0 Pro Edition at the back |
The P10 series are the first smartphones in the world to boast the hyper diamond-cut finishing for added strength, color, and prevent scratches. It comes in high gloss or sandblast type of texture. For our review unit, we got the one with high gloss style.
As usual, craftsmanship is flagship grade!
Like the P9, the P10 Plus still comes with the mostly metal frame, curved glass plate on the dual camera part, and a Gorilla Glass 5 protected 2.5D curved screen on top. The metal power button is also textured w/ Leica red accent. The fingerprint scanner that's now in front is under the Glass as well. Also, it has IPX3 rating for water splash resistance.
It's flagship grade and sturdy overall. Both the hyper diamond-cut finish and the addition of Gorilla Glass 5 protection should also prevent occasional hairline scratches. However, the back plate of the high gloss model is prone to fingerprint smudges unlike the sandblasted variant.
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| IR Blaster on top |
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| 3.5 mm jack, USB Type C port, mic, and speaker below |
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| Hybrid SIM slot at left |
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| Textured power button and volume rocker at right |
Looking at the design, the antenna bands and curves reminds us of the Apple iPhone 7 series and the Vivo V5 Plus. It differs in the slimness of screen bezel, shape of fingerprint scanner, textured power button, and curved glass camera plate. It looks very good, but not as flashy as the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 series.
The phone is also quite slim at 6.98 mm and not that heavy at 165 g. As a result, you'll get a highly comfortable hold of the device.
Note: The high gloss model is slippery. The sandblasted variant provides better grip.
Initial findings
2. It's still equipped with the proven Kirin 960 chip w/ Mali G71 graphics that's also found with the Mate 9. But, Huawei increased its RAM size to 6 GB and storage to 128 GB (expandable). Currently, that's the largest RAM and ROM capacity found on competing mainstream flagship phones. The addition 4.5G quad band antenna design for better signal reception and Super Charge 5A charging are cool as well.
3. The company also updated the OS of this device. It's now running on the more refined Android 7.0 Nougat w/ EMUI 5.1 skin.
4. This is the first Huawei handset to load with Leica Dual Camera 2.0 Pro Edition Summilux sensors. If you are familiar with Leica lenses, Summilux is one of the higher-end versions. It's normally found on very expensive cameras. In front, it has a Leica powered 8 MP f/1.9 aperture w/ wide angle lens, AF, and screen flash. On the software part, bokeh in monochrome mode is now possible, Leica style portraiture (back and front) is now possible, and it has an impressive adaptive selfie w/ auto wide angle for perfect framing.
5. OTG works and LED notification is present. The fingerprint placement is weird coming from P9, but it's very fast and accurate. Talking about that weirdness, our favorite scrolling feature from the P9 series and Mate 9 are gone.
Related: Huawei P10 Plus: First Camera Samples
As of the moment
There's a very good chance that the Huawei P10 Plus will live up to the hype. It's highly impressive on first look and we find its cameras top notch. This could be on par or even better than most of the higher-end flagship smartphones out there.For our review: Huawei P10 Plus Review - One Of The Best Today
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