The Huawei P30 Pro is an impressive photography device with its sophisticated quad camera setup. While it retains a similar 40MP pixel count for its main camera, the latest P30 Pro now gets a periscope lens for 5X optical zoom as well as a Time of Flight camera for depth sensing.
The device was recently gotten the teardown treatment by SystemPlus Consulting and it was discovered that all four cameras are using Sony sensors. This even includes the 3D ToF camera.
Before they got into the camera module, it was revealed that Huawei is now using a 3-stack PCB layout on the P30 Pro. It was mentioned that this stacked PCB design is a first on a Huawei smartphone and it is an efficient way to save on space. Apple is the first to do it on the iPhone X and Samsung has done the same as well.
When they dissect the cameras, they found that the 40MP main, 20MP ultra-wide-angle, 8MP telephoto and Time of Flight cameras are all using Sony’s CMOS image sensors. The 40MP main camera now uses a RYYB array which helps to let in up to 40% more light than the standard RGB colour array.
While Oppo is the first to use a 3D ToF camera on the R17 Pro, the depth sensor is mainly utilised for AR applications. However, on the P30 Pro, the ToF camera is actually used for auto-focus for the very first time. According to the consulting firm, the ToF camera can map out a scene and allow users to focus on a specific subject.
The teardown also provided a closer look at the periscope camera system which allows the camera to achieve a higher level of zoom without adding more bulk to the smartphone. The CMOS sensor is placed vertically and there’s a 45-degree angle mirror. Utilising both telephoto and main camera, the P30 Pro is able to achieve 10X lossless zoom and it can be pushed up to 50X zoom in digital which is still somewhat usable under the right lighting conditions.
You can check out the full P30 Pro teardown report on EE Times.
