Case roundup: Huawei P30 Pro
As usual for my case roundups, I'll cover a variety of styles, with all samples supplied by MobileFun, kind people that they are. See their complete range of Huawei P30 pro cases and covers.
The P30 Pro is a super device with an imaging focus: 5x stabilised telephoto, 40MP stabilised main camera, plus wide angle, with tremendous versatility. But how best to protect the phone from drops and damage?
Hand-picked by me, in no particular order (and forgive the first entry, but it has to be the baseline!):
There's little actual protection or cushioning, mind you, the case's main goal is that it provides a far grippier surface than slippery glass and so there's far less chance of dropping the P30 Pro in the first place.
The fit is perfect, as you might imagine, and there's minimal extra thickness added.
But there's simply not enough here to protect (especially) the front glass in the case of a drop or knock.
Great as a freebie and looks great, but you'll need something more substantial for protection out in the real world.
Score: 7/10
The case ends are raised and offer face drop protection, which is great, though the side have to be lower because of the P30 Pro's curved screen edges.
The caveat mentioned is, of course, that the design is all encompassing and you never get to see the P30 Pro's gorgeous light-refracting finish. In fact, you can't even tell what colour your P30 Pro is. Oh well. It's worth it.
Finally, the price. HOW ON EARTH is this premium finish, official case only £13? Bargain of the year.
Score: 10/10
Part of the secret is not including a cardboard or aluminium insert in the front flap. Which lessens protection slightly (just two layers of leather-effect PU (polyurethane)), but the end result is worth it.
The back shell too is as thin as Huawei could get away with. But it all works.
The front flap houses slots for two cards, if you want to go down the true 'wallet' route (though this does add to thickness, of course). And there's also a tiny magnet, seemingly, since the phone senses when the flap is open or closed. So the phone screen turns on when you open up and turns off when you close the case. Cleverly done.
It's extremely hard to fault this case too - Huawei is knocking it out of the park with their official cases this time round.
Score: 9/10
The corners are all reinforced, to help with drops, with a raised profile, though it's worth noting that the middle of the bottom section is very pliable - almost certainly to help case removal - if it too was tight then you'd never get this case off, it fits that snugly!
There's less character than with my no. 1 case above, but there's no denying the protection, grip and value, this is about right at £15.
Very understated, perfect for P30 Pro-toting spies!
Score: 9/10
There's a rubberised plastic finish, which helps grip, though the very thinness also means that the cased P30 Pro feels 'sharp' in the hand.
The ends of the phone are almost completely open to the elements and there's zero protection in terms of raised profile for drop protection. But I don't want to hate on this design too much. It looks super, does help grip and you can't argue with the pocket money price.
Score: 7/10
There are heavily reinforced corners, raised corner protection (front and back), ridges to improve strength all around the back, especially so around the camera island.
It's fair to say that you know you're handling a cased phone here - there's no pretense at a sleek minimalism. But you also get maximum peace of mind that your phone will last out its days without an unintentional drop onto the patio splitting the screen into two.
Plus, being clear, you get to see most of that lovely coloured back glass from the phone itself!
Nice one, Ringke.
Score: 10/10
It's well made though - no stitching needed as the leather wraps around the plastic internally and is glued into place. But it looks like it will all last the course.
The twin layers (leather/plastic) do also mean a little more thickness (maybe 1mm) on the back, so the P30 Pro will feel chunkier than with some designs above.
This case is decent value, but don't pick it for drop protection, which is (literally) its Achilles Heel.
Score: 8/10
The P30 Pro is a super device with an imaging focus: 5x stabilised telephoto, 40MP stabilised main camera, plus wide angle, with tremendous versatility. But how best to protect the phone from drops and damage?
Hand-picked by me, in no particular order (and forgive the first entry, but it has to be the baseline!):
Huawei in-box silicone cover, £free
Of course, Huawei and Honor phones normally come with a cheap clear cover in the box, so that no one ever has an excuse for carrying a 'naked' phone.
There's little actual protection or cushioning, mind you, the case's main goal is that it provides a far grippier surface than slippery glass and so there's far less chance of dropping the P30 Pro in the first place.
The fit is perfect, as you might imagine, and there's minimal extra thickness added.
But there's simply not enough here to protect (especially) the front glass in the case of a drop or knock.
Great as a freebie and looks great, but you'll need something more substantial for protection out in the real world.
Score: 7/10
Huawei Back Cover Case, £13
OK, with one tiny caveat, this is - unashamedly - my favourite case in this line-up. Surely it has to be, it's nigh on perfect. Perfect fit, rubberised sides, and a rubberised 'cloth' back that's just amazing in the hand.
The case ends are raised and offer face drop protection, which is great, though the side have to be lower because of the P30 Pro's curved screen edges.
