Huawei P Smart Z Review A Decent Smartphone With A Pop-up Camera retractable mechanism. The new Huawei P Smart Z is good proof that advanced technology can be at an affordable price. Its incredible retractable camera will surely surprise you.

Is Huawei on the right track?

It would seem to someone that launching a smartphone on the market is a trifling matter, they all look alike. What else can you think of? But the production of such devices has always been and is part of high art. A good artist, as you know, should always be a little hungry with his ideas, creativity and vision of the world. A vivid example of this is the Chinese company Huawei , which in recent years has been surprising us more and more. Remember her awesome gradient smartphones? And these incredible fantastic zoom cameras in the Huawei P30 Pro ? And who did not admire the youth series P Smart? These incredibly beautiful, stylish, youth smartphones set the trend so far and at the same time are very popular.

Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera.

But the company’s developers do not like to stagnate for a long time, trying in every way to surprise their demanding customer. They strongly want their devices not only to look attractive in appearance, but also to be as practical, convenient, powerful and versatile as possible.

In recent years, we have seen a trend on a frameless screen. Manufacturers are trying to maximize the usable area of the display. What we just did not see: the ugly monobrow above, and the more pleasing to the eye drop-shaped cutouts, and meaningless holes in the screen! Some of the trends have taken root, and some have caused a storm of indignation and disgust.

Everyone wants framelessness, but how to achieve it without disfiguring the display. The solution, in my opinion, was found when we first saw cameras with a retractable mechanism hidden in the body of the device. But before that, only the flagships allowed themselves to do this. A vivid example of this is the OnePlus 7 Pro . And so, Huawei decided that the middle segment is also worthy of high technology and introduced its new Huawei P Smart Z with a front camera, which is hidden in the case and appears thanks to a retractable mechanism.

However, this is not the only argument to pay attention to this gadget. I managed to spend several weeks with this incredible smartphone and I hasten to share my impressions with you. But first, let’s see its technical characteristics.

Specifications

Ordinary unusual smartphone of the P Smart series

Huawei boasts fairly strong positions in the middle price segment. Her smartphones are very popular, especially among young people. But sometimes they all seem terribly the same, similar not only externally, but also in their technical characteristics. This does not mean that Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera they are bad or unclaimed, but they have little zest, something unusual, innovative. But it seems that the Chinese company decided to slightly diversify this series of smartphones. This is evidenced by the recently introduced Huawei P Smart Z.

retractable mechanism huawei p smar z

Huawei P Smart Z is the third generation of the affordable range, always aimed primarily at young users who should be interested in a playful design and an affordable price. New is the popular pop-up selfie camera, which frees up space for a 6.59-inch bezel-less screen, as well as a large 4000 mAh battery, dual camera modules.

When you first take a smartphone in your hands, you really understand that in front of you is an ordinary device, something similar to smartphones of the P Smart series Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera, but only until you try to start the front camera. This is where the magic begins.

She so stately leaves in all its glory from the upper end. But after turning on the main camera, she also deftly hides back. Therefore, a retractable mechanism Pop-up camera can be called the main feature of this smartphone. But I would also add a huge, it seems that it is unlimited, display. Still, Huawei P Smart Z is a rather big device.

Specifications huawei p smart z

I am sure that you now immediately had questions about the operation of the mechanism itself and its reliability. The developers claim that the retractable mechanism can withstand a load of 12 kg and up to 10,000 cycles of operation. I note that the mechanism works smoothly Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera, the camera itself comes out in just a second, while making an unusual sound. You can turn it off in the settings, but still the sound of the camera’s operation does not disappear, but simply changes to another, which I don’t like, to be honest.

huawei p smart review

You need to understand that we have a mid-range device that has a very attractive appearance, excellent dual cameras, a large, almost frameless 6.59-inch display with FulllHD + resolution and an aspect ratio of 19.5: 9. It runs on the slightly improved eight-core processor Hisilicon Kirin 710F, where the graphics accelerator ARM Mali-G51 MP4 is responsible. All this is complemented by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of flash memory, which can also be expanded with a microSD memory card up to 512 GB.

