Highlights
The Huawei P20 Pro comes with an insane camera, long battery-life and AI-processing. Does the new Apple iPhone Xs Max stand up to it?
With the recent launch of the new iPhone Xs Max, it was only logical to compare it with Huawei P20 Pro, one of Huawei’s leading flagship devices that has been making headlines since it was launched in March. We set out to compare the three main features to see if the Huawei P20 Pro continues to reign in the smartphone industry.
Exceptional Camera capabilities
Huawei P20 Pro is equipped with world’s first Leica Triple Camera, which has a 40MP RGB sensor, 20MP monochrome sensor and an 8MP sensor with telephoto lens, which is far superior in terms of specs and capability when compared to Apple’s iPhone Xs Max’s dual 12MP rear cameras. The camera hardware on the iPhone Xs Max is almost identical to that on the iPhone X, sorely lacking innovation in a product launched a year after its predecessor.
The Huawei P20 Pro also supports 3x optical zoom, 5x hybrid zoom and 10x digital zoom while the iPhone Xs Max only supports 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom.
The Huawei P20 Pro’s 24MP front camera, with an aperture of f/2.4, allows wide angle capture of every detail in the scene. This feature has only just been added to the iPhone Xs Max’s 7MP “True Depth” camera, whereas Huawei has been offering this since the launch of Huawei P9 in 2016.
Huawei has been leading the AI agenda since last year with the launch of its chipset Kirin 970 that was the first ever chipset with built-in AI.
While the iPhone Xs Max and its NPU (Neural Processing Unit) only focuses on improving how human subjects look, Huawei’s NPU in the P20 Pro takes this a step further by offering AI scene recognition, which recognizes over 500 scenarios in 19 different categories, such as blue skies, plants, animals, night shots, stage performances, flowers and more. Users just have to open the camera app and point, and the Huawei P20 Pro automatically adjusts to the best camera settings for capturing that scenario.
Huawei P20 Pro also offers unmatchable low light and night photography capability, which is equipped with state-of-the-art AI Image Stabilization. Phone users are be able to capture incredible blur-free, handheld shots in low-light using Night Mode, without the need for a tripod.
Battery-life you deserve
The Huawei P20 Pro’s 4000mAh battery provides one and a half to two whole days of battery life. While Apple has not disclosed the size of the iPhone Xs Max’s battery, they said it will last an hour and a half longer than the iPhone X which has a 2716mAh battery. Consumers rely on their devices and want a mobile phone that will last a whole day, meaning they don’t need to keep close tabs on their battery life and stay close to a charger at all times. The Huawei P20 Pro eliminates this burden, even for the heaviest smartphone users.
Dual Sim usage made easier!
The Huawei P20 Pro supports dual SIM, dual VoLTE right now while the iPhone Xs Max’s dual VoLTE will only be available with a future update on the device.
Like the Huawei P20 Pro, the iPhone Xs Max can hold two SIMs, but one of these is an eSIM, an integrated SIM card, which requires users to activate a wireless service plan. This poses annoying challenges to consumers. Consumers have to subscribe to the services of a carrier that supports this technology to reap the benefits of eSIM. And in the case where a current dual SIM user is subscribed to carriers that do not support the new SIM technology, he or she will have to either subscribe to a new service plan from a third carrier, or terminate an existing contract—both entail a significant cost.
True to its customer centric approach, Huawei offers, no such complications and supports easy dual sim usage on Huawei P20 Pro.
Stunning colours
Phones today are an extension of our personality and style statement. How a phone looks and feels is one of the key features that a user considers before making the final decision to buy a phone. Huawei P20 Pro helps users up their style quotient by offering a variety of colour options including the unique gradient tones that are inspired by nature, the Twilight colour. The Huawei P20 Pro also comes in Black and Midnight Blue too. In comparison, the Apple iPhone Xs Max continues to come in the standard mono-tone colours of Silver and Space Gray, and their “new” colour Gold.
Verdict
Over the past few months since its launch, Huawei P20 Pro has by far exceeded expectations of any user. Whether considering the cutting-edge design, superior camera capability or powerful performance, Huawei P20 Pro has a lot more to offer than Apple’s latest offering. While the rest of the phone is solid too, it’s the camera that steals the show and the new iPhone Xs Max just can’t compete. Moreover, the iPhone Xs Max’s whopping starting price of AED 4169 may seem unreasonable to many, as it is every consumer’s desire to get more at the best price possible.
Huawei P20 Pro, priced at AED 2,599, offers optimum value for money to any and all users, proving to be the most efficient and competitively priced smartphone in the market currently.
