Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL vs Apple iPhone XS: Ultimate Battle of Flagships

The year 2018 has been an eventful one for smartphone lovers. The year started with a trend of dual rear camera set up and it seems to be ending with a trend of triple rear camera. Huawei launched its new flagship smartphone Mate 20 Pro that features a triple rear camera along with other spectacular features that do complete justice to its premium price tag of Rs. 69,990. With this price tag and specifications, the Mate 20 Pro will compete against the likes of iPhone XS, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 3 XL. Today, we’ll pit the four flagships against each other to find out who’s the real flagship king in India. The comparison will be based on several key software and hardware parameters like Design, Display, OS, Battery, RAM, Processor, Storage and Camera Set up. Last but not the least, we’ll also compare the prices of these four devices in India to see which one provides a better value for money.

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

Huawei Mate 20 Pro sports a curved glass body with aluminium frame. The glass back panel features a square camera module that houses the three sensors and an LED flash. The front hosts an iPhone X like wide notch that houses selfie camera and other sensors.

The iPhone XS also features a glass design with dual rear camera set up on the back, display notch and thin bezels on the front. The phone is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance.

The Google Pixel 3 XL has a similar design language as that of its predecessor Pixel 2 XL. It features a soft matte finish on the bottom part instead of a full-glass back. The front features a top display notch that houses a dual selfie camera and bears minimal bezels. The phones features IP68 rating for water and dust resistance along with Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as back.

The Galaxy Note 9 sports a tall phablet size body with squared-off corners. Unlike the other three phones, the Galaxy Note 9 does not feature a display notch and retains the 3.5mm headphone jack which is missing in rest of the devices. The Galaxy Note 9 features an IP68 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant.

In terms of display, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro features a 6.39-inch 2K+ OLED display with 3120 x 1440 pixel screen resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, a 86.9 percent screen-to-body ratio and 538 ppi pixel density. The Galaxy Note 9 bears a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display panel with 1440 x 2960 pixel screen resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The Google Pixel 3 XL sports a 6.3-inch screen with P-OLED display having a resolution of 1440 x 2960 at 523 ppi. The iPhone XS features a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED screen size with a 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution and 458 ppi pixel density. So, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro seems to have an upper hand here due to its larger display and better screen resolution.

In terms of dimensions, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro measures 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6 mm and weighs around 189 grams. The Galaxy Note 9 measures 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm and weighs in at 201 grams. The Google Pixel 3 XL has measurement of 158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm and has weight of 184 grams. The Apple iPhone XS has measurement of 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm and weight of about 177 grams. So, the iPhone XS is the slimmest and lightest of the four handsets.

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

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro draws power from the company’s flagship HiSilicon Kirin 980 SoC along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. The storage can be expanded further via Nano memory card (up to 256GB).

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is powered by an octa-core Exynos 9810 SoC coupled with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. There are two options in terms of inbuilt storage- 128GB and 512GB, both of which offer microSD support up to 512GB.

The Google Pixel 3XL is fueled by a Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and either 64GB and 128GB storage, but it lacks microSD card slot

The Apple iPhone XS is powered by A12 Bionic chip that’s based on a 7nm processor and comes with 64GB, 256GB and 512GB of onboard storage options. The phone features a 4GB of RAM.

All four phones provide good performance in terms of multitasking or running graphics intensive games for extended hours etc.

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

In terms of software, the Mate 20 Pro ships with EMUI 9 based on Android 9 Pie whereas the Galaxy Note 9 ships with Android 8.1 Oreo operating system with the Samsung Experience UX out of the box. The Pixel 3XL is shipped with Android 9 Pie OS out of the box and iPhone XS runs Apple’s latest iOS 12 out of the box.

In terms of battery, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is backed by a 4,200mAh battery with support for 40W SuperCharge technology and 15W fast wireless charging support. It also supports wireless reverse charging for charging other Qi wireless devices. The Galaxy Note 9 packs a 4,000mAh capacity battery with fast charging support which can last all day. The Google Pixel 3 XL is fueled by a 3,430mAh battery with support for fast charging. Apple hasn’t revealed the exact battery capacity of the iPhone XS, however it claims that the phone can deliver 30 minutes more battery life than its predecessor iPhone X. According to TENAA, the battery capacity of iPhone is around 2600mAh. Needless to mention that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a clear winner in this department due to its massive 4,200mAh battery.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Note 9 vs Google Pixel 3 XL vs Apple iPhone XS: Camera Output

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro gets Leica-branded triple camera module on the back that comprises of a 40MP wide-angle primary lens with f/1.8 aperture + a 20MP Ultra wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture + an 8MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture. The front hosts a 24MP snapper for selfies with 3D depth sensing feature.

The Galaxy Note 9 features a horizontal dual rear camera set up consisting of a 12-megapixel dual pixel primary sensor with a variable f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture and a 12-megapixel secondary sensor along with a telephoto, f/2.4 autofocus lens. The rear camera has a dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and supports 2x optical zoom as well as 10x digital zoom. For selfies, there’s an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/1.7 aperture.

Unlike most other flagship phones, the Google Pixel 3 XL features a single 12.2MP rear camera instead of a dual one. However, it boasts of a dual front camera set up comprising of 8-megapixel + 8-megapixel sensors.

The iPhone XS features a vertically stacked dual camera set up on the rear which consists of a 12-megapixel wide-angle sensor along with an f/1.8 aperture and another 12-megapixel telephoto secondary sensor along with an f/2.4 aperture. The camera has an improved TrueTone quad-LED flash. The front hosts a 7-megapixel RGB camera sensor along with an f/2.2 aperture for selfies and video calls.

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

Huawei Mate 20 Pro 6GB RAM variant’s price in India is set at Rs 69,990. The company has not yet launched the 8GB RAM variant in the market and is expected to do so at a later date. The phone will go on sale exclusively via Amazon.in starting December 3 for Prime users and midnight December 4 for regular users. The phone will come in single Emerald Green colour variant.

The Galaxy Note 9 arrived in India with a price tag of Rs. 67,900 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, while its 8GB RAM + 512GB storage variant was priced at Rs. 84,900. It is available in Midnight Black, Metallic Copper, Ocean Blue, and Lavender Purple colour options.

The Google Pixel 3 XL price in India starts at Rs. 83,000 for the base variant i.e. 64GB and it goes up to Rs. 92,000 for the top variant i.e. 128GB.

The iPhone XS base variant i.e. 64GB inbuilt storage is priced in India at Rs. 99,900, the mid-variant i.e. 256GB inbuilt storage is priced at Rs. 114,900 and the top variant i.e. 512GB is priced at Rs. 1,34,900. There are three colour options available for the buyers- Silver, Gold, and Space Gray.

So, the Galaxy Note 9 is relatively cheaper option as compared to the other four devices.

CompareRaja’s Verdict

It is really difficult to pick one clear winner in this battle as all four phones have their own pros and cons. However, the Huawei P20 Pro has a slight edge over the other three phones, thanks to its larger display, bigger battery, better camera set up and relatively lower price tag. Having said so, the other devices are good as well as they come loaded with flagship worthy features and specifications.

P.S- The iOS fans will anytime love the iPhone XS!

Here’s a quick specs comparison between Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google Pixel 3 XL and Apple iPhone XS for your reference…