HUAWEI Mate 60 Pro

Source

極客灣 (Geekerwan)

Key Takeaways

• Kirin 9000S silicon efficiency lags modern flagships by two full generations, suffering harsh throttling in heavy games.
• Complete absence of native Google Mobile Services (GMS) creates insurmountable friction for international users.
• Triple punch-hole cluster occupies massive status bar territory, punching an awkward black obstruction into games and video.
• Unwieldy 79mm body width makes one-handed ergonomics deeply uncomfortable for average hands.

✅ Pros

• Rugged basalt architecture and Kunlun Glass durability
• Pioneering direct-to-satellite voice call capability
• Versatile physical variable aperture primary sensor

❌ Cons

• Silicon power efficiency trails far behind competitors
• No native GMS severely restricts international utility
• Awkward triple pill cutout eats usable screen space
• Gargantuan 79mm width strains hand muscles

📝 Verdict

"Mate 60 Pro is a geopolitical triumph, but inefficient silicon and missing GMS make it agonizing for international buyers."

Source

• Video: I tested the Banned Huawei Products.
• Channel: Mrwhosetheboss | Type: Hands-on | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• The video tests several new Huawei products (tablet, earbuds, watch, phone), with the Mate 60 Pro as the finale; it explains that after the 2019 US ban, Huawei switched to HarmonyOS and lost Google services and TSMC manufacturing
• He calls the Mate 60 Pro "the best phone hardware I've ever held": a matte body and a seamless screen curved equally on all four sides; the three front cutouts enable 3D face recognition, which is less distracting than the Dynamic Island, unlocks faster, and can detect your gaze to automatically turn the screen on/off
• HarmonyOS animations are smooth and detailed, but 58 preinstalled apps plus a "Popular apps" folder make it feel ad-heavy
• AppGallery works but isn't smooth: apps like Instagram redirect you to download an APK, and apps that depend on Google services, like Uber, are only available as Quick Apps (web shortcuts); G-Space can run Google apps, but has full-screen ads and he thinks it's in a legal gray area
• The Kirin 9000S is a Chinese-made 7nm chip with 5G speeds, which he calls something US sanctions should have prevented, and he lists the industry's different theories about where the process came from (no conclusion yet)
• Camera: the 3.5x telephoto can shoot macro, with a variable F1.4–F4 aperture, and stabilization and night shots are excellent, not falling behind the iPhone 15 Pro Max in comparison; in his own steel-ball drop and tapping tests, Kunlun Glass 2 proved more durable than the iPhone's Ceramic Shield, and he calls it the toughest phone glass he's seen

✅ Pros

• Superb craftsmanship and feel
• 3D face recognition and gaze sensing
• Camera with telephoto macro and variable aperture
• Kunlun Glass resists drops/impacts

❌ Cons

• Many preinstalled apps, with ads
• No Google services; installing apps requires workarounds
• G-Space has ads and legal concerns

📝 Verdict

The hardware is the best of any phone he's seen, but using it outside China means putting up with "janky" workarounds for apps and services.

Source

• Video: Huawei Mate 60 Pro One Week Heavy Use: Pros and Cons
• Channel: Sami Luo Tech | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Borrowed from a dealer and used for over a week; at launch it was nearly impossible to get in mainland China
• The 6.8-inch 1.5K screen has comfortable colors and is clear in sunlight; the front 3D depth sensing makes face payments convenient, but the in-display fingerprint reader sits low
• HarmonyOS 4 animations are extremely smooth; sensing features such as air gestures, gaze-to-wake and hiding notifications when someone else approaches are useful
• Citing Geekerwan's analysis: the Kirin 9000S CPU is slightly more efficient than the Snapdragon 888, with comparable GPU efficiency; it doesn't overheat in daily use or a half hour of PUBG
• Shooting 4K for long periods causes heating and dropped frames (13 frames dropped in testing), and slow motion occasionally has color casts; audio noise reduction and super macro are excellent
• 5,000mAh lasts a day without worry, and the official 88W charger fills it in about 40 minutes; satellite calling is limited to mainland China versions and regions

✅ Pros

• Smooth HarmonyOS 4
• 3D face recognition
• Excellent audio capture and macro
• Fast and wireless charging
• Satellite communication (mainland China only)

❌ Cons

• Heating and dropped frames in long 4K recording
• Color casts in slow motion
• Low in-display fingerprint position
• Gaming performance still needs optimization

📝 Verdict

There's room to improve cooling and software, but it's a competitive flagship and more interesting than the iPhone's minor yearly updates.

Source

• Video: Huawei Mate 60 Pro Hands-On: The Phone That Escalates US/China Tension
• Channel: ben's gadget reviews | Type: Hands-on | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Obtained through a Hong Kong grey-market dealer (not provided by Huawei); much of the video explains the background of US sanctions and why the Kirin 9000S drew the US government's attention
• The Kirin 9000S is built on a 7nm process and scores lower in Geekbench than the iPhone 14 Pro Max; the system doesn't show a 5G icon, but in testing its network speeds beat the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy Z Fold5
• 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED, IP68 and Huawei Kunlun Glass (not Gorilla Glass); the three front cutouts include 3D ToF face recognition
• The 50MP variable-aperture main camera (F1.4–F4) performs very well; the biggest highlight is the 3.5x periscope telephoto, which delivers both portrait-level bokeh and extreme close-up macro
• 5,000mAh, with an 88W charger included and 50W Huawei wireless charging
• He can't use Google apps, which is why he can't make it his main phone

✅ Pros

• Very versatile 3.5x telephoto macro
• Variable-aperture main camera
• Good-looking design
• Fast charging

❌ Cons

• No Google apps
• Chip performance trails contemporary flagships
• Unclear 5G status display

📝 Verdict

He loves the looks and the telephoto macro, and would use it as his main phone if it could run Google apps.