Xiaomi Mi 9 is finally official and it represents the first real flagship of 2019 released by a mainstream Chinese company. But this does not mean that it is actually the best Chinese smartphone out there. Excellent devices were announced even in the second half of 2018, some of which are at the same level as the Mi 9. Two of them are Lenovo Z5 Pro GT and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The former is one of the world’s first phones to be equipped with the Snapdragon 855 chipset, while the latter is considered by many people as the best camera phone ever released. Will the Xiaomi Mi 9 be even better than the best devices released in the second half of 2018? This comparison will clear your ideas about it.
Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Lenovo Z5 Pro GT vs Huawei Mate 20 Pro
| Xiaomi Mi 9 | Lenovo Z5 Pro GT | Huawei Mate 20 Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm, 173 g | 155.1 x 73 x 9.3 mm, 210 g | 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm, 189 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED | 6.39 inches, 1440 x 3120p (Quad HD+), AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.84 GHz | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – 12 GB RAM, 512 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – nano memory card slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, MIUI | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 9 Pie, EMUI 9.0 |
| 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 | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 48 + 16 + 12 MP, f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Dual 16 + 24 MP, f/1.8 Dual 16 + 8 MP f/2.2 front camera |
Triple 40 + 20 + 8 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.2 + f/2.4, OIS, Laser AF 24 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 3300 mAh, fast charging with Quick Charge 4+, wireless charging | 3350 mAh, fast charging | 4200 mAh, fast charging 40W, wireless charging 15W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot, slider design | Dual SIM slot, waterproof (IP68), reverse wireless charging |
Design
Due to its big notch and its 2×2 matrix on the back, I do not like the design of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro so much. Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT have a definitely better look and they are also among the most beautiful handsets. If I had to choose, I would award the originality of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT. It is a device with a screen-to-body ratio close to 100 percent without even sporting a notch, thanks to its slider design. However, it is not as elegant as the Xiaomi Mi 9 which boasts a gorgeous glass back that changes its colors depending on the viewing angle. Coming to the build quality, Huawei Mate 20 Pro is my favorite one because it is the only one with a waterproof certification (IP68).
Display
Even though Xiaomi Mi 9 has an amazing display with very accurate color reproduction, Huawei Mate 20 Pro boasts the most impressive panel. It comes with the highest resolution (Quad HD+), as well as DCI-P3 coverage and HDR10 technology, so it should provide the highest level of detail and the most accurate colors. The display is not the strongest point of the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT, but it still has an above-average Super AMOLED panel and it is notch-less. Unfortunately, none of these phones comes with stereo speakers, neither a 3.5 mm jack.
Hardware/Software
From what benchmarks revealed, Snapdragon 855 should be the most performing chipset in the whole Android market. That is why Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT should be faster and smoother than Huawei Mate 20 Pro, but we still had no chance to make a comparison. In detail, Lenovo Z5 Pro GT in its most expensive variant should be the handset with the highest performances. Indeed, it sports 12 GB of RAM that is the highest amount of volatile memory ever mounted on a phone. It even comes with up to 512 GB of internal storage. However, it is still based on Android Oreo out of the box, and that is bad for a so powerful flagship.
Camera
According to benchmarks and judging from the specs on the paper, Huawei Mate 20 Pro should still have the best triple rear camera ever seen on a Chinese phone. But Xiaomi put a lot of efforts on the cameras of its latest flagship, so there should not be so much difference between the Mi 9 and the Mate 20 Pro in terms of photo quality. It may be even better in some scenarios. Lenovo Z5 Pro GT is not among the best camera phones, so we exclude it from this comparison.
Battery
One of the strong point of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro compared to other flagships is the battery. It has a 4200 mAh unit, the biggest in the actual Chinese flagship segment. So it lasts much more than Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT, despite its display and many of its components should be less efficient. Both Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT come with a 3300 mAh battery, so there should be only marginal differences between their battery life on a single charge. Unlike its rivals, Huawei Mate 20 Pro supports both wireless charging and reverse wireless charging (you can use it as a power bank).
Price
Huawei Mate 20 Pro undoubtedly wins this comparison, but it costs more. You can find it at about €880/$1000, while Xiaomi Mi 9 and Lenovo Z5 Pro GT start from about €400/$455 in the Asian market.
Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Lenovo Z5 Pro GT vs Huawei Mate 20 Pro: PRO and CONS
Lenovo Z5 Pro GT
PROS
- Slider design
- Best hardware
- Original design
- Affordable price
CONS
- No micro SD
Xiaomi Mi 9
PROS
- Wireless charging
- Great build quality
- Amazing cameras
- Affordable price
CONS
- No micro SD
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
PROS
- Better screen
- Bigger battery
- Awesome hardware
- Best camera
CONS
- Expensive