The smartphone runs on the latest Android 9 Pie supplemented by the proprietary EMUI 9.0.1 shell. It was also equipped with a rather capacious 4000 mAh battery, all connection and communication interfaces, including support for 4G LTE with Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera aggregation of all frequencies, an NFC chip for contactless payments. There is support for fast charging. In other words, we have a modern smartphone that meets all the requirements of today. It’s time to get acquainted in more detail with the hero of our review.

What’s in the box? First impressions

My review of Huawei P Smart Z came to me in the usual white box made of cardboard. Inside, in addition to the smartphone itself, you will find a 10 W charger, a USB cable, a clip for removing SIM cards, branded wired headphones, as well as a bunch of pieces of paper, instructions, warranty cards. I note that I had a technical sample on the test, so the equipment may be slightly different when I buy it.

Huawei P Smart Z came

The first thought that visited me when I took my smartphone out of the box was that it was big enough and heavy. For some, it may even seem huge. Judge for yourself. With dimensions of 163.45 × 77.26 × 8.85 mm, the Huawei P Smart Z weighs almost 200 g. This is quite felt even in a male hand. Although ergonomics, the smartphone is in full order.

It is very comfortable in the hand, you can easily get to any control button. In addition, if you like to watch movies or TV shows from your smartphone, then you will definitely be pleased with this huge, clear and bright 6.59-inch screen. No wonder that it occupies 91% of the useful area of the front panel Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera.

Framelessness gives it not only the absence of cutouts or holes in the screen, but also the thin frames around. So, the side and upper frames are only 2 mm, and the lower, although larger – 5 mm, but practically does not spoil the overall impression.

Smartphones will definitely please you with their color schemes. They are available in classic black , fancy blue and attractive and intriguing green . It was in such an unusual emerald color that my smartphone was. This bewitching play of light will definitely not leave you indifferent. As for me, the blue color also looks very original, but the black is a little boring. Although, for a business man just right best Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism.

Trendy Design Retractable Mechanism Pop-up Camera

I already wrote above that outwardly the smartphone does not particularly stand out among its counterparts in the series or competitors. Although I caught myself thinking that it has some similarities with Google Pixel smartphones. Especially with Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera its combined rear panel trim. Huawei developers did not particularly strain on the case material, preferring fiberglass. This solution has its pros and cons. Of course, fiberglass is a little stronger than glass and not so slippery.

In addition, such a case looks very impressive, playing in different shades. But, on the other hand, glossy plastic is very impractical and easily scratched. Of course, if you prefer to carry a smartphone in a case, then there will be no problems. But if you like to hold the device in your hand, feel it, then be prepared for minor scratches. In addition, scuffs and abrasions are quite possible on the varnished surface. That is, in your pocket with metal objects or keys, do not swear the smartphone for a long time. Therefore, at least about a silicone transparent case, I would definitely think in your place.

Trendy Design huawei p smart z

The back panel of emerald color pleases the eye. This incredible color with games and tints of light fascinates, excites and attracts attention. According to the developers, fingerprints should practically not remain on this magnificent plastic surface. And all thanks to a special coating, which prevents their appearance. Although in practice a little bit wrong. I will not say that the surface is very dirty Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera, but the prints still remain. But removing them is pretty simple. The back surface can be admired for a long time.

fingerprints huawei p smart z

Here, in addition to the dual module of the main camera with an LED flash located vertically in the left corner, a fingerprint scanner was placed right in the center in a small depression. In other words, in Huawei P Smart Z, the developers did not follow the fashion trend to place the scanner on the screen Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism, but adhered to the best solution. You know, this universal passion for such a scanner is already a little annoying. If even in some models it works quite quickly and without errors, then sometimes it seems that other developers have taken such a step to follow the fashion. The benefit of such a solution is practically zero. In this case, the scanner is located at a convenient height and works almost instantly.

front panel huawei p smart z

The front panel, of course, pleases the eye. You don’t have any cutouts or holes in the screen, a solid, large, I would say, huge display protected by shock-resistant Gorilla Glass 5. Thin frames really create a frameless effect. Such a display will clearly appeal to those who like to watch movies or TV shows on their smartphone and, of course, play mobile games Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera. Of the elements on the front panel, only the speaker remained, which was located on the upper thin frame. The speaker copes with its work “perfectly”. Of course, this is not a stereo speaker, but the sound is decent.

