Huawei P30 Pro vs Galaxy S10 Plus: a tight race for the best Android phone?

If the Galaxy S10 Plus is the first big phone of 2019, so Huawei wants his ad P30 Pro to be even better. Huawei's ambitions are well known. In January, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer company, announced that the company plans to snatch Samsung's coveted title as the world's largest brand of smartphones from here to the end. of 2020, or "this year at the earliest"This desire to replace Samsung with the number 1 means the P30 Pro is not just a flagship phone, it's a flagship phone with a mission.

Our job today is to see how the Huawei P30 Pro compares to the Galaxy S10 Plus. Do not forget that even though the entire Galaxy S10 family has been tested and revised (including the S10 Plus and Galaxy S10E), we only had a short time with the P30 Pro, so we will only be able to make informed guesswork until we can really compare the two side by side.

In addition to the P30 Pro, Huawei also launched the Huawei P30, a little smaller and less bulky. And now, let's show this comparison on the road. (You will see a full match of specifications at the end.)

Screen size and resolution

Mate 30 Pro: 6.47 inches OLED; 2,340 x 1,080 pixels
Galaxy S10 Plus: 6.4 inches OLED; 3,040 x 1,440 pixels

The screen sizes are quite similar, but it is interesting to note that the resolutions are not. The P30 Pro has a lower resolution covering a larger screen. This increases the pixel density on the Galaxy S10 Plus: 522 dpi compared to 398 dpi. It would be shocking if the S10 Plus did not use a resolution of 2,280 x 1,080 pixels right out of the box. It only becomes clearer if you change it in the box, and the majority of people do not. If you wish, Samsung has the advantage, at least in theory, on this point.

Fingerprint scanner on the screen: ultrasonic or optical

Both the P30 Pro and Galaxy S10 Plus have on-screen fingerprint readers that allow you to unlock the phone, but they use a variety of technologies to get you there. Samsung is the first to adopt Qualcomm's ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, which uses sound waves to unlock the phone. (See the video for a more complete explanation).

Huawei, meanwhile, takes the more traditional approach with an optical fingerprint sensor, an approach that basically takes a picture of your finger. Qualcomm says the method is slower and less secure, but I have not had much luck unlocking the S10 or S10 Plus exactly the first time. That said, other on-screen optical fingerprint scanners have also been affected and it is therefore uncertain that the P30 Pro technique is faster. Everything will become clear after days of use dozens of times a day.

Helmet of war: how much do you really want?

If using your wired headset is important to you, the P30 Pro will lose a notch in your estimate. Huawei conferred on the normal P30 a headphone jack, not the Pro version, explaining that the designers wanted to create more space for a larger battery. In contrast, the three Galaxy S10 have the port. We'll see if next year's phones hang on or if they follow the trend of nicking the jack.

Four rear cameras against three

Last year, the Huawei P20 Pro seduced with three rear cameras at the back. What seemed extravagant and almost excessive a year ago is virtually the norm in 2019. The Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10 Plus share three cameras at the back and two in front. Huawei offers four, including a 3D camera designed to enhance portraits.

Huawei P30 Pro:

• 40 megapixel "SuperSpectrum" lens
• Ultra-wide 20-megapixel lens
• Optical zoom lens with 8 megapixel 5x periscope
• Flight time sensor (TOF) to measure distance
• In front of the camera: 32 megapixels

Galaxy S10 Plus:

• 12 megapixel wide angle lens
• Ultra-wide 16-megapixel lens
• 12 megapixel telephoto lens with 2x zoom
• In front of the camera: 10 and 8 megapixels

Read now: Galaxy S10 Plus against Huawei P30 Pro: camera confrontation

The Huawei SuperSpectrum lens refers to its decision to exchange RGB pixels (red, green, blue) against RYB (red, yellow, blue). The green filters make the images darker, says Huawei, which is why he opted for a brighter yellow pixel. This is an interesting approach, and we will have to keep the effect on all camera scenarios.

While Huawei claims a closer zoom, try not to tire yourself about the number of megapixels. Remember that more is not always better, and that the amount of light that actually enters the lens and the treatment of the photos have a lot of influence on the quality of the image finally.

Dedicated camera night mode goes back

Where Huawei gets the upper hand, it is with the night mode dedicated to his camera. We have used it on previous phones, including the Mate 20 and P20 devices. Although the processing takes about 5 seconds, the image obtained in a nearly black bar is much sharper, brighter and more detailed than that produced by the Galaxy S10 Plus, without a stand-alone night mode function.

The lack of a dedicated night mode would not prevent me from buying the S10 Plus, but wanting these shots could push someone towards the P30 phones or the Pixel 4 unconfirmed they want to wait until October. The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL also have a separate night mode called Night Sight, and the results are phenomenal.

Price and date of sale

The Huawei P30 Pro is on sale now, but you will not find it in the United States, where Huawei is located. feel the political heat. This gives Samsung the edge there, where its three Galaxy S10 phones are widely selling to operators. However, the P30 Pro will be sold elsewhere in the world.

The price of the Huawei P30 Pro is neck and neck with the Galaxy S10 Plus in the UK, where the two elite phones start at £ 899 for the 128GB version. In Australia, the Pro costs AUS $ 100 more than the Galaxy S10 Plus (A $ 1,599 against A $ 1,499). If the P30 Pro was sold in the United States, the converted price would be almost $ 200 more than the Samsung phone.

In any case, the two are about equal, our first camera tests focusing on low-light shots and Huawei's zoom.

Specifications: Huawei P30 Pro vs Galaxy S10 Plus

Huawei P30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

	Huawei P30 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Display size, resolution	6.47 inches OLED; 2,340 x 1,080 pixels	6.4 inches AMOLED; 3,040 x 1,440 pixels
Pixel density	398ppi	522ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.2 x 2.9 x 0.3	6.20 x 2.92 x 0.31 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)	158 x 73.4 x 8.4mm	157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
Weight (ounces, grams)	6.8 oz; 192g	6.17 ounces; 175 g
Mobile Software	Android 9.0 with EMIU 9.1	Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI
Camera	40 megapixels (standard), 8 megapixel 5X optical periscope zoom (ultra wide), 8 megapixels, TOF (flight time) sensor	12 megapixels (wide angle), 16 megapixels (ultra wide angle), 12 megapixels (telephoto)
Front facing the camera	32 megapixels	10 megapixels, 8 megapixels
Video capture	4K	4K
Processor	Kirin 980 processor	Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Storage room	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB	128 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
RAM	8GB	8 GB, 12 GB
Expandable storage	Up to 256 GB with a proprietary NM card	Up to 512 GB
Drums	4,200mAh	4,100mAh
Fingerprint detector	On the screen (optical)	On the screen
connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	No	Yes
Special features	Fashion night camera, Huawei SuperCharge 40w, 15w wireless charge, reverse charge, IP68 water resistance	Wireless PowerShare; perforated screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast wireless charging 2.0
Price excluding contract (USD)	Convert to approximately 1,190 USD (128 GB); $ 1,450 (512 GB)	$ 1000
Price (GBP)	£ 899 (128 GB); £ 1,099 (512 GB)	£ 899
Price (AUD)	AU $ 1,599	AU $ 1,499

Posted March 26 at 9:22 AM m. PT
Updated, 1:45 PT: Adding new links