Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: The Battle of Flagships

Earlier last week, Huawei launched its latest flagship smartphone Huawei Mate 20 Pro, alongside the Mate 20 at an event held in London. Now, the company has announced that the phone will hit the Indian market by next month without revealing the exact launch date. A dedicated landing page for the phone has already gone live on Amazon India’s website wherein interested buyers can set notification alert. Considering the specs and price, the Mate 20 Pro is expected to compete against the likes on Samsung‘s Galaxy Note 9 and Google’s Pixel 3 XL. Let us compare the three phones on the basis of their software and hardware configurations to find out which is one provides a better value for money.

The comparison will be based on below mentioned key parameters:

• Design and Display
• Processor, RAM and Storage
• OS and Battery
• Camera
• Price in India

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: Design and Display

In terms of design, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro looks different (not necessarily good) due to its unusual rear camera cluster consisting of three cameras along with a DualTone LED flash. The rear is made of glass and has a grooved finish which provides a firm grip on the phone. There is no fingerprint scanner on the rear as the phone features an in-display fingerprint scanner. Whereas the Galaxy Note 9 features a fingerprint scanner on the back along with a dual camera set up. The phone is made up of glass and sports the trademark Infinity display. The Google Pixel 3 XL also sports a glass back that features a fingerprint scanner and a single camera module. The phone lacks 3.5mm headphone jack ships with a 3.5mm to USB Type-C adaptor and Pixel USB Type-C earbuds instead.

In terms of display, the Mate 20 Pro features a 6.39-inch QHD+ curved OLED display panel with 1440×3120 pixel resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio resulting into 86.9 percent screen-to-body ratio. The Galaxy Note 9 bears a a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display panel with resolution of 1440×2960 pixels and aspect ratio of 18.5:9 resulting into 83.4% screen-to-body ratio. The display comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 layer of protection on top. While the Pixel 3 XL comes with 6.30-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1440×2960 pixels. The display comes with iPhone X like notch at the top.

In terms of dimensions, the Mate 20 Pro measures 157.8×72.3×8.6 mm and weighs about 189 grams. The Galaxy Note 9 measures 161.9×76.4×8.8 mm and weighs 201 grams. While, the Google Pixel 3 XL measures 158.0×76.7×7.9 mm and weighs about 184 grams.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: Processor, RAM and Storage

Under the hood, the Mate 20 Pro is powered by company’s flagship HiSilicon Kirin 980 SoC along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of inbuilt storage. There is an option to expand the storage up to 256GB via Nano memory card.

The Galaxy Note 9 is powered by Exynos 9810 processor in India coupled with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. There are two options in terms of onboard storage i.e. 128GB and 512GB, which can be expanded further up to 512GB via microSD card.

While, the Pixel 3 XL draws power from 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 paired with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 630 GPU. The inbuilt storage capacity options are 64GB and 128GB

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: OS and Battery

In terms of software, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro will be shipped with EMUI 9.0 on top of Android 9.0 Pie operating system out of the box. While the Galaxy Note 9 will run Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung Experience UX on top and Google Pixel 3 XL will run Android 9.0 Pie operating system out of the box.

In terms of battery, the Mate 20 Pro is fueled by 4,200mAh battery with support for 40W SuperCharge technology and 15W fast wireless charging technology. The Galaxy Note 9 packs a 4,000mAh battery with support for both fast as well as wireless charging. While the Pixel 3 XL is backed by a relatively smaller 2,915mAh battery with 18W fast charging support and Qi wireless charging support. So, the Mate 20 Pro seems to have an edge over the Galaxy Note 9 in this department.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: Camera

For photography purpose, the Mate 20 Pro features a unique triple camera set up on the rear which comprises of a 40-megapixel primary wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture + a 20-megapixel ultra wide angle secondary sensor with f/2.2 aperture + an 8-megapixel 3X telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. The front hosts a 24-megapixel RGB camera with f/2.0 aperture for selfies and video calls. The front camera also supports 3D facial unlocking.

The Galaxy Note 9 features a horizontally stacked dual camera set up on the rear consisting of a 12-megapixel dual pixel primary sensor with a variable f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture + a 12-megapixel secondary sensor with f/2.4 aperture. The rear camera set up supports dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation), 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. For selfies, there’s an 8-megapixel sensor on the front with f/1.7 aperture.

The Google Pixel 3 XL sports a single rear camera of 12.2-megapixel with f/1.8 aperture, and a 76-degree field-of-view. The rear camera is capable of shooting 4K videos at 30fps.The front hosts a dual camera set up which comprises of an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture + 8-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture 75-degree field-of-view and autofocus with phase detection.

On paper, the Mate 20 Pro seems to feature a better camera module, however the Pixel 3 XL also puts a up a good performance in spite of having a single rear camera set up. We advise you to refer to actual user reviews before taking a decision based on camera output.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL: Price in India

Let’s talk about the most crucial factor i.e. the pricing. The Mate 20 Pro is yet to be launched in India but outside of India it starts at EUR 1,049 which is roughly Rs. 88,400. The price in India won’t be exactly as converted here though, but it will still be in the similar range.

The Galaxy Note 9 price in India starts at Rs. 67,900 for the base model and goes up to Rs. Rs. 83,900 for the top model.

On the other hand, the Pixel 3 XL comes with a price tag of Rs. 83,000 for the 64GB variant and Rs. 92,000 for the 128GB variant.

CompareRaja’s Verdict:

All three phones come loaded with quality features and specifications. In our view, the Mate 20 Pro has slight edge over the other two but it’s still not a clear winner in all departments. The Mate 20 Pro is a powerhouse. However, although the Pixel 3 XL may lack in terms of power, but it has a good camera set up and clean software. The Galaxy Note 9 has S Pen which may appeal to some users. The Note 9 is also comparatively cheaper than the other two devices.

You can refer to our quick specs comparison below in order to take a final purchase call…