Huawei Mate 20 Pro: How Many Cameras?

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro has four rear cameras and one front camera, making five total. The rear setup combines a 40 MP main lens, a 20 MP ultra-wide lens, and an 8 MP telephoto lens, plus a dedicated depth-sensing camera; the front has a 24 MP selfie camera.

Breaking Down the Rear Camera Setup

The Mate 20 Pro was one of the first phones to use a square camera module, which Huawei called the “Matrix Camera” design. The three main rear lenses each serve a distinct purpose:

Main camera (40 MP, f/1.8): Uses a large 1/1.7-inch sensor with a 27mm equivalent focal length. It captures the bulk of your photos and uses pixel-binning to produce 10 MP images by default, which improves low-light performance.
Ultra-wide camera (20 MP, f/2.2): Offers a 16mm equivalent focal length, letting you fit much more into a single frame. It also doubles as a macro lens, allowing focus as close as 2.5 cm.
Telephoto camera (8 MP, f/2.4): Provides a 3x optical zoom (80mm equivalent) and supports up to 5x hybrid zoom when combined with the main sensor.

The fourth rear element is a 3D depth-sensing camera (often called a ToF or time-of-flight sensor). It does not take photos on its own; instead, it measures the distance to objects in the scene. This information is used for portrait mode bokeh effects and for augmented reality features like 3D object scanning.

What About the Front Camera?

The front-facing camera is a 24 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. It sits in a small notch at the top of the display, alongside an infrared camera and dot projector. The IR system enables secure 3D face unlock, which works even in complete darkness and can be used for payments. The front camera also supports portrait selfies with adjustable bokeh, using the same depth information from the IR sensors.

Why Some People Say It Has 5 Cameras

Marketing materials and tech reviews usually count the rear cameras as “triple” and mention the front camera separately. However, when people ask “does the Mate 20 Pro have 5 cameras?” they are often counting every lens on the device: three rear lenses, one rear depth sensor, and one front lens. That totals five. Some unofficial sources also include the IR camera and dot projector in the count, but those are not traditional cameras and do not capture photos.

How the Camera Hardware Works Together

The Mate 20 Pro uses a feature called Master AI that automatically recognizes the scene (food, pets, night, text, etc.) and adjusts settings. The three rear lenses switch seamlessly as you zoom: at 1x you use the main sensor, at 0.6x the ultra-wide, and at 3x the telephoto. In between those steps, the phone blends data from multiple sensors to create a smooth hybrid zoom. The depth camera helps create a more accurate depth map for portrait mode, allowing the background blur to look more natural than with software-only solutions.

Common Misconceptions and Limitations

All five lenses are not always active. The depth sensor only works when needed, and the front camera is obviously used only for selfies or video calls.
The 40 MP mode is not the default. You must manually switch to 40 MP in the camera settings; otherwise, photos are saved at 10 MP to reduce file size and noise.
Video recording does not use all lenses. You can record 4K at 30 fps, but the ultra-wide lens does not support 4K, so you must switch to 1080p to use it.
The depth sensor is not a macro lens. The ultra-wide lens handles macro shots, not the depth sensor.

How It Compares to Other Phones

At its launch in late 2018, the Mate 20 Pro was among the first phones with a triple-lens rear setup. The iPhone XS Max had two rear lenses, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 had two as well. The Huawei P20 Pro (released earlier that year) had three rear lenses but no depth sensor. The Mate 20 Pro’s combination of a wide, ultra-wide, telephoto, and depth sensor was unique at the time and set a trend for later phones like the iPhone 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, which also adopted triple-lens systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Mate 20 Pro camera still good in 2024?

Yes, for still photography. The 40 MP sensor and Leica-tuned color science still produce competitive images, especially in good light. However, the lack of newer computational features like night mode on the ultra-wide lens and limited 4K60 video mean it lags behind modern flagships.

Can I use all five cameras at the same time?

No. The phone only uses one or two lenses at a time. The depth sensor works with the main camera for portraits, but you cannot record video or take a photo with all five simultaneously.

Does the Mate 20 Pro have a macro mode?

Yes, but it uses the ultra-wide lens. Switch to the ultra-wide mode and bring the phone close to the subject (about 2.5 cm away) to focus. There is no dedicated macro toggle; it activates automatically.

Is the depth sensor useful for anything besides portraits?

It also enables 3D object scanning through the AR Measure app, which can measure the dimensions of objects. However, support for that app has been discontinued in newer EMUI versions, so the feature may not work on all units.

Does the front camera support 4K video?

No, the front camera records up to 1080p at 30 fps. The rear main camera supports 4K, but the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are limited to 1080p.

Final Thoughts

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro indeed has five cameras in total: four on the back and one on the front. The rear setup is a versatile triple-lens system with an additional depth sensor, while the front camera handles selfies and secure face unlock. If you are counting only the lenses that capture images, the number is five. If you are counting only the rear photo-taking lenses, it is three, but the depth sensor is still a camera component.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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