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A battle is about to break out. Tomorrow two new smartphones go on sale from two technology titans who are fighting for your attention.
One is a household name: Apple is releasing the iPhone XR, the more affordable version of its pricey iPhone XS. The other is a rising star: Chinese company Huawei, which will launch its anticipated Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
In terms of market share, Huawei actually has the edge on Apple: according to smartphone ownership figures from the International Data Corporation, Huawei is second, with 15.8 per cent and Apple is third, with 12. 1 per cent (incidentally, Samsung is top with 20.9 per cent).
The Chinese smartphone, therefore, sees this as an opportunity to gain some more distance over its rival.
Huawei has become a big player in a short time. Last week the company announced its latest phone at a high-profile keynote event at the ExCeL in London.
It was an event in the Apple mould: executives introduced the products in forensic, endlessly positive detail, with huge backlit screens and careful demonstrations.
Like Apple’s events, it was extensive, lasting more than 90 minutes. There were millennial-friendly movers and shakers milling around (including DJ Nick Grimshaw and singer Charli XCX). And, like Apple, Huawei has learnt the value of releasing its products very quickly after the announcement.
But what about the handsets?
The challenger
1. Huawei Mate 20 Pro
In the Instagram age, how you snap it matters. And the Mate 20 Pro continues the multi-camera approach that made the Huawei P20 Pro such a success, with three sensors, all made in conjunction with Leica. It’s impressive.
One sensor has a huge, 40MP resolution. Each has a different focal length so that there’s a telephoto at 3x the main sensor and an ultra-wide at 0.6x. All of which makes the phone very versatile photographically. It also looks different, thanks to the three cameras and flash being grouped in a square on the phone’s rear.
But Huawei has added a slew of innovations that have been setting tech circles alight since the launch last week. First, there’s a fingerprint sensor which is actually embedded in the display. You press the screen to unlock the handset.
There’s facial recognition too, but it’s not a patch on Apple’s.
Like the iPhone and the Sony Xperia XZ3, the Mate 20 Pro can be charged wirelessly. Huawei has a special extra: reverse charging. If another device is wireless chargeable, simply hold it back to back with the Mate 20 Pro and the Huawei phone will transfer power. This is a unique feature. The phone’s battery life beats the iPhone, lasting up to two days.
The back of the phone has a shimmery, colour-changing effect in its green and blue versions that’s very eye-catching.
You can leave the iPhone in a metre of water for 30 minutes, while the Huawei can remain safe in two metres. Other phones, like Sony’s flagships, have been waterproof for years.
Huawei prices its phones very competitively — for the amount of technology built in, this is good value — but at £899 the XR beats it on price.
The next gen
2. Apple iPhone XR
Like the iPhone XS, which went on sale last month, the XR (pronounced Ten R) has an all-screen front and uses Apple’s groundbreaking facial recognition system to unlock the handset or authenticate Apple Pay transactions.
The new phone sits between the XS and XS Max in size, with a 6.1in display. Unlike the pricier iPhones or the Huawei, this has an LCD screen, not OLED. Getting an LCD to stretch to the edges of a phone is unheard of — a first for Apple.
It’s not as high-resolution as the XS or the Huawei but still looks good. It comes in six different colours, including coral, yellow or something more subdued (grey, white or blue). The frame is aluminium, colour-matched to the phone’s glass back.
The standout feature is the price: £749 (though for a really low-price, good-quality phone you should look at the keenly priced Nokia 7.1).
This iPhone is remarkable because it contains almost all the features of the more expensive XS: exceptionally powerful processor, wireless charging and Face ID.
It lacks the multiple cameras of the other latest iPhones and the Huawei but the 12MP camera can manage effects like changing how much of the shot is in focus after you’ve taken your picture. Like the Google Pixel 3 XL — another newbie — it uses AI to create these effects using a single-lens camera.
In one important way, it outdoes every other iPhone: battery life. Thanks to the biggest battery ever in an Apple phone it lasts more than a day, effortlessly.
The best of the rest
3. Google Pixel 3 XL
Like the iPhone XR, the latest Pixel phone from Google features a single rear camera which uses advanced software to take great photos.
Top Shot, for instance, is a function that takes multiple images and picks the best (though you can choose another).
It also works well in very low light, as does the Mate 20 Pro. The chunky notch at the top of the screen won’t please everyone.
£869
4. Sony Xperia XZ3
This is Sony’s first phone with an OLED screen and, because it was built in conjunction with the Sony TV division, it looks terrific — pin-sharp and vivid.
This is a great cameraphone even though it only has one 19MP sensor — again, Sony’s camera division expertise has helped.
Sony’s phones are known for long battery life, which is also the case here.
£699
5. Nokia 7.1
A phone with twin cameras for less than £300 is rare but that’s what Nokia has achieved with this mid-range option. It’s well-designed and has great build quality, both of which make it seem like it should have a much higher price tag.
The fast performance is also beyond what you’d expect and the 5.8in screen is high-resolution enough to be immersive.
The 12MP camera is helped to create special effects by a secondary 5MP sensor.
£299
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