Huawei launches P50 series smartphones with striking camera designs, but no 5G support

Huawei’s latest flagship-class smartphones continue the Chinese company’s track record of releasing devices with premium specs including some seriously impressive cameras and powerful processors. But the Huawei P50 and Huawei P50 Pro are noteworthy for a few other reasons as well.

First, they have a new camera design consisting of two large circles on the back of the phone, giving the phones an unusual look. And second, neither phone supports 5G networks, thanks to ongoing US trade restrictions.

While restricting the phones to 4G and older technologies might not be a deal breaker at a time when there’s little functional difference between 4G and 5G in many parts of the world, it does make the phones a little less futureproof than one would normally expect from a flagship.

It’s unlikely either phone will be available in North America anytime soon, but if you happen to be in a country where you can still find Huawei phones (and don’t mind that they now ship with Harmony OS rather than Android… even though it’s basically just Android), here’s what you can expect: