The gap between owners of Galaxy and Huawei mobile phone ownership is narrowing.

Samsung having recently released their high end smartphone, the Galaxy Note 10+ and Huawei with their April (2019) released high end device in the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) market, the P30 Pro are vying for placement in your smartdevice arsenal.

Both handsets have similarities while being starkly different and unique in their own right.

The Note 10+ being the higher end of the Galaxy Note spectrum, is larger at a whopping 6.8 inches, placing this in to the ‘phablet’ arena whereas the P30 Pro is a modest 6.47 inch.

But hey, it’s not (always) the size that matters, it’s what you do with it. Right?

Well… yes and no.

Huawei P30 Pro

Users such as myself do prefer a larger screen. Media watching and game playing on a titan of a phone has its benefits. More screen, more viewable real estate. This becomes crucial when playing games.

But there can be drawbacks too. Sometimes a larger screen device may not fit so well in your pocket – can be cumbersome to operate with one hand and some accessories, like a mobile gamepad will not accomodate that larger handset.

P30 Pro has an OLED display, whereas Samsung offered up their proprietary Infinity 0-Display. Side by side, the P30 Pro appears brighter, and more crisper, with the Galaxy Note 10+ having a slight blue-ish hue to it. Both have an ‘edge’ to the screen but only the Galaxy Note 10+ makes use of it with an edge based quick select menu.

Both devices offer up 10x optical zoom in their rear triple camera arrays – but Huawei take it even further with an awe inspiring 50x Digital. Both have ToF (Time of Flight) and Wide lens, but only Huawei has the quality of Leica in their camera tech.

The P30 Pro’s rear cameras weigh in at 40 + 20 + 8MP, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10+ is less with 12 + 12MP and a dedicated DepthVision VGA lens.

Modes of snapping on offer are very similar, the Note 10+ having a bit of AR (Augmented Reality) fun built in. This said, the P30 Pro has over 20 differing shooting modes, and while Samsung have made the effort to add a few including a Night function to their newest flagship, it still pales in comparison to Huawei’s effort on the P30 Pro.

Front lens of the Galaxy Note 10+ is low for a high end at 10MP. It’s enough but nowhere near the P30 Pro’s 32MP.

Huawei P30 Pro Night Shot

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus – Night Shot

Under the hood however is where the Note 10+ shines. If you have the higher end device, with 512GB storage – then likely you will be enjoying that super multi-tasking, super fast game playing with the 12GB RAM, coupled with data being crunched via the 64-bit Octa-Core Processor coming in at 2.7GHz or a maximum of 2.4 GHz + 1.9 GHz.

P30 Pro dims it down a bit. A still worthy 256GB storage and a modest (and industry standard) 8GB RAM. The processor on the P30 Pro is a HUAWEI Kirin 980 Octa-core Processor clocking in at 2.6GHz. So, not alot of difference there unless you count the max clocking.

The Note 10+ takes personal digital storage to the masses by way of having that microSD expansion. MicroSD cards are readily available and the Note 10+ is equipped with the smarts to be able to recognise an expansion card up to 1TB. P30 Pro – not microSD compatible. Instead Huawei created their own nanoSD cards, the largest coming in at 256GB and costing a packet.

Batteries and charging capabilities and functions are again very similar.

The Note 10+ boasts an up top 45 watt quick charge function which can take your device from almost zero life to 70% in less than 10 minutes with its super large 4300mAh battery. P30 Pro also has the quick charge function (40 watt) with a 4200mAh battery and in my test from almost zero to 70% charge (to do a comparison) took about 15 minutes. While both handsets offer up Wireless charging (and reverse charging) this comparison test was via plug in.

While the similarities between the devices is striking – each device is more unique than the other. Sure, both are Android based phones and each with their own reskinning of the Google operating system. But Huawei’s P30 Pro EMUI 9 and up has been developed for total UX (User Experience). Equipped with flick and slide motions, the P30 Pro is easier to navigate through windows and open Apps than the Galaxy Note 10+.

Samsung’s Note 10+ has Bixby. Love it or hate it – their smartphones have an extra tactile button devoted to their A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) Assistant. Huawei, ironically, relies on Google Assistant and has no hardware buttons for this.

And yes – the Note 10+ comes with added accessories, well necessities for this handset, the S Pen. A bluetooth connected device that is as much a part of the phone as the phone iteself.

The S Pen’s functions have taken it from being a fancy stylus to a wondrous tool for your Galaxy Note 10+. Air gestures, on-screen writing, A.I. functions in the camera and more.