The caveat mentioned is, of course, that the design is all encompassing and you never get to see the P30 Pro's gorgeous light-refracting finish. In fact, you can't even tell what colour your P30 Pro is. Oh well. It's worth it.
Finally, the price. HOW ON EARTH is this premium finish, official case only £13? Bargain of the year.
Score: 10/10
Huawei Wallet Case, £20
'Wallet' cases tend to be universally thick and cumbersome, but Huawei's designers have done a good job here. The P30 Pro in the case, with the flap folded over, is still only 13mm. Impressive.
Part of the secret is not including a cardboard or aluminium insert in the front flap. Which lessens protection slightly (just two layers of leather-effect PU (polyurethane)), but the end result is worth it.
The back shell too is as thin as Huawei could get away with. But it all works.
The front flap houses slots for two cards, if you want to go down the true 'wallet' route (though this does add to thickness, of course). And there's also a tiny magnet, seemingly, since the phone senses when the flap is open or closed. So the phone screen turns on when you open up and turns off when you close the case. Cleverly done.
It's extremely hard to fault this case too - Huawei is knocking it out of the park with their official cases this time round.
Score: 9/10
Huawei Silicone Case, £15
Yet another official case where it does't matter what colour your P30 Pro was to begin with...(!), but let's look past this. Here we have a rubberised matt black finish that's super-grippy - I can't see anyone ever dropping this.
The corners are all reinforced, to help with drops, with a raised profile, though it's worth noting that the middle of the bottom section is very pliable - almost certainly to help case removal - if it too was tight then you'd never get this case off, it fits that snugly!
There's less character than with my no. 1 case above, but there's no denying the protection, grip and value, this is about right at £15.
Very understated, perfect for P30 Pro-toting spies!
Score: 9/10
Case FortyFour 'No. 3', £8
The cheapest case in this line-up (bar the in-box one!), this is also possibly the least protective. But it's here because it does look very cool - ultra-minimalist with just gripping at each corner, over the phone's curves, to keep the cover in place.
There's a rubberised plastic finish, which helps grip, though the very thinness also means that the cased P30 Pro feels 'sharp' in the hand.
The ends of the phone are almost completely open to the elements and there's zero protection in terms of raised profile for drop protection. But I don't want to hate on this design too much. It looks super, does help grip and you can't argue with the pocket money price.
Score: 7/10
Rearth Ringke Fusion Clear, £15
Despite the high praise for many designs above, now we come to a proper case. By which I mean it's vastly more protective than anything else here - it'll keep the P30 Pro intact after even heavy drops onto concrete, from any angle.
There are heavily reinforced corners, raised corner protection (front and back), ridges to improve strength all around the back, especially so around the camera island.
It's fair to say that you know you're handling a cased phone here - there's no pretense at a sleek minimalism. But you also get maximum peace of mind that your phone will last out its days without an unintentional drop onto the patio splitting the screen into two.
Plus, being clear, you get to see most of that lovely coloured back glass from the phone itself!
Nice one, Ringke.
Score: 10/10
Olixar Genuine Leather, £15
Made with leather-coated plastic, this certainly feels solid enough - and smells the business too! In use, it's professional and premium, though I'm less impressed by the lack of corner protection at the bottom - while the top end has suitably reinforced and raised corners. A little odd.
It's well made though - no stitching needed as the leather wraps around the plastic internally and is glued into place. But it looks like it will all last the course.
The twin layers (leather/plastic) do also mean a little more thickness (maybe 1mm) on the back, so the P30 Pro will feel chunkier than with some designs above.
This case is decent value, but don't pick it for drop protection, which is (literally) its Achilles Heel.
Score: 8/10
Olixar Meshtex Blue, £10
Uh-oh, I thought, as I slipped the P30 Pro into this - it went in far too easily. Meaning that it will also come out too easily if dropped, of course.
As it turns out, there's no real pretence at drop protection here anyway - this is about loving the feel of the rubberised plastic mesh. It's certainly stylish in a modernistic way and adds very little bulk, which is good.
Just don't be fooled into thinking that it's going to protect your phone very much when it comes into contact with the ground.
Still, it's futuristic, looks cool, and it's also great value at a tenner.
Score: 7/10
Olixar Soft Silicone - Pastel Blue, £10
Now, now, don't freak out because of the colour, MobileFun sell this in a variety of other shades, including red, pink and lilac!
This turns out to be a very solid rubberised thick TPU case, soft and grippy to the touch, but also very protective. All four corners are raised and the fit is tight enough that the phone won't be dislodged easily in a fall - at least not before most of the impact has been absorbed by the case.
Probably helping the impact protection is a lovely soft inner lining - it all helps!
At £10, this is terrific value, provided you can find a colour to your liking!
Score: 8/10
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