Gorilla Glass 5 huawei p smart z

With the location of the control buttons, everything is familiar here. The left end is completely empty, not a single element, which is an excellent solution, given the dimensions of the smartphone. On the right side there is a power and sound control button. They are quite thin, located at a convenient height, they work quite clearly.

At the top end you will find a slot for two nanoSIM cards, one of which can be replaced with a MicroSD memory card. That is, you will have to sacrifice one SIM card if you want to expand the internal memory Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera. Simultaneous operation is not provided. A little further off you will see a microphone grill for noise reduction. It works pretty well, you can talk on the phone even on the street or in a noisy place. The microphone does its job well.

slot for two nano SIM cards huawei p smart z

At the top end, you will definitely notice the compartment for the front camera. The module itself is hidden in the case and practically does not protrude from it.
With the help of a sliding mechanism, the camera leaves the housing. The whole process takes literally a second. We are dealing with a 16 megapixel front camera that takes decent selfie shots.

At the bottom you will find another multimedia speaker, which is designed to listen to music and external calls, and a microphone. The sound quality of the main speaker is pretty decent Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera. Of course, this is not a stereo speaker, but the sound is clear, loud and clear. Perhaps he will not be attracted to music lovers, but for them they left a standard 3.5 mm jack for wired headphones on the left. This will give you the opportunity to fully enjoy your favorite music.

3.5 mm jack for wired headphones huawei p smart z

In the center is the USB Type-C port. This was very pleasing, as recently most manufacturers rarely use a combination of USB Type-C connectors and a mini-jack, preferring to leave the latter in combination with microUSB or get rid of it in favor of the former. And in the Huawei P smart Z, the perfect combination is right.

Sometimes it seemed that in the hand is not a mid-range smartphone, but a flagship. So everything is fitted, quality made. Nothing creaks, the body is monolithic. Therefore, the build quality claims should not arise.

The screen is the main advantage of Huawei P Smart Z

Thanks to the retractable camera, Huawei can afford to install the front of the phone with a large 6.59-inch IPS LCD display, which has neither a cut-out nor holes. The Ultra FullView screen with thin bezels is so large that those who like to watch videos on the go will especially appreciate it. Full HD + resolution is quite enough.

The display itself occupies 91% of the usable area and it seems that it is unlimited. The screen panel, although large, but the aspect ratio of 19.5: 9 makes it a little elongated and convenient when viewing video content.

I was pleased with the sensitivity of the screen Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism. He reacts quite quickly to touch, there are practically no false positives. I also note very good gesture support, which will help to comfortably manage the smartphone.

large 6.59-inch IPS LCD display huawei p smart z

The images on the screen are clear, bright. Several display settings are available for you. In the early days, out of habit, I used the usual mode, but noticed that at the same time the color rendition goes a little in warm colors. I decided to add a little bright color, going into bright mode. The display immediately changed. More bright colors and shades were added, the picture became juicier, more contrast. Watching the video has become much nicer.

Of course, there is a function of protecting eyesight with a blue filter. Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera And reading with the function turned on, especially in the evenings, is very convenient.

