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    Huawei’s flagship P50 Pro is the best phone you definitely shouldn’t buy

    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Huawei’s flagship P50 Pro truly launched final yr in China, nevertheless it’s lastly arrived within the UK and wider Europe. It won’t be on sale within the US because of the ongoing restrictions imposed by the US authorities. And it is those self same restrictions that make this cellphone so problematic.There aren’t any Google providers for one factor, that means no Gmail, no YouTube and, crucially, no entry to the Google Play Store. There’s additionally no 5G connectivity, which is actually a deal-breaker for a flagship cellphone in 2022. We’re seeing some sort of 5G on even funds handsets now. 

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    That may be extra forgivable if the P50 Pro have been low cost, however at 1,199 euros (which converts to about $1,335 or £1,000) the Huawei P50 Pro is dearer than the iPhone 13 Pro and fairly a bit greater than the excellent Google Pixel 6 Pro. It’s a whole lot of {dollars} greater than the wonderful OnePlus 9, too; a cellphone that does have 5G and Google providers, and has the identical Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor because the P50 Pro, together with an awesome digicam and superior battery life. 
    Huawei’s P50 Pro is a trendy, flagship cellphone with huge issues
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    So whereas the P50 Pro does have some good factors, it calls for you make two gigantic sacrifices and it does not even try to tempt you to take action with a extra reasonably priced worth.  But to not be a complete damaging Nellie, there are some issues I like. For one factor, it seems fairly superior. It’s acquired an awesome glass-and-metal design and I actually like the 2 huge circles on the again that assist make the cellphone stand out amongst its opponents. It’s additionally IP68-rated, so spilled drinks aren’t any concern and the show is gorgeous.Its display screen is 6.6 inches with a 120Hz refresh charge, and appears pin-sharp and vibrant because the day is lengthy. And I really like the way it curves on the edges in a means that simply oozes premium attraction. Or as a lot as a show can truly ooze something, I suppose. 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    It’s acquired a meaty 4,000-mAh battery that’ll carry on chugging all day lengthy and there is a fairly wild digicam setup on the again. You get a 50-megapixel foremost digicam, a 40-megapixel monochrome digicam, a 13-megapixel ultrawide digicam and a 64-megapixel telephoto digicam. Huawei guarantees every kind of improved picture processing to make its pictures even higher and certainly I discovered photos from all its lenses to be sharp and effectively uncovered.Taken with the principle digicam, this out of doors picture trying over Edinburgh is effectively uncovered and filled with element.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    This nighttime shot of the town is a contact blurry nevertheless it’s impressively brilliant.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Taken with the principle digicam, this somewhat grey scene nonetheless has loads of element.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Switching to the ultrawide lens has additionally resulted in a noticeable shift to a hotter white steadiness.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Taken at 10x zoom, the P50 Pro has captured a sharper, extra detailed shot right here than Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra managed on the similar zoom stage (see beneath).
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    Taken on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra at 10x zoom. This cellphone has all the time been the zoom king, however the P50 Pro’s outcomes listed here are noticeably higher.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    And that zoom is great too, with better-looking 10x pictures than I’ve even been capable of get from Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra, which has usually been the cellphone zoom king. So the digicam is actually nice, nevertheless it’s not so nice as to make up for the remainder of cellphone’s enormous failings.The lack of the Google Play Store means you will have to make use of Huawei’s personal App Gallery, and whereas there are some notable names on its cabinets, it is usually slim pickings. Snapchat is there, as is Fortnite (through the Epic Games downloader), in addition to Telegram, Tinder, Amazon and a rising number of others. And there are workarounds and alternate options for lacking apps. Petal Maps — Huawei’s personal maps app — is nigh on equivalent to Google Maps, for instance. There’s no Gmail app however Gmail customers can nonetheless add their accounts to Huawei’s e mail app and entry their accounts as regular. There’s no YouTube app however you possibly can load YouTube within the net browser, which technically works. And whereas apps like Instagram or Adobe Lightroom aren’t accessible formally in Huawei’s retailer, you possibly can obtain the APK recordsdata from third-party web sites and set up them manually. 
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    And that is the case for a lot of different apps too, however remember the fact that putting in apps by downloading the APK from random web sites could be dangerous, and is a significant means that each one sorts of unhealthy nonsense can worm its means onto your cellphone.The different concern is that the cellphone lacks 5G connectivity — once more, because of the restrictions. 5G may not but be the usual for cellphone service in all places you go, however that is nonetheless an costly cellphone that ought to ideally final three years or extra for anybody that buys it. Missing out on 5G connectivity, and the quicker speeds that may include it, is an enormous setback for this cellphone as soon as these networks do roll out.So no 5G and no Google providers — two enormous points for any cellphone, however significantly as this one prices a lot. There are some compromises you could be blissful to make. Maybe you do not care about 5G. Maybe you do not even care about having the most recent apps and simply need one thing to sort out your on a regular basis necessities.
    Andrew Hoyle/CNET
    But these are compromises you may make in an effort to hold the value down, to get a extra reasonably priced cellphone when you do not fancy spending flagship ranges of cash. Whereas this a lot money ought to rating you the very best cellphone round. The most dazzling piece of {hardware} that satisfies every little thing you’d need from it, and maintain its personal whilst newer telephones hit the market within the years to return.And that’s removed from the case right here. Yes, the {hardware} is nice — the luscious design is premium all the way in which and the digicam is superb. But its mixture of lacking options and sky-high worth means the Huawei P50 Pro is a cellphone you’d do effectively to keep away from.

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