The Huawei P30 Pro is the first phone I've used that has relieved me of nearly all concerns surrounding battery life. With so much attention being focused on the P30 Pro's impressive camera performance, I don't think enough time and words have been spent and written talking about its battery life and charging speed. In fact, I'd go so far as to say those aspects might actually be the phone's best features, because the camera hasn't had such a dramatic positive effect on my day-to-day routine.
It all comes down to the hardware, a massive 4200mAh battery working in beautiful harmony with the included 40W Huawei SuperCharge wall charger to achieve astounding charging speeds. But instead of talking about those numbers, I'd rather talk about the personal impact of not having to worry about your phone's battery life, and the time and headspace that's freed up when a phone performs this well.
My days of dreading low battery anxiety are over!
Let's first talk about the concept of low-battery anxiety. You know, that moment when you check your phone when you're out and realize you're down to around 20%, and you start doing the mental math to try and calculate roughly how much longer it shuts off. (Maybe if I just turn it on Airplane Mode for a while…)
Things get more complicated if you're already out and looking to meet up with friends later in the night, intending to book an Uber at the end of the night, or simply need it to relieve boredom. If you're caught completely unprepared, that anxiety really starts to creep up as your remaining battery percentage creeps down. It's partially why Google included Adaptive Battery features with Android Pie, so that your phone is optimized to help you get the most out of your phone tuned to your personal needs.
Low battery anxiety is real and it sucks.
It's 2019. We all relying so heavily on smartphones for communication, commerce, entertainment (or salvation from boredom), we've developed strategies for avoiding the dreaded low-battery woes. Whether it's making sure you've always got charging stuff available at home, in the office, and somewhere in your bag, stowing a portable battery in your pack just in case. Worst case scenario, maybe you rely on the kindness of a friend or stranger to let you use their charging stuff for a bit to top your phone up before it hits the dreaded "low battery warning" — or worse.
Using the P30 Pro, I've found that I really don't have to bring any accessories with me if I'm working remotely, although I will pack a portable battery if I'm planning to use the camera for an extended time. As a very heavy phone user who's constantly streaming music, watching YouTube videos, or gaming on my phone, I still get about 20 hours of usage and can stretch that out much further using battery optimizations or using power-saving mode.
Huawei's "SuperCharge" technology lives up to the hype
When I do need to charge this phone, that's where Huawei has impressed me the most. The charging speeds on my P30 Pro are just wow. Making things even better, when you plug in the P30 Pro, you get this little animation that shows how fast your phone is charging up to the hundredths percent, and I swear I could watch that for five straight minutes if it would let me.
With the P30 Pro, all I need to do is remember to plug the phone a bit before I know I need to leave the house. Seems pretty obvious, but I'm talking about the times where I notice I'm around 50% and know if I can manage to plug my phone in for even just 15 minutes, I can SuperCharge my phone up at least another 25-30% — which is incredible.
Huawei has delivered the best battery and charging combination I've ever used.
It used to be the case that I would have to take my phone charger with me because I forgot to plug it in at home and hopefully I'll have a chance to plug it on wherever I'm going. Because Huawei's 40W SuperCharge wall brick does such an amazing job charging up my phone in such short time frames, not only do I not bring my phone charger with me anymore, I'd ideally never have this charger leave my house. There's just no need to risk the possibility of forgetting it or losing it somewhere.
Nighttime is another area where the P30 Pro's battery life performs surprisingly well. It used to be the case where if I forgot to plug my phone in before going to sleep I would wake up in the morning with a near-dead phone and a ton of regret. Now, I can plug my phone in as I'm getting ready for bed, unplug it when it reaches 100% and still wake up to a phone that's still sitting at around 95% or higher. Because I've optimized the P30 Pro to preserve battery life overnight, it frees me up from having to worry whether I plugged my phone in before falling asleep each night.
Let's get a bit philosophical about how we use our time
Because my phone plays such a crucial part in my life, the P30 Pro's outstanding battery life and charging speeds have actually changed my life for the better and that's no hyperbole. I've been using this phone for about a month now and not having to worry about my phone dying on me, or fretting over how long it might take to recharge my phone, has alleviated an amount of subconscious stress that's not entirely quantifiable but has left a positive impact nonetheless.
Spend less time worrying about your phone and more time enjoying it.
For hardcore tech enthusiasts, our lives can become so intertwined with our smartphones that sometimes our behaviors become influenced by the needs of our technology. The longer you own and use a smartphone, the more its battery and hardware degrades. The most noticeable areas are usually related to the battery or its ability to charge up to full capacity. In response, we take steps to preserve battery life or ensure we're prepared to plug in our phone at work, while traveling or in our free time. I know I've felt the stress induced by the low battery warning before and I'm betting so have you.
The true value of the P30 Pro's 4200mAh battery and Huawei's super-powered charging speeds is felt once you realize how much battery management may subtly affect your own behaviors and creating patterns for how we spend time on and worrying about our phones. I've definitely noticed the difference myself since switching to the P30 Pro. I'm spending less time worrying about my phone's battery life and instead enjoying it to its full potential.
Of course, only time will tell if the P30 Pro's performance will hold up this well months or years from now.
Life-altering battery performance
The true value of the P30 Pro's 4200mAh battery and Huawei's super-powered charging speeds is when you come to realize how battery management can dictate our behaviors and time spent with our phones.
Some good accessories to avoid low battery anxiety
Anker PowerCore 10000 ($32 at Amazon)
One way to solve low battery anxiety is to always have a battery pack on you. Anker makes it really easy with its most portable pack that offers 10000mAh in a pocket-friendly package — more than enough power to charge any phone while on the go.
Aukey Quck Charge 3.0 USB Wall Charger ($20 at Amazon)
I always prefer to keep the charging stuff that came with my phone at home and travel instead with this Aukey charger because I know it will work reliably well with all of my devices.
AUKEY USB-C Braided 6ft Cable ($9 at Amazon)
This durable braided nylon cable won't leave you stranded when your battery is dying and the rest of your cables are miles and miles away. At 6 ft long, this cable fits almost any charging scenario.
