[Partner Content] Huawei and Samsung are two of the most popular brands in Singapore right now. First, there’s the favorite – Samsung, with their latest model from the Note series, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. As with previous releases, the Note 9 launch caused a lot of buzz, calling the phone “the best phone money can buy” and a “real flagship” model. It features a 12MP+12MP dual-lens camera, 8GB/6GB RAM, 4,000mAh battery capacity, Samsung Pay™, a multifunctional stylus, IP68 waterproof rating, and a whole lot more.
Huawei, on the other hand, is the rising star of the mobile world. Recently becoming the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world next to Apple, Huawei is pushing more towards bringing innovation to the masses. What makes this brand special is that their flagship phones are a tad bit cheaper than major phone brands out there but are bringing more to the table. This can be seen with their best model yet – the Huawei P20 Pro. This is the first-ever phone to feature a triple-lens Leica optics camera with huge 40MP+20MP+8MP sensors, a 4,000mAh battery, 6GB/8GB RAM, and IP67 waterproof rating – all this for less than what you’re paying for the Note 9.
Here’s the Samsung Note 9 and the Huawei P20 Pro side-by-side.
| Price | 26,490 THB (128GB) from Lazada | 19,380 THB (128GB) from Shopee |
| Release Date | August 2018 | March 2018 |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm | 155 x 73.9 x 7.8 mm |
| Weight | 201 g | 180 g |
| Screen Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Screen Size | 6.4 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Screen-to-body ratio | ~83.4% screen-to-body ratio | ~82.0% screen-to-body ratio |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio | 1080 x 2240 pixels, 18.7:9 ratio |
| Pixel Density | ~516 ppi | ~408 ppi |
| Screen Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Undisclosed |
| OS | Android 8.1 (Oreo) | Android 8.1 (Oreo) |
| Chipset | Exynos 9810 Octa – EMEA Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 – USA/LATAM, China | Hisilicon Kirin 970 |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) – EMEA Octa-core (4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) – USA/LATAM, China | Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| GPU | Mali-G72 MP18 – EMEA Adreno 630 – USA/LATAM, China | Mali-G72 MP12 |
| Internal memory | 512 GB, 8 GB RAM or 128 GB, 6 GB RAM | 256 GB, 8 GB RAM or 128 GB, 6 GB RAM |
| External memory | microSD, up to 512 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) – dual SIM model only | No |
| Primary Camera | 40MP+20MP+8MP | 12MP+12MP |
| Secondary Camera | 24MP | 8MP |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 4000 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-po 4000 mAh battery |
| Connectivity | WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC | WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, Infrared |
| USB | 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector |
| Sensors | Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 | Fingerprint (front-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum |
| Colors Available | Metallic copper, lavender purple, ocean blue, midnight black | Twilight, Black, Midnight Blue, Pink Gold |
| Other Features | – Samsung DeX (desktop experience support) – Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0) – Qi/PMA wireless charging (market dependent) – ANT+ support – Bixby natural language commands and dictation – MP4/DivX/XviD/H.265 player – MP3/WAV/eAAC+/FLAC player – Photo/video editor – Document editor | – Fast battery charging 4.5V/5A (58% in 30 min) – XviD/MP4/H.265/WMV player – MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/Flac player – Document viewer – Photo/video editor |
What do they have in common?
For starters, both phones came out the same year with Huawei P20 Pro being a few months older than the Note 9. Although not completely similar, they do have almost the same screen size albeit the Samsung Note 9 having a 0.3-inch larger which is not a significant amount. With that also comes both the phone’s screen-to-body ratio. Although again, the Note 9 is larger by 1%, it’s not a big difference between the two. They also have the same Android Oreo 8.1 OS as well as internal memory variants to choose from. Both models also have an IP rating with the Note 9 rated as IP68 and the P20 Pro having IP67. Finally, both units have the same capacity albeit the Samsung Note 9 having Li-Po battery while the Huawei P20 Pro has Li-Ion. Both battery types have their own pros and cons but the difference doesn’t really equate to one being better than the other. In terms of screen size and battery capacity, the Samsung Note 9 and the Huawei P20 Pro are equals.
What makes them different?
Despite these similarities, there are a lot of things that make the Note 9 and the P20 Pro different from each other. Both units have huge gaps in terms of screen, camera, performance, features, and most importantly, price.
Screen
The most obvious difference between the Samsung Note 9 and the Huawei P20 Pro is the screen. Not only is it a bit larger than the latter, but it also shows more accurate details. The Note 9 has a 1440 x 2960 pixel screen with ~516 ppi in contrast to the 1080 x 2240 pixels and ~408 ppi of the P20 Pro. If you’re big on watching videos online, working with multimedia or a mobile gamer, the Samsung Note 9 would definitely heighten your visual experience compared to the P20 Pro.
Camera
The Huawei P20 Pro is a monster when it comes to the camera. It features the first ever triple-lens modules in a smartphone with 40MP+20MP+8MP sensors. The front camera is also overkill thanks to its 24MP sensors. The Samsung Note 9 pales in comparison with only 12MP+12MP sensors for its main camera and 8MP sensors on the front.
Image courtesy of Technobuffalo.com
These sample photos, on the other hand, tells a different story. The Note 9 may have smaller sensors but the camera’s AI capabilities are one to behold. It can automatically detect scenarios, objects, food, animals, etc., and adjust the camera accordingly. Furthermore, it also performs well in low-light conditions better than the P20 Pro.
However, it’s not to say that the P20 Pro is lacking in this department; it just has a different way of capturing images. Instead of using mostly AI, it combines all pixels captured by its sensors and combines them into one, resulting in a very crisp and sharp image even on the edges – something that a lot of mobile phone cameras are struggling with. While the Note 9 definitely has a better camera in auto mode, in portrait and selfies, the P20 Pro is definitely the winner. We have to give it to Huawei for giving us new innovations in terms of camera and this is something most people would want to see.
Performance
The Huawei P20 Pro is a fast and powerful phone. It has a flagship Hisilicon Kirin 970 chipset with 6GB/8GB RAM. However, it is no match compared to Note 9’s Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 chipset. Though both models run on Android 8.1 and have octa-core processors, the Note 9 is benchmarked as one of the fastest Android phones to date. Don’t be discouraged though, the Huawei P20 Pro is fast and can run and juggle heavy spec apps but the Note 9 is faster.
Features
Image courtesy of MSpoweruser.com
There’s a reason why the Samsung Note 9 is super popular in Singapore. Compared to the Huawei P20 Pro, it has way more features including Samsung Dex which allows you to transform your phone into a PC. Simply hook it up to a Dex station, plug in a keyboard, mouse, and a monitor and you got an instant PC with the Note 9. Another noteworthy feature that’s present in the Note 9 is wireless charging which not a lot of phones (even flagships) don’t have. Furthermore, the unit also comes in with an S-Pen as well as a Samsung Pay™, making the Note 9 a feature-packed smartphone.
Price
Perhaps the most important aspect is the price. The Samsung Note 9 price starts from S$1,020 from Lazada while the P20 Pro price starts from S$688 in Shopee. Obviously, the latter is the winner on this department considering the price. However, for S$1,020, you can get quite a lot from the Note 9 so you could say it is a bit worth it. If you don’t want to nitpick on the details and want a phone with great performance, camera, battery, and everything in between for a cheaper price, then get the Huawei P20 Pro.
Written by MJ Mendoza iPrice