Huawei Mate 50 Pro review: The best smartphone you either can’t buy or probably won’t buy

Pros

  • Smart design, solid build quality
  • Excellent 120Hz OLED screen
  • Innovative and very effective camera system
  • High-end chipset delivers good performance
  • IP68 dust/water resistance

Cons

  • No Google Mobile Services
  • No 5G
  • Durable Kunlun glass on Orange version only
  • Expensive

Huawei’s Mate smartphones regularly showcase cutting-edge design, build and features, and this year’s Mate 50 Pro is no exception. The headline feature is a superb 50MP Ultra Aperture XMAGE camera with a 10-size adjustable physical aperture, although we must also note the absence of Google Mobile Services (GMS) and lack of 5G support thanks to ongoing US sanctions. 

Those omissions may