Samsung also have their own eco system. Owning more than one Samsung smart device means that they can all integrate with eachother, much like Apple’s do – but not closed off like Apple. Samsung accessories will usually work with any other bluetooth enabled devices (and via your Samsung account) if you download and install the software.

Then, finally we come to the price factor.

Huawei P30 Pro

Samsung offered up a pre-order initiative for their Note 10+. If you pre-ordered you would receive the Note 10+ at a lower price and have the spec’d up version (512GB storage – 12GB RAM). Still this came in at a cost of around $1,800 NZD.

To contrast, you can pick up a Huawei P30 Pro, which is one of the highest digital photography devices on the market currently at $1,499 NZD.

I reviewed both devices and gave both a well deserved 5 out of 5 score for their respective functionalities and that they do what they say on the box.

This said it really depends on what your preferences are. Mobile photography? Ease of use? Like the more standard screen size? Don’t want to pay a stupid amount to have the latest and greatest? Then likely the P30 Pro would be for you.

But, if you seriously game on your phone, don’t give a damn about taking breath taking pics and selfies and love the fact that your smartphone can turn into a tablet-like device… and you are all about screen size, the bigger the better, then Note 10+ is the way to go.

While the Note 10+ has it over P30 Pro on inner specs, the P30 Pro takes the crown, undefeated by miles, for mobile photography.

And remember, paying a bigger price for something doesn’t always mean you get all the goods that a cheaper model can offer with a lot more.

Both are fantastic phones, both are super-phones, but only one is right for you – and for that decision I leave it to you.

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 It’s clear that Huawei had big ambitions for its P30 series with the tag line “rewriting the rules of photography.” The latest entry of the Huawei flagship series in Paris on March 26th, 2019 showed the world what smartphone innovation looked like and now it’s time to look at how it lines up against its competitors.

Launching just over a month ago, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ achieved the same DxOMark Mobile rating as last year’s P series version, the P20 Pro, with 109 points. It seems hardly fair to compare its photography features with the newer P30 Pro as it just topped the DxO Mark list at 112 points, but the specs seem to do most of the talking.

Both brands have put in extensive effort to upgrade the zooming capabilities of their smartphones, but the longer the distance, the more noticeable is the difference between the two camera phones. The P30 SuperZoom lens 5x zoom with foldable optics is hard to beat, especially when compared to the 2x tele-lens scores that the S10 offers.

Samsung S10+                      Huawei P30 Pro

The wider aperture of the P30 Pro lets in more light for better low-light performance, offering the capability to capture well-exposed images in near darkness. Combined with Huawei’s SuperSpectrum sensor, ISP and Dual-NPU, and supported by the new HUAWEI AIS+OIS solution, the phone can record a frame taken across a long exposure and showcase excellent colours, dynamic range and clarity while producing a more authentic and vibrant photograph. While the Samsung S10 is strong in reducing the noise levels in all light conditions, its photographs still result in a loss of details in low-light and indoor scenarios.

Samsung S10+ (10x Zoom)                Huawei P30 Pro (50x Zoom)

The P30 Pro features a specialized HUAWEI Time Of Flight (TOF) camera, which captures depth information and resulted in an upgrade bokeh effect. The HUAWEI TOF Camera has rich bokeh and sophisticated, depth information-capturing capabilities. It is supporting multi-level, depth-of-field effects and accurate 3D modelling to deliver a highly-realistic, AR photography experience.

Comparatively, the S10+ camera is capable of capturing beautiful bokeh images, but the bokeh picture prioritises the lighting in the picture over the blurring of the background, resulting in a duller background with less details.

Samsung S10+ (Low Light)                   Huawei P30 Pro (Low Light)

The ultra-wide angle lens on the P30 is fitted to the phone to add a spacious feeling and 3D effect to the photos. The Samsung offers a 123-degree field view, but the outer corner shows some image distortion known as the fish-eye effect.

Samsung S10+ (Macro)                      Huawei P30 Pro (Macro)

Fans of the Huawei Leica camera know that the macro photography capabilities are unbeatable and the new P30 camera can capture photos as close as 3cm. 

It’s no secret that the P30 is unbeatable when it comes to photography capabilities, but the other specs of Huawei’s latest flagship device show that it’s rewriting more than just smartphone photography, it’s rewriting smartphone capabilities across the board.

Samsung S10+                      Huawei P30 Pro

Specs Comparison of P30 Pro vs. Galaxy S10+ vs. iPhone XS Max

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The TIPA General Assembly has recognised the HUAWEI P30 Pro as one of the Best Products of 2019, naming it the “Best Photo Smartphone.” For the third year in a row, this prestigious title has been awarded to a HUAWEI P Series flagship, proving Huawei’s dedication to constantly improving quality, performance and design to change the world of mobile photography.

