Two of the biggest names in the Android scene has completed their flagship line-up for 2018. The new Galaxy S9 series was launched back in February. On the other hand, Huawei has unveiled the new P20 and P20 Plus yesterday.
This new line of devices aims to offer all of the latest marvels in mobile computing, without any compromises or holding back. Well, as a flagship smartphone, we really expect nothing less from them.
Today, we’ll be comparing the more lavish versions of the two — the Huawei P20 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. But if you’re choosing between the standard P20 and Galaxy, we did a separate comparison table here.
Which between these two rivals is the best option for consumers? Which smartphone is better in the hardware department? Well, that’s what we are here to find out in our Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20 Pro specs comparison.
| Huawei P20 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S9+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.1 | Android 8.0 Oreo Samsung Experience 9 |
| SIM | Dual SIM Dual Standby Nano SIM format Hybrid | Dual SIM Dual Standby Nano SIM format Hybrid |
| Display | 6.1-inch FHD+ OLED 2280 x 1080 resolution ~414ppi 18:9 aspect ratio 3D Glass | 6.2-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED screen 2960 x 1440 resolution, ~531ppi 18:9 aspect ratio Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | 2.36GHz HiSilicon Kirin 970 octa-core | 2.9GHz Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB/128GB/256GB expandable via microSD up to 400GB |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner Facial recognition | Iris scanner Fingerprint scanner |
| Front camera | 24-megapixel 3D Portrait Lighting | 8-megapixel AR Animoji |
| Rear Camera | 40-megapixel (RGB) + 20-megapixel (Monochrome)+ 8-megapixel (Telephoto) Leica optics OIS 5x hybrid zoom 960fps slow-mo PDAF dual-tone flash | 12-megapixel (f/1.5-f/2.4, 2x optical zoom) 12-megapixel (wide-angle) Dual pixel sensor OIS 4K video recording 960fps slow-mo @720p Dual-tone flash |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, BLE, aptX, LDAC, HWA GPS, A-GPS microUSB 2.0 | 4G LTE, Cat. 18, up to 1.28Gbps WiFi 802.11 ac, Hotspot Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX NFC GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou USB Type-C |
| Audio | Dual speakers Dolby Atmos | Dual AKG speakers Dolby Atmos |
| Others | IP67 dust and water-resistant | Bixby 2.0 IP68 dust and water-resistant |
| Dimensions Weight | 155.0 x 73.9 x 7.8mm | 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm |
| Weight | 180g | 189g |
| Colors | Twilight Pink Gold Midnight Blue Black | Midnight Black Lilac Purple Coral Blue |
| Battery | 4,000mAh Non-removable Huawei SuperCharge | 3500mah Li-Po Non-removable battery Fast charge, Wireless charging |
| Price | EUR899 (~Php58,600) | 6GB/64GB (Php52,990) 6GB/128GB (Php55,990) 6GB/256GB (Php60,990) |
Well, that was a really close fight. But since the Huawei P20 Pro was built to take on the competition like the Galaxy S9 Plus, this isn’t really that surprising.
Let’s first quantify all of the battles that the P20 Pro has won.
Right off the bat, the P20 Pro marginally took the lead in the software department with its more recent Android version. It also has a substantially larger battery, but it’s still relatively lighter than the Galaxy S9 Plus.
And of course, you can’t just miss that triple-camera setup on the back. It does have optical image stabilization, optical zoom capabilities, and ultra-fast 960fps slow-motion mode, just like the Galaxy S9 Plus. However, it instantly stole the show with its 40-megapixel RGB sensor, a 20-megapixel one for monochrome pictures, and another 8-megapixel camera that is equipped with a telephoto lens. Moreover, the P20 Pro also has 3x the pixel sensor count than Samsung’s bet.
But the Huawei P20 Pro won’t take home the win that easily. While it might have the leverage in a lot of areas, the Galaxy S9 Plus was able to outsmart it in a few, but major areas.
For starters, Samsung used a sharper screen on the Galaxy S9 Pro. It rocks a QHD+ panel, which obviously has denser pixel count than the FHD+ screen found on the former. It is also a tad bit bigger at 6.2-inches.
On the internals, Samsung’s Exynos chipset has a higher-clocked processor than Huawei’s own Kirin chip that’s running on the P20 Pro. And lastly, the Galaxy S9 Plus has better wireless connectivity. Although a lot of people would barely notice the difference in real-world usage, it is still worth noting.
Now, on to the last bit — the price. The Galaxy S9 is available in three different variants, however, we’ll be focusing on the 6GB/128GB model since that’s the only P20 Pro model that’s currently offered.
With that, the P20 Pro is obviously more expensive at EUR899 (~Php58,600) than the Php55,990 price tag of the Galaxy S9 Plus. This was converted directly to Philippine peso, so bear in mind that its price can still shoot up once it’s officially launched in the Philippines next month.
So, if you think the extras that come with the Huawei P20 Pro is really that important to you, then paying more money wouldn’t be a bad idea. However, if you wish to settle on the Galaxy S9 Plus, then you’re still off for a treat as it is one of the best Android smartphones on the market today.