Alongside the Mate 20 and 20 Pro, Huawei surprised everyone by unveiling another top-end variant dedicated to gamers and productivity. Besides being one of the most powerful flagships of the year, Huawei Mate 20 X is the world’s first non-Samsung smartphone to support a stylus with 4,096 pressure levels. That is why we decided to compare it with the latest Samsung device supporting a pen: the Galaxy Note 9.
Huawei Mate 20 X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9
| Huawei Mate 20 X | Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | |
|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 174.6 x 85.4 x 8.2 mm,
232 grams |
161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm,
201 grams |
| DISPLAY | 7.2 inches, 1080 x 2244p (Full HD+), 346 ppi, 18.7:9 ratio, AMOLED | 6.4 inches, 1440 x 2960p (Quad HD+), 516 ppi, 18.5:9 ratio, Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz | Samsung Exynos 9810, octa-core 2.8 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB, NM card slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, EMUI | Android 8.1 Oreo, Samsung Experience |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 40 + 20 MP + 8 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2 and f/2.4 24 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 12 + 12 MP f/1.5-2.4 and f/2.4 8 MP f/1.7 front camera |
| BATTERY | 5000 mAh Fast charging 22.5W |
4000 mAh, Fast Charging, Wireless Charging |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP53 certification, stylus support | Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP68 certification, stylus support |
Design
Yes, Huawei Mate 20 X has a higher screen-to-body ratio and a waterdrop notch, but it is not the one I prefer when it comes to the look. It is definitely too big and it is not suitable to always keep it in a pocket. Further, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is fully waterproof thanks to the IP68 certification, so it also has a better build quality.
Display
Besides being more compact and having a waterproof certification, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a display with a higher view quality. I believe that iPhone Xs Max has the only display which can currently compete with the one of the Galaxy Note 9. The new Samsung flagship features an HDR10-compliant AMOLED panel with a QHD+ resolution and an incredibly high brightness. In case you hate notches, you will be glad to know that this display is notchless. Huawei Mate 20 X has just a bigger display (one of the biggest ones), which may be more comfortable for gamers.
Specs & Software
We still had no chance to test the Kirin 980 chipset which is on board of the Huawei Mate 20 X, so we can not say for sure if it will provide better performance than the SoC of Galaxy Note 9. But on the paper, it is a great processor with its 7 nm production process and we expect to perform better. On the other hand, you can get the Galaxy Note 9 with more RAM and more internal storage thanks to the 8/512 GB configuration.
Camera
2018 is the year of Huawei if we talk about mobile devices’ cameras. After releasing Huawei P20 Pro with the first triple camera setup in the world (which delivers a way better photo quality than the whole concurrency in my opinion), the Chinese company decided to include the same camera department on the Huawei Mate 20 X as well. So, the camera of Huawei Mate 20 X will shoot better photos than Samsung Galaxy Note 9. But the latter is still an amazing camera phone with its variable aperture and incredibly clear photos in every light condition.
Battery
Huawei Mate 20 X not only has a bigger battery than Samsung Galaxy Note 9, but it also features one of the biggest batteries ever seen on a flagship. Given that the phone also comes with a Full HD+ display which should consume less than Note 9’s QHD+ panel, we expect it to last a lot more than its opponent on a single charge.
Price
None of these devices is affordable. While Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was launched with a price tag of $999/€1029, Huawei Mate 20 X is going to hit the shelves with a price tag of €900. There is not a clear winner of this comparison: if you want a device that is more like a phone instead of being more like a tablet, and you also want a better display and build quality, choose the Galaxy Note 9. But if you prefer camera performance and battery life, go for the Huawei Mate 20 X. It is all about your needs.
Huawei Mate 20 X vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9: PRO and CONS
Huawei Mate 20 X
PRO
- Bigger display
- Better camera
- Bigger battery
- Android Pie out of the box
CONS
- Bigger dimensions
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
PRO
- Better display quality
- Better stylus
- Waterproof
- Wireless charging
CONS
- Expensive
