Huawei Mate 20 Pro, iPhone Xs Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are the best flagship phones released by Huawei, Apple, and Samsung in 2018. Most of the experts who need the best overall experience should opt for one of these devices. And I personally think that they are the best smartphones in the actual market. We usually compare Chinese smartphones with Android, but we made an exception for these devices due to their importance and some relevant unique features such as the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 9. Here is a specs comparison that will make you understand which of these three beasts is the most suitable for you.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Apple iPhone Xs Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9
| Huawei Mate 20 Pro | Apple iPhone Xs Max | Samsung Galaxy Note 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm, 189 g | 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm, 208 g | 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm, 201 g |
| DISPLAY | 6.39 inches, 1440 x 3120p (Quad HD+), AMOLED | 6.5 inches, 1242 x 2688p (Quad HD+), 19.5:9 ratio, Super AMOLED | 6.4 inches, 1440 x 2960p (Quad HD+), Super AMOLED |
| PROCESSOR | Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 980, octa-core 2.6 GHz | Apple A12 Bionic, hexa-core 2.5 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core 2.8 GHz Samsung Exynos 9810, octa-core 2.7 GHz |
| MEMORY | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – nano SD slot | 4 GB RAM, 256 GB – 4 GB RAM, 64 GB – 4 GB RAM, 512 GB | 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – 8 GB RAM, 512 GB – micro SD slot |
| SOFTWARE | Android 9 Pie, EMUI 9.0 | iOS 12 | 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 | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS |
| 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 |
Dual 12 + 12 MP, f/1.8 + f/2.4 7 MP, f/2.2 front camera |
Dual 12 + 12 MP, f/1.5-f/2.4 and f/2.4 8 MP f/1.7 front camera |
| BATTERY | 4200 mAh, fast charging 40W, wireless charging 15W | 3174 mAh, fast charging 15W | 4000 mAh, fast charging 18W |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | Dual SIM slot, waterproof (IP68), 3D facial recognition | Qi wireless charging, IP68 certification, Face ID, 3D Touch | Hybrid Dual SIM slot, IP68 certification, S Pen, iris scanner |
Design
Despite not having the highest screen-to-body ratio, Apple iPhone Xs Max is undoubtedly the phone with the most beautiful design and the best build quality. It is equally borderless on all sides and, besides having a tri-borderless display, it does not have a thicker chin unlike all of the Android devices. Further, it comes with a stainless steel frame instead of the simple aluminum. And it is way sleeker than both its rivals from Samsung and Huawei. Last but not least, it has a cleaner and more elegant back.
Display
iPhone Xs Max is also equipped with the best display in the whole smartphone market until now, despite its Super AMOLED panel was manufactured by Samsung. It supports the Dolby Vision technology, it comes with a stunning color gamut and it has a 120 Hz refresh rate that is wonderful for gaming. It is even HDR10-compliant, it supports 3D Touch, True Tone, and it has a high 2K resolution. Right after, there is obviously the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that comes with an important added value: the support of the S Pen. Thanks to it, you can use your phone for writing and hand drawing. The S Pen also comes with Bluetooth support so that you can remote control your phone.
Hardware/Software
Thanks to the wonderful iOS optimization, iPhone Xs Max is the world’s fastest and most stable smartphone, and it is superior to every Android device released until now. The second place goes to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro which rocks the world’s first 7 nm chipset: Kirin 980, and a very well-optimized EMUI. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has an SoC from the previous generation and it still comes with Oreo out of the box (upgradable to Pie), but it comes with more internal storage than Huawei Mate 20 Pro in its most expensive version (512 GB).
Camera
Finally, a side on which Huawei Mate 20 Pro wins easily: cameras. It boasts a triple camera setup on its back with a 40 MP primary sensor, a 20 MP ultrawide lens and an 8 MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. This phone currently has no rivals from the concurrency. But iPhone Xs Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are still among the best camera phones ever. The latter even comes with a better selfie camera than Huawei Mate 20 Pro, boasting a brighter aperture and higher performance with low light.
Battery
Huawei Mate 20 Pro is equipped with the biggest battery, but Samsung managed to optimize the Galaxy Note 9 even better. So, despite coming with a smaller battery, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a longer battery life in most of the scenarios. iPhone Xs Max has just average battery life, so it loses the challenge.
Price
iPhone Xs Max has a listing price starting from €1249, while Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro can currently be found at about €800/$900. There is not a clear winner of this comparison, the choice depends on the user’s needs. If you want the best camera, go for the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, if you are looking for the best design, display, and performance, choose the iPhone Xs Max. I would personally choose the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 because of the S Pen that is very comfortable for productivity.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Apple iPhone Xs Max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9: PRO and CONS
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
PROS
- Great performance
- In-display fingerprint reader
- Best camera
- Reverse wireless charging
CONS
- Nothing particular
Apple iPhone Xs Max
PROS
- Better design
- Higher performance
- Face ID and 3D Touch
- Better display
CONS
- Shorter battery life
- Higher price
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
PROS
- S Pen
- 512 GB + expandable storage
- Big battery
- Great front camera
CONS
- Bezels
