This is how Huawei is keeping the P20 and Mate 10 Pro different

The top-tier Huawei P20 will launch on March 27, just five months after the arrival of the flagship Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro. It will give the Chinese firm two flagship smartphone ranges, which may be a little confusing.

Huawei isn't the only phone manufacturer that has competing handsets in its own line up though. Just look at Samsung with its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series, or Sony with its almost revolving door of new flagships on a seemingly half yearly renewal cycle.

But why do firms see the need to have competition within their own ranks when competition from others is already so strong? TechRadar sat down with Huawei CEO Richard Yu to find out more.

"The Mate series is a phablet with large screen compact design extra long battery life, super fast charging, super high performance, and also a very good camera," Yu explained. 

"Our Mate series is for heavy users, business users, [with] the focus on long battery life."

Camera focus

"But [with the] P series we care more about establishing new design and a new camera - [we're] especially focused on the camera," Yu told us.

"The P series is more focused on fashion, on the younger user, [with a] new disruptive camera experience"

Yu's words on the camera focus are no surprise considering the teases from Huawei, and the magnitude of leaks, surrounding the Huawei P20 that point to the camera.

The handset is rumored to arrive in three variants with the most premium - dubbed the Huawei P20 Pro - tipped to pack three cameras on its rear, with one potentially boasting 40MP.

Huawei is expected to continue its partnership with camera experts Leica for its new P series, with dual cameras expected to feature on the rear of the P20 and P20 Lite.

Watch our Huawei P20 Pro chat video, where we discuss how a triple rear camera may work

Will it work?

We're not sure the distinction Huawei is hoping for between the two series will be obvious to shoppers in store. 

The Mate 10 Pro could remain the more attractive choice for many, with its long battery life and large display attractive options to those who love to game and stream video on their mobiles.

While Huawei is teasing big things for the Huawei P20 camera, the Mate 10 Pro and Mate 10 have a great dual rear camera setup already and it's unclear if any significant improvement can be made.

We've already witnessed a similar situation with the Galaxy S9, with Samsung going big on camera improvements only for the difference to be smaller than expected.

We'll be reporting live from the Huawei P20 launch in Paris on March 27 to bring you all the latest from the firm's next flagship series of phones - including how they differ to the Mate 10 duo.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.