The display panel is of good quality and I had no problems with brightness, viewing angles or color reproduction during use. I am also grateful to the manufacturer for the pre-installed protective film, which, unfortunately, has rather sharp edges. Therefore, if you want to use gestures to control the phone, which allows you to use EMUI 9 with Android Pie, you will have to remove it from the display shortly after purchase. But perhaps you can use gestures this way.
Sound: does not blind and does not disappoint

Huawei P Smart Z has only one speaker, which is located on the bottom of the phone and is absolutely average in sound. So it will not amaze you with the quality of music playback or excessive volume, but this can be expected from a device of this price range. Included is a wired headset of pretty good quality. After connecting the headphones, we already have access to the sound settings in EMUI.

And last but not least, I would mention the quality of the phone calls, which was problem-free, and neither I nor the other side had any complaints.
The whole set of communication features

You know, sometimes you are amazed how much we have stepped forward in terms of communication capabilities. If earlier we were enthusiastically painted that the smartphone supports fourth-generation 4G / LTE networks or something else, now it has become the norm, the routine.

You will not surprise anyone anymore that Huawei P Smart Z has been equipped with almost all the most advanced equipment for mobile Internet, wireless communications and telephone communications. Here you will find support for dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, with geolocation also complete order, do not forget to install the NFC module so that you can use contactless payment. It is also possible to connect wireless headphones or a fitness bracelet via Bluetooth 4.2, a USB Type-C port for charging and synchronizing your smartphone with a laptop. There is everything that a modern person needs. You will not be deprived of anything in this regard.

Power is average but sufficient

With performance, the smartphone is also not bad, as for its price category.In Huawei P Smart Z installed (I wanted to write “known to us”, but this is not so) is the eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 710F, made according to the 12-nm process technology. This is almost the same Kirin 710, but slightly modified. Consists of a duo of quad-core ARM Cortex A73 2.2 GHz and Cortex A53 1.7 GHz. The processor is quite average and, judging by the tests in the benchmarks, it is somewhere between the Snapdragon 636 and the Snapdragon 660.

As usual, there is a neural network module NPU, which is responsible for the operation of artificial intelligence algorithms and optimizes the processor itself, increasing its performance. The Mali-G51MP4 graphics accelerator does its job perfectly, providing good graphics settings. But still he is not enough in games.

Snapdragon 636 and the Snapdragon 660 huawei p smart z

You can easily play any available mobile games. Of course, not always at maximum settings, but you definitely will not notice any discomfort or freezes. This is good, given the audience this smartphone is aimed at. If we generally talk about the work of the smartphone in everyday life, then it is more likely to please you than to upset you. The performance of the Huawei P Smart Z is quite enough for the modern user.

User interface and operating system

Huawei P Smart Z uses the proven EMUI extension version 9.0.1 along with Android 9 Pie with May security fixes. I like the proprietary shell from Huawei due to the large number of settings. You have the ability to customize the navigation buttons, which is really cool for those who live by habits, you can switch to one-handed control or configure a gesture system. You can also set up the smartphone’s lock in your pocket, being safe from accidental taps, set the smartphone to turn on or off (I sometimes do this at night or on a trip), and, of course, work with gloves on. Add to this the support for gestures, the function of switching to silent mode, if you put the smartphone with the screen down, and many others. Who cares, can read my article about it. I am sure that most of you did not even know about such features of EMUI 9.

If we talk about the work of the shell from Huawei itself, then I note first of all its smoothness and thoughtfulness. No departures and any delays. You will definitely not be disappointed. I know that some of my colleagues are not happy with the icons of the EMUI 9 icons, saying that they are dumb and ill-conceived. And who’s stopping you from picking up a beautiful theme that will not only change the look of the interface, but also embellish, transform icon icons. Fortunately, there are a lot of themes and wallpapers for Huawei smartphones.

Excellent autonomy Huawei P Smart Z Review

A smartphone with such a large screen also needs a capacious battery. In this regard, Huawei P Smart Z certainly will not disappoint, because it has a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of as much as 4000 mAh. Therefore, I would call the large battery capacity almost the main reason for buying this smartphone along with a retractable camera.

With my intense rhythm of use, the smartphone managed to still have 25-30% of the charge until the evening, which is pretty good, considering that this is a mid-range smartphone with a huge screen. With less intensive use, the smartphone lives up to two days.

