OPINION: Huawei makes some of the best smartphone camera systems in the world, and it has been a leader in the segment since the late 2010s.
The problem is that, without Google Play Services, the phones aren’t as tempting as they should be, and that means that most people miss out on the stellar photography experience that Huawei devices provide.
While Huawei cameras were always good, 2018’s Mate 20 Pro really opened my eyes to how far ahead of the curve Huawei’s camera tech was. The combination of 40MP, 28MP and 8MP rear cameras may not sound impressive by 2024 standards, but they delivered exceptional shots compared to the iPhone X, which was my daily driver at the time.
That was especially true of night photography, with the Mate 20 Pro really boosting those low-light shots in a way I hadn’t seen before. Of course, most manufacturers have now caught up, but sample shots from last year’s Huawei P60 Pro showcase that the company’s camera tech remains some of the best around when it comes to low-light and general photography alike.
Huawei also tends to be ahead of the curve when it comes to utilising new smartphone camera tech, be it the introduction of periscope lenses with the Huawei P30 Pro, or the variable aperture of the Huawei P50 Pro that allows you to shift between f/1.4 and f/4.0 to change the look of your shot.
It’s a trend that continues with this year’s Huawei Pura 70 Ultra, with not only an impressive main camera with a huge 1-inch sensor, a variable aperture of f/1.6 to f/4.0 and sensor-shift stabilisation, but a unique retractable camera system to fully make use of that large sensor, creating the necessary distance between the lens and sensor without a huge hulking camera module.
Though we’re yet to go hands-on with the phone, those who have seemed very impressed by what the phone can deliver.
But, alas, even with some of the best camera tech around, the lack of Google services means that the vast majority of Android users simply won’t invest.
Of course, the ideal fix to this scenario would be for the US to lift its sanctions on Huawei, allowing the company to work with the likes of Google once again and bringing the Play Store and Google services back to its smartphone collection – but given that this has been going on since 2019, it seems unlikely that’ll happen anytime soon.
Instead, I implore Huawei; please, license your stunning camera tech to other smartphone makers.
It seems like a win-win in my mind; smaller smartphone companies like Nothing could take advantage of Huawei’s vast camera R&D while only paying a percentage of what it’d cost to develop the same tech in-house, and it’d generate a solid, consistent income for Huawei.
Given that Huawei phones haven’t been all that popular outside of China since the ban, it could also be a way for Huawei to show that its tech is still best-in-class, even if it can’t deliver the full smartphone experience that Westerners expect.
And, with the majority of Western brands not having any presence in China, it’s not like Huawei would be competing with its own camera tech on its home turf.
After all, we’ve seen various smartphone companies collaborate with camera companies like Hasselblad and Leica in the past, Huawei included, so why not collaborate with Huawei on developing top-notch camera hardware?
I, for one, would pick up a high-end Android phone with Huawei-designed camera tech in a heartbeat, and I’ve got a feeling that people who have used Huawei phones in the past 8 years or so would feel the same way.