Representatives from photo and imaging publications from around the world confirmed the HUAWEI P30 Pro as the best following a rigorous process of testing and comparison. The P30 Pro’s Leica Quad Camera System, sporting a versatile 40MP HUAWEI SuperSpectrum Sensor and 20MP ultra-wide camera, alongside a stabilised SuperZoom Lens, provides clarity and zoom never before seen on a mobile phone. Additionally, the all-new fourth HUAWEI Time of Flight Camera captures depth for better bokeh effects producing photos with incredible detail and beautiful dynamic range in any lighting situation.

TIPA Chairman Thomas Gerwens said: “Huawei, together with Leica, is pushing the limits of smart photography again with the introduction of the new P30 Pro, enabling users to shoot photos and videos in fantastic quality.”

With the P30 Pro, Huawei has once again proven itself to be the benchmark for smartphone photography. Providing the best low-light performance of any smartphone camera to date, as well as class-leading zoom capabilities, this handset was awarded the highest score in the history of DxOMark — the industry standard for camera and lens image quality measurements and ratings. The impressive 112-point score highlights the significance of Huawei’s dedication to research and design, especially in providing an ultimate experience for smartphone photography.

The HUAWEI P30 Pro goes on sale in New Zealand on Friday 12th of April 2019.

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Huawei bring it again. The magic, the wizardry, the camera smarts with their latest super phone, the  Huawei P30 Pro.

The 6.47 inch wrap screen features of course an almost zero bezel, top and bottom with the finger print sensor placed under the glass as we first experienced, ever, with their Mate 20 Pro late last year.

The P30 Pro features Huawei’s own Kirin 980 CPU. How do you ensure that a phone has enough grunt under the hood to ensure a seamless experience, whether gaming, watching media or multitasking, you create your own – which is exactly what Huawei have done.

The P30 Pro model has 8GB RAM 2GB step up from the Mate 20 Pro) and a 256GB internal storage (ROM). This is a more than modest memory and storage inclusion, with 128GB and 512GB variants. Unfortunately there is no microSD slot but the bay does feature allocations for dual Sims one of which can be used for a proprietary Huawei Nano MicroSD.

The two Sims arrangement has changed aswell to an Active format, whereby you can now use both Simcards simultaneously, as opposed to prior passive set up (where certain tasks can be assigned to specific Simcards). The dual sim feature will not in work in New Zealand though.

The camera is where Huawei have it over anyone else at the moment.

Continuing their partnership with Leica, the P30 Pro features a Tri-Lens housing on the rear, three lenses working together including the Telescopic lens which will allow you to zoom in at 50x Digital zoom. In all there are four cameras on the back and one on the front. The P30 Pro is a 5 camera phone.

Your usual array of A.I. smarts when taking a pic and A.R. goodness, including avatar and the animation of still objects are still included, whatsmore, there’s 4K video recording with a one-touch easy as A.I. editor, wide angle lense, 3D depth and more. One of my personal favourites is the Aperture mode and the killer Bokeh effect. The rear camera specs are one of the highest on any smartphone to date, weighing in at 40 MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.6 aperture,OIS) + 20 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2 aperture) + 8 MP (Telephoto, f/3.4 aperture,OIS) MP. If you haven’t already done the maths, that’s a combined MP count of 68 MP. Wow.

Time of flight is also a standout feature, with superb image stabilisation using a proprietary and Huawei developed laser autofocus.

Low light is pure witchcraft. Huawei have replaced the Green hue in RGB with Yellow is suck in more light in a darkened shot. Taking a pic in darkness to the human eye reveals detail and light that we mere mortals cannot see.

The front lens is housed in a dew drop placement. Smaller than the notch and dew drop appears to be a favourite among other phone manufacturers at present. The front camera also has AR and A.I. 3D smarts, and comes in at an astounding 32 MP.

New owners of the P30 Pro will immediately notice one very pleasing change with the EMUI OS which is overlayed on top of Android 9.

Everything is gesture based. In order to minimize any screen clutter and maximize the entire screen, the new operating system enables you to swipe to close an App, in multi-view mode, swipe move the App that’s open to display another.

Operating the P30 Pro is entirely gesture based. No longer is a Back and Home Button to be found anywhere.

External audio has also had an oerhaul with an external depth sounding speaker now at the rear of the device. For the headset connected experience Dolby Atmos is builtin with three settings; Music, Film and Smart (auto adjusts to your media).