In addition, you have the opportunity to configure some functions that will help extend the autonomy of your device. For example, you can choose your energy saving mode or the desired screen resolution. You can also limit the activity of some applications in the background, which will save valuable charge percentages. Of course, you can see detailed statistics on battery usage while optimizing its performance.

A little upset by the lack of a quick charge function. Therefore, it took almost 2 hours to charge the smartphone with the standard, included, 10 W charger. Someone will say that I want a lot from the average, but Huawei has already accustomed us to fast charging. Could not be stingy here.

Camera & Pop-up Camera: no revolution

The main photographic system of Huawei P Smart Z consists of a dual module with a 16-megapixel main camera and an f / 1.8 aperture, followed by a second 2-megapixel sensor, the only task of which is to support the main one in portrait mode & selfie Pop-up Camera.

Although the camera has artificial intelligence to detect more than 500 different scenes, and the main sensor has a good aperture, the resulting images often suffer from inaccurate colors. In the daytime, you can get pretty good pictures with good detail. But the night mode a little upset. To be honest, I was expecting a slightly better result. I will not say that the photos are bad, but Huawei has taught us to be surprised at the photographic capabilities of their smartphones best Pop-up Camera.

And here is an ordinary camera with pretty good shots and that’s it. Do not expect a WoW effect. Unfortunately, the resulting impression will not improve even a 2-megapixel sensor for the effect of “bokeh” or the ability to shoot video in maximum Full HD at 60 FPS.

Do not expect any miracles from the main camera Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera. Is that what pleased the AI ​​in the cell. As always, he copes with his task perfectly, recognizing the scene well, which allows you to take more detailed pictures. But at night, again, its effect is lost and everything becomes normal.

Full HD at 60 FPS huawei p smart z

Now let’s turn to the main character of Huawei P Smart Z: a ​​retractable camera. The fact is that, in addition to her activation method, she did not surprise me anymore.

selfie camera huawei p smart z

As for the video, under ideal lighting conditions it is acceptable, but has a little stabilization. I also noticed blurring in the tests, which is not always preserved. When we turn to recording in low light, Huawei P Smart Z Review Pop-up Camera problems with noise and focusing are already more noticeable. By the way, the maximum video recording quality that the smartphone supports is FullHD at 60 fps. Of course, I would like a video in 4K, but given the price of the device, you can only dream about it for now.

Are there any competitors?
Xiaomi Mi 9T

Among competitors, first of all, of course, it is worth mentioning Xiaomi Mi 9T , which is also equipped with a camera with a retractable mechanism. I note that I was a little lucky, and both smartphones were almost simultaneously with me. They are very similar in functionality. Unless the Xiaomi Mi 9T is slightly better than Samsung’s AMOLED display, a more powerful chipset and a triple camera. But it costs more than the Huawei P Smart Z. But can it really scare true Xiaomi fans?

Honor 8X

Also, competitors include the recently released Honor 8X, which is practically in the same price range and has similar technical specifications. The only thing missing is a retractable camera. Also, almost the only drawback may be a slightly weaker battery, an older microUSB connector or a less interesting design.

Is it worth buying the Huawei P Smart Z?

Huawei managed to strengthen its position in the middle price segment. Here the company has a very good reputation, popularity and good practices. Each year, the P Smart series surprises with something new, forcing users to increasingly pay attention to these smartphones. Huawei P Smart Z has become a worthy successor to this series of smartphones.

Of course, the main feature of this device is a camera with a retractable mechanism, which is still a novelty in the market. Perhaps in a couple of years such cameras will become commonplace, but so far this is a bold decision worthy of respect. Huawei P Smart Z Review retractable mechanism Pop-up Camera Although I would not really focus on the camera, there is still a stunning, large, truly frameless display without cutouts and holes, as well as an excellent battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh.

Is it worth buying the Huawei P Smart Z

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Huawei P Smart Z Official Specs & Retail Price