Huawei Mate 10 pre-orders kick off on Vodafone

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 02 November 2017

Huawei Mate 10 Pro (left) and Mate 10 (right)

Vodafone has started taking pre-orders for Huawei's upcoming Mate 10 ahead of a November 15 release date.

As per Vodafone's new flexible approach to phone plans, you'll need to pick whether you want to pay off the Mate 10 over 12, 24, or 36 months. Handset repayment fees are as follows:

$74.91 per month, over 12 months
$37.45 per month, over 24 months
$24.97 per month, over 36 months

You'll then need to pick one of Vodafone's Red plans, which range from $30 per month for a 2GB plan to $100 per month for a 50GB plan. If you take up a 24-month or 36-month plan, you'll be given a loyalty discount. This equates to $4.50 per month on Red plans less than $50, and $6.50 per month on Red plans worth $50 and up.

Customers who pre-order before November 14 will get a bonus Huawei 360 Panoramic VR Camera valued at $179. While most 360-degree cameras are standalone devices that sync with smartphones via Wi-Fi, Huawei's plugs directly into a phone's USB Type-C port. This means it can use the phone's storage, removing the need for an extra memory card.

The Mate 10 continues Huawei's partnership with Leica and features a dual rear-facing camera setup co-engineered with the luxury camera manufacturer. This is made up of a 12MP primary camera and a 20MP secondary monochrome camera used to capture extra detail and simulate DSLR-like bokeh. Both lenses have an aperture of f/1.6, which Huawei says lets in 90% more light than the Mate 9.

Notably, sensor quality tester DxOMark gave the Mate 10's camera a score of 97, one point behind the Google Pixel 2, which is currently the highest rated smartphone camera on the market. The iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 both achieved scores of 94.

DxOMark scores are far from the be all and end all when it comes to smartphone cameras, but they can nonetheless be a good indicator of quality.

Other key specifications for the Mate 10 include a 16:9 5.9-inch 2K screen, a Huawei-made Kirin 970 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of expandable storage, and a 4000mAH battery.

If you're not interested in a contract, the Mate 10 will also be available outright through JB Hi-Fi, retailing for $899. The Mate 10 sold through JB Hi-Fi will have dual SIM support, while the Vodafone model is single SIM only.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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