Coming in three differing flavours, Black,  Breathing Crystal (White-ish) and Aurora (Blue) the stunning gloss shimmer of the P30 Pro resounds a million dollar look.

But that’s not the price tag. The Huawei P30 Pro is priced extremely competitively downunder, where for a considerable less cost of the nearest competitor you’ll get yourself one of these bad boys with a camera that current rivals have no way of matching.

Huawei’s P30 Pro is built for digital photography. Totally. Yet it still has way more than enough juice to tackle high end Android games to the likes of ARK: Survival and PUBG without breaking a sweat or even putting a dent in the battery after a couple of hours.

The wirelessly chargeable P30 Pro also has reverse charging, wireless reverse charging. First experienced on the Mate 20 Pro, you can add a bit of life to any other device by placing it on the back of the P30 Pro.

Having received a P30 Pro from Huawei, I have tried out the Samsung Buds, Note9 and iPhone XS Max. All happily charge up from the P30 Pro. From full charge on the P30 Pro, a quick 10 minute charge of the iPhone XS Max removed a mere 3% from the 4200 mAh battery. The Samsung Buds fully charged over 20 minutes and I lost only 2% from a full charge on the P30 Pro.

Theoretically the large capacity battery inside the P30 Pro would set you right for a few days with mid to moderate use.

After a 24 hour period, having wirelessly charged the Samsung buds, streamed Spotify for most of the day and tested out PUBG for an hour the battery only dropped 12% from a 100% level.

If you need reliability you’re not going to go wrong with the P30 Pro in this respect.

Huawei continue to innovate – building upon the smartphone greatness that they produce each year, surprisingly going above and beyond, making sure that those that own one of their smartdevices are really getting value for money, and not just another phone-clone which we are currently seeing from its nearest competitors.

While we all wait in anticipation for the rise of the foldables coming out this year including Huawei’s Mate X the traditional smartphone that we have all used and evolved with over the years is still forging ahead in bounds that we could have only imagined not that long ago.

Huawei P30 Pro, it’s a keeper, a winner and a digital photography powerhouse.

*Huawei P30 and P30 Pro release on the 12th of April 2019.

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The upcoming launch of the HUAWEI P30 Series on March 26th, 2019 (March 27, New Zealand time) at the Paris Convention Center has the internet buzzing. The Huawei P Series has been shaking up the smartphone industry for the past two years with its groundbreaking smartphone photography features. The photos we’ve seen so far tease the super zooming capabilities of the P30 Series – something that has created excitement amongst fans, but what else will the device include?

There has been speculation on what will be included in Huawei’s latest offering, but a week ahead of the launch, Huawei is thrilled to reveal some facts as to what can be expected, as well as a look back at the incredible journey of the P Series that has led them to launch the highly anticipated P30 Series.

Huawei P10

The Huawei P Series truly hit its stride in 2016. In the launch of the P9 Series, Huawei officially announced the partnership with Leica to develop the most advanced smartphone camera in history, starting with the first ever dual Leica camera built within a phone.

Huawei took a step further with its P10 Series by improving the device’s phoneography quality, as well as offering superior low-light photography with the ability of the lenses to pick up more light. The front camera on the P10 is also equipped with a Leica lens to capture great selfie portraits.

In 2018, the P20 and P20 Pro achieved the revolutionary breakthrough by offering triple Leica rear cameras, a concept that has since been offered by competitors. The setup has also seen the P20 Pro topping the DxO Mark Mobile list for months, eventually sharing the crown with the Mate 20 Pro.

Huawei P20 Pro

Looking ahead, Huawei has ambitiously declared its intention to rewrite the rules of mobile photography with the HUAWEI P30 Series. The new P30 will feature a sophisticated design and will continue to write the future of imaging technologies. The new flagship devices will set a new standard for videography and will launch consumers into a new era of smartphone photography with the first mobile “Super Camera Phone.”

The P Series stands as the flagship smartphone series of Huawei and has international prestige since the launch of its first-generation device, the Ascend P1 that was introduced in 2012 in Canada. The subsequent generations have been launched in other prominent global stages such as London, Barcelona, eventually settling in Paris for the latest launch in the series, the P20 and the upcoming P30.

Huawei P30

Paris has always been one of the most popular subjects if photography and is home to some of the earliest inventions of cameras. That’s why it is the perfect destination to launch the P30 Series and highlight the incredible photography capabilities and advancements in the wake of the infamous P20.

