It’s known that the Huawei Mate 30 series will be unveiled this year. If Huawei sticks to its previous schedule, the entry-level variant in the series, the Huawei Mate 30 Lite, should arrive in August 2019 followed by the Huawei Mate 30 and Mate 30 Pro in October 2019.
Huawei has this tendency of releasing the same phone in various markets under different names. It happened with the Mate 10 Lite, which was also known as Huawei Nova 2i in Malaysia, Maimang 6 in China, and Honor 9i in India.
In China, the Mate 20 Lite goes by the name Maimang 7 and in a similar fashion, the newly launched Huawei Nova 5i Pro is tipped to sell globally as the Huawei Mate 30 Lite. Given the timing of its launch and the expected launch of the Mate 30 Lite, things seem to be adding up.
Granted, we are looking at what could arrive in Kenya as the Mate 30 Lite. Apart from the name change from Nova 5i Pro to Mate 30 Lite, everything else should remain the same, including the design, specs, and features.
With that in mind, below are the specs to expect when Huawei brings the Mate 30 Lite to Kenya.
- 6.26-inch FHD+ (2340×1080) LCD display
- Kirin 810 SoC
- 6GB/ 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
- Quad-lens 48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP main camera
- 32MP selfie camera
- 4000mAh battery
- Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1
- Extras: Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio jack, rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, 20W fast battery charging, etc.
The Nova 5i Pro has a hole punch in the top left corner of the display screen that houses a 32MP selfie shooter, but it misses out on the in-display fingerprint scanning tech. Instead, the scanner is on the back, just below the quad-lens camera setup consisting of a depth sensor, a Super Macro unit, and an ultra-wide lens to support the main 48MP shooter.
Keeping it alive is a 4000mAh battery that supports wired 20W fast charging tech. This promises up to 50% battery after 30 minutes of charging. Software-wise, you get Android 9 Pie pre-installed with EMUI 9.1 on top.
In China, the base model of 6GB/128GB goes for CNY 2,199 (about Kshs 33,200), the midrange 8GB/128GB goes for CNY 2,499 (about Kshs 37,705) while the high-end 8/256GB variant is available for CNY 2,799 (about Kshs 42,300).
These prices are close to what we expect the Huawei Mate 30 Lite to cost when it arrives in the country. As for when, we can’t tell for sure, but we’ll keep an eye on it.
