We put Huawei’s latest flagship, the P20 Pro in a spec showdown to see how it would fare against the competition.
Huawei’s new flagship smartphone, the P20 Pro, created quite a stir in the market when it was unveiled last month. While Huawei’s partnership with leica for the P-series has produced devices notable for their camera, the Huawei P20 Pro seemed to take things to the next level. One of the cameras at the back of the phone has a whopping 40MP sensor, something we haven’t on a smartphone since the likes of the Nokia 808 PureView (review) and the Nokia Lumia 1020 (review).
The Huawei P20 Pro finally made its way onto Indian shores yesterday. Judging by the Rs 64,999 price point, the company is not holding anything back. The phone is taking on the current crop of flagship devices head on. Let’s see how the P20 Pro fares in a spec comparison between it and the Samsung Galaxy S9+ (review), Google Pixel 2 XL (review), Apple iPhone X (review).
Here’s a look at how the four stack up against each other.
| Specs | Huawei P20 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S9+ | Google Pixel 2 XL | Apple iPhone X |
| Launch price | Rs 64,999 | Rs 64,900/Rs 72,900 | Rs 73,000/Rs 82,000 | Rs 89,000/Rs 1,02,000 |
| Display | 6.1-inch FHD+ | 6.2-inch QHD | 6-inch QHD+ | 5.8-inch |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2240 | 1440 x 2960 | 1440 x 2880 | 2436 x 1125 |
| Processor | Kirin 970 | Exynos 9810 | Snapdragon 835 | A11 Bionic |
| RAM | 6GB | 4GB/ 6GB | 4GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB/ 256GB | 64GB/128GB | 64GB/256GB |
| Rear camera | 40MP+20MP+8MP | 12MP+12MP | 12.2MP | 12MP+12MP |
| Front camera | 24MP | 8MP | 8MP | 7MP |
| Battery | 4000mAh | 3500mAh | 3520mAh | 2716mAh |
Design and display
In terms of design, the Huawei P20 Pro features a glass rear panel just like the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Apple iPhone X. The glass on the Google Pixel 2 XL’s rear panel on the other hand, covers only a portion of the rear panel. The Huawei P20 Pro does manage to stand out due to its overall design and the Midnight Blue colour. But as we noted in our review, the rear glass panel is a fingerprint magnet, just like the Samsung Galaxy S9+.
Turn the phone around and things are quite different. While all of the devices steer clear of the traditional 16:9 display aspect ratio and near bezel-less displays, all three have their own take on the display. The P20 Pro and the iPhone X feature notched displays, while the Galaxy S9+ and the Pixel 2 XL stay away from the notched design. However, Samsung’s current flagship features a dual-curved display.
The display resolution is one thing that the Huawei P20 Pro lags behind the competition in. The phone features a FHD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2240 pixels. Samsung and Google offers QHD+ displays, with the former even offering HDR content playback support. The Apple iPhone X offers a resolution 2436×1125, which is greater than the P20 Pro, and it also offers HDR support to boot.
Camera
The camera is where the Huawei P20 Pro shines. The phone sports an 8MP telephoto lens, a 40MP RGB lens, and a 20MP monochrome lens. All three of these lenses are made by Leica and feature OIS.
The Galaxy S9+ and the iPhone X sport two 12MP lenses in the back. However, Samsung’s smartphone features dual-aperture, in which size changes from f/2.4 for daylight shots, to a wider f/1.5 for low light imaging. The Google Pixel 2 XL is the only one of the bunch that sports a single cameras, but as we saw in out review, its camera is more than a match for its peers.
While the cameras on all four smartphones are very good, the Huawei P20 Pro manages to stand out even in such esteemed company. As we noted in our review, the triple lens camera setup and 40MP sensor are not mere marketing gimmicks. The P20 Pro has the best camera you will find on a smartphone right now.
Performance
When it comes to performance, each of the four smartphones is powered by a different chipset. The Huawei P20 Pro is powered by the company’s own Kirin 970 octa-core SoC. During our gaming, we noticed that that the gameplay was smooth for most of the part. However, when there was stutter, it was quite noticeable. In benchmark tests, we noticed that the phone was out performed by the Samsung Galaxy S9+, and the Apple iPhone X, which sport the Exynos 9810 and the A11 Bionic. While the P20 Pro performed better than the Pixel 2 XL, it should be noted that the Google’s device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, which is now a year old.
Overall, the Huawei P20 Pro makes a great case for itself. If you are one the look out for a great imaging quality, then Huawei’s flagship should be your go to phone. However, if you consume a lot of content on your phone, then you are better off looking elsewhere due to a lack of QHD+ display or HDR capabilities. To check out our full review of the Huawei P20 Pro, click here.
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