Huawei is eagerly anticipating the launch of the P30 Series as it will mark another chapter in the illustrious history of smartphone evolution and will no doubt continue on the success of Huawei’s P Series devices.

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On 21 February 2019, Samsung launched the next offering in its Galaxy series – the S10. While the device has some impressive new features, what the announcement from Samsung revealed is they are playing catch up to other Android devices already offering much of the same technology – namely Huawei’s Mate 20 Series.

The S10 Series devices feature some big upgrades from its predecessor the S9, including a triple lens camera, reverse wireless charging and an on-screen finger print scanner, however all of these were already released on the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro back in October 2018.

With Huawei’s next offering mere weeks away, the company anticipates that a lot of consumers will wait to see what the P30 Series brings to the market before committing to purchasing a device.

Comparing the main specs and features of the Samsung Galaxy S10+ with the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro reveals some interesting findings.

Samsung has given its camera features significant upgrades with the triple-rear-camera system, offering greater photography features such as enhanced zooming and low-light performance but these features were available on Huawei devices long before.

The HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro’s 40MP+20MP+8MP against the Samsung S10’s 12MP+16MP+12MP showcases the specs advantage that Huawei has over Samsung when it comes to smartphone photography capabilities. Additionally, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro occupies the top spot of DxOMark Mobile alongside its sister product, the P20 Pro.

Huawei has been the first to introduce the world’s first Leica triple camera with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The main 40MP RGB camera, coupled with other lenses, offers impressive night photography with a good lighting configuration.

The ultra-wide-angle 20MP camera of the Huawei Mate 20 Pro also brings in a broader and spacious perspective of multiple sceneries with a 0.6x zoom. It supports macro photography that could focus on an object as close as 2.5cm. The Galaxy S10+ has followed suit by incorporating a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens.

The 4,100 mAh battery life has been hailed as a significant upgrade on S10+. Although Samsung’s flagship phone still failed to match the Mate 20 Pro’s gigantic 4,200 mAh battery capacity. Huawei’s 40W SuperCharge technology allows for 70 per cent battery power charged within 30 minutes. It has long set the Mate 20 Pro apart from its competitors.

Samsung has introduced the Wireless PowerShare on S10 and S10+, though the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro was the first to introduce reverse wireless charging technology to the market.

According to its official site, Samsung S10+ seems to be finally supporting the Dual SIM model (Hybrid SIM slot). It is a feature supported by most Android phones. While both the SIMs are active, if you are using a particular SIM, incoming callers from another SIM will find you unreachable.

However, the Mate 20 Pro already featured the dual-VoLTE technology along with a dual-SIM feature. It allows you to pick up calls from one SIM when you are actively using another SIM to play games or take calls. In simple terms, this means you don’t need to ignore your girlfriend’s call while playing PUBG with your friends.

And if that does not answer your question, take a look at the list of comparison.

Specifics Comparison of S10+ with Mate 20 Pro

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Huawei are rewriting the rules of technology as they announce the global launch of their latest high-end flagship smartphones. The new P Series will be launched in Paris, France on March 26th, 2019 – with the new device being named the HUAWEI P30.

Huawei’s P Series smartphones have made a huge name for themselves as they’ve transformed the world of smartphone photography. Through partnership and collaboration with camera manufacturer, Leica, Huawei aim to enhance AI photography and achieve continuous camera technology breakthroughs. Huawei has led camera smartphone technology for many years, a position they earned after they were the first to introduce the triple lens camera in March 2018.

Huawei P20 Pro

Since its release in March last year, the P20 Series has occupied the number one position unchallenged in the DxOMark Mobile list. The list is an authoritative ranking of image quality ratings in smartphone photography by the reputable DxOMark Image Labs.

The P20 Series has achieved a shipment number of over 16 million units worldwide since its launch, showcasing the incredible and popular demand for an aesthetic design with cutting-edge technology.

According to the 2018 EU Industrial Research & Development (R&D) Investment Scoreboard, Huawei ranked fifth in its global R&D investment in 2018. The substantial investment brings in continuous breakthroughs in the user experience, photography and communication technology of Huawei products. The list includes the Kirin 980, the World’s First 7nm Process Mobile AI Chipset; GTU Turbo, a graphics processing acceleration technology; industry-leading superfast charging technology; reverse charging technology, and many more features.

Huawei Mate 20

Huawei Consumer Business Group focuses on the core concept of ‘consumer-centric’. The group strives to lead the way in the next smartphone revolution and create sustainable value for the consumers through daring innovation and constant R&D investment.

For local release date (New Zealand & Australia) stay tuned to us at STG.

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