Thanks to the latest devices released by Chinese mainstream brands, it is now possible to get the support to 5G connectivity even on a mid-range phone. Unlike last year, you do not need to spend a lot of money for a flagship anymore in order to take advantage of 5G networks. This is a comparison between three of the most amazing 5G mid-rangers and all of them went on sale recently with different chipsets, so different 5G modems as well. Honor 30S is the first smartphone packing the first 5G midrange chipset by Huawei, Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite comes with Qualcomm’s mid-range solution and Oppo Reno3 packs a MediaTek SoC. Here is an in-depth specs comparison. Note that the Oppo Reno3 in this comparison is the Chinese version with 5G connectivity, not the international one with 4G only.
Huawei Honor 30S vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite vs Oppo Reno3
| Huawei Honor 30S | Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite | Oppo Reno3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 162.3 x 75 x 8.6 mm, 190 g | 163.9 x 74.8 x 8 mm, 192 grams | 160.3 x 74.3 x 8 mm, 181 grams |
| DISPLAY | 6.5 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), LTPS IPS LCD | 6.57 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 392 ppi, AMOLED | 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2400p (Full HD+), 411 ppi, 20:9 ratio, AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Huawei Hisilicon Kirin 820 5G, octa-core 2.36 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, octa-core 2.4 GHz | MediaTek Dimensity 1000L, octa-core |
| MEMORY | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 256 GB – nano memory card slot | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot | 8 GB RAM, 128 GB – 12 GB RAM, 128 GB |
| SOFTWARE | Android 10, Magic UI | Android 10, MIUI | Android 10, ColorOS |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.1, 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 | Quad 64 + 8 + 8 + 2 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 + f/2.4 16 MP f/2.0 front camera |
Quad 48 + 8 MP + 5 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4 16 MP f/2.5 front camera |
Quad 64 + 8 + 2 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.2, f/2.4 and f/2.4 32 MP f/2.4 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4000 mAh, fast charging 40W | 4160 mAh Fast charging 20W |
4025 mAh, Fast charging 30W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G | Dual SIM slot, 5G |
Design
Despite we are not talking about flagships, these handsets offer a design made of premium materials, including a glass back and an aluminum frame. The front side of the Honor 30S is more attractive since it includes a punch-hole and notch-less display. But the Oppo Reno3 is more compact, thinner and lighter. Further, it comes with a less invasive camera module on the rear side. That is why I prefer it to its two rivals. I even like its gradient colors more.
Display
Honor 30S has a very interesting display since it is HDR10-compliant and it is able to provide a high image quality, especially on streaming platforms. But on the other hand, unlike Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite and Oppo Reno3, it has an IPS display and not an AMOLED panel. Oppo Reno3 may actually offer the most impressive panel, and it also packs an in-display fingerprint scanner, unlike the Honor 30S. With the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite you still get an AMOLED screen and an in-display fingerprint reader, but with a wider diagonal: 6.57 inches.
Hardware/Software
There are big differences between Honor 30S, Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite and Oppo Reno3 if we talk about hardware. They have different chipsets from different chipmakers. On the paper, Oppo Reno3 is the most powerful with a high-end MediaTek Dimensity 1000L, but unlike its opponents, it does not feature expandable storage. Further, it only supports sub-6 GHz 5G frequencies and not mmWave. But MediaTek claimed it is the fastest 5G SoC in that spectrum. Honor 30S and Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite should be more or less at the same level with their upper-midrange chipsets. In each case, you get Android 10 out of the box with a highly-customized user interface.
Camera
Besides being the best performing phone the Oppo Reno3 is also the best camera phone of this trio. Its quad camera setup is the only to support OIS and it captures brighter and sharper photos, as well as amazing videos. Oppo Reno3 looks the best even when it comes to selfies, with its 32 MP front camera. The silver medal goes to the Honor 30S packing a 64 MP quad-camera with a telephoto lens offering 3x optical zoom, while you should definitely avoid the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite if you are looking for amazing camera quality.
Battery
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite will likely be the best device in terms of battery life and the reason is simple: it packs a bigger battery. Given that all of these devices are fueled by 7 nm chipsets, the battery capacity should make the difference more than hardware optimization. On the other hand, the 4000 mAh battery of the Honor 30S supports the fastest charging technology with a power of 40W: it goes from 0 to 70 percent in just 30 minutes.
Price
Honor 30S debuted with a starting price of about €310, Oppo Reno3 costs €440 in its base variant, and Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite starts from €350 globally. Despite the absence of expandable storage and mmWave 5G spectrum, Oppo Reno3 is the most advanced device of this comparison, especially due to its great cameras and very powerful chipset.
Huawei Honor 30S vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite vs Oppo Reno3: PRO and CONS
Huawei Honor 30S
PROS
- 3x optical zoom
- Punch-hole display
- Faster charging tech
- HDR display
CONS
- LCD display
Oppo Reno3 5G
PROS
- Best cameras
- Great AMOLED display
- More compact
- Highest performance
- Best cameras
CONS
- Price
- No micro SD
Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite
PROS
- Bigger battery
- Micro SD slot
- Integrated 5G modem
- Available globally
CONS
- Inferior cameras
