A few months after the official announced, ZTE finally launched the Axon 10 Pro in the Chinese market alongside its 5G variant which represents its first 5G-enabled device. But for people who do not mind about having the latest connectivity standards, the vanilla ZTE’s flagship is a very nice way to save a lot of money while getting a true flagship. That is why we define it as mandatory to compare it with the other affordable flagships of the moment. So we decided to bring the main flagships from Xiaomi and Huawei’s sub-brand focused on affordable phones: the Mi 9 and the Honor V20, also known in Europe as Honor View 20.
ZTE Axon 10 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Huawei Honor V20
| ZTE Axon 10 Pro | Huawei Honor V20 | Xiaomi Mi 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 159.2 x 73.4 x 7.9 mm | 156.9 x 75.4 x 8.1 mm, 180 g | 157.5 x 74.7 x 7.6 mm, 173 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.47 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), AMOLED | 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2310p (Full HD+), IPS LCD | 6.39 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa-core 2.8 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB | 6 GB RAM, 64 GB – 8 GB RAM, 64 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie | Android 9 Pie, Magic UI | Android 9 Pie, MIUI |
| 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/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| CAMERA | Triple 48 + 20 + 8 MP, f/1.8 20 MP front camera |
Dual 48 MP + TOF 3D Camera 25 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Triple 48 + 16 + 12 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2 and f/2.2 20 MP f/2.0 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh, fast charging with Quick Charge 4+, wireless charging | 4000 mAh, fast charging 22.5W | 3300 mAh, fast charging 27W, wireless charging |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Hybrid Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot | Dual SIM slot |
Design
Despite being a sub-brand focused on affordable alternatives to Huawei devices, Honor launched the V20 with a very innovative and futuristic design. It is the first device from the company to sport a punch-hole display, and not even the P30 series adopts such a solution in order to get rid of bezels! Further, the back side comes with a stunning reflective back which creates different V-shaped light waves depending on the viewing angle. So the Honor V20 deserves the design award. But on the other hand, ZTE Axon 10 Pro has a waterproof body, so its build quality is definitely more interesting.
Display
While Honor V20 is the most attractive device if we talk about aesthetics, it is definitely not the best choice when it comes to displays. Indeed, even though it sports Huawei’s first punch-hole display, it is equipped with a classic midrange IPS panel. Both the ZTE Axon 10 Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 9 come with high-end AMOLED displays and with an in-display fingerprint reader. And they provide a similar quality with outstanding color reproduction and a Full HD+ technology. ZTE advertises the Axon 10 Pro as the smartphone with the world’s thinnest chin (lower bezel), and it has a slightly wider panel than Mi 9.
Hardware/Software
Given that the Honor V20 is powered by a lower-end Kirin 980 chipset, ZTE Axon 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9 are slightly superior in the hardware & performance department, as they are equipped with a Snapdragon 855. While ZTE’s flagship comes with max 6 GB of RAM, Xiaomi Mi 9 has a variant with 8 GB of RAM, so it can provide better multitasking performances. On the other hand, ZTE Axon 10 Pro features expandable storage, while Xiaomi Mi 9 does not. ZTE Axon 10 Pro provides a stock Android experience, while Xiaomi Mi 9 and Honor View 20 have highly customized UIs.
Camera
Honor View 20 loses the challenge even when it comes to cameras. ZTE Axon 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9 offer more options to shoot impressive photos thanks to their triple cameras including an ultrawide lens. We still had no chance to test ZTE Axon 10 Pro’s cameras thoroughly, but on the paper, I prefer them to the Mi 9 because they feature optical stabilization. However, this does not mean that ZTE Axon 10 Pro will click better photos.
Battery
ZTE Axon 10 Pro and Honor View 20 come with a huge 4000 mAh battery that is a very satisfying thing for a flagship. Xiaomi Mi 9 has a standard 3300 mAh battery that is just sufficient for 2019. Between ZTE Axon 10 Pro and Honor View 20, the former should be able to last a bit more due to its more efficient components. And it even supports wireless charging which is not supported on Honor V20.
Price
ZTE Axon 10 Pro’s price starts from $473/€422 on the Chinese market, Honor V20 has a listing price of about €570/$637 globally but you can currently get it for less than €500 thanks to online street prices, while Xiaomi Mi 9 starts from just €450/$503 globally. At the end of the day, despite ZTE is currently not among the best-selling smartphone manufacturers, the Axon 10 Pro is a much more interesting device thanks to its waterproof certification, big battery, awesome cameras, and expandable storage.
ZTE Axon 10 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 9 vs Huawei Honor V20: PRO and CONS
Huawei Honor V20
PROS
- More internal storage
- Very fast charging
- Better design
- Good selfie camera
CONS
- No micro SD
ZTE Axon 10 Pro
PROS
- Wireless charging
- Stereo speakers
- Big battery
- Waterproof
- Good cameras
CONS
- Price
Xiaomi Mi 9
PROS
- Amazing cameras
- Wireless charging
- Very fast charging
- Good display
- Affordable price
CONS
- Smaller battery
- No micro SD
