Huawei P20 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 – The showdown

Huawei recently unveiled its P20 and P20 Pro smartphones, which are set to compete with flagship products from manufacturers like Apple and Samsung.

The new devices sport impressive cameras, an overhauled bezel-less display, and powerful chips.

Samsung has also focused on improved mobile camera technology with its new Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones.

The primary rear camera on the Galaxy S9 is the first mobile camera to have a variable aperture, which changes via a physical manipulation of the lens.

The Huawei P20 also sports an impressive camera, with the P20 Pro featuring a triple-lens system on the rear.

To see how the devices compare, we looked at the specifications, features, and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20.

Galaxy S9 vs P20

Galaxy S9+ vs P20 Pro

Cutting-edge cameras

Both the Galaxy S9+ and P20 Pro boast upgraded camera systems compared to the standard devices in their respective ranges, featuring dual and triple-lens cameras respectively.

The cameras on the standard Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20 are still impressive, however, and each has its own unique features.

Taking low-light shots using the Galaxy S9 is easy thanks to its variable aperture, which automatically adjusts depending on lighting conditions and can be manually manipulated in Pro shooting mode.

The Huawei P20’s camera is supplemented by an array of integrated AI features, made possible by the Kirin 970 chipset’s built-in neural processing unit.

This means the camera can automatically adjust settings depending on the subject of the photo, using its AI chip to perform real-time object recognition.

Both camera systems take excellent photos and videos, and both support slow-motion video recording at 960 frames-per-second.

The photos we took on both devices are some of the best we’ve seen from a smartphone camera – with the Galaxy S9’s variable aperture making a notable difference in low-light shots, and Huawei’s intelligent image processing finding the ideal settings for any subject.

Features and pricing

Huawei has overhauled its P-series design for its P20 lineup, with the new devices sporting a notched display which stretches across almost the entire front face of the smartphone.

Samsung has retained its curved, edge-to-edge display it created for the Galaxy S8 range for its new smartphones, although it has now managed to fit in stereo speakers while also slightly increasing the display coverage.

Both the Huawei P20 and Samsung Galaxy S9 sport modern, bezel-less designs, and both devices have a screen-to-body ratio greater than 80%.

The standard Galaxy S9’s display is an OLED panel with an impressive high-resolution screen, which is great for watching videos.

The P20 Pro has an IPS LCD panel which stretches around a notch at the top of the device. This houses it impressive 24MP front camera.

For users who are not a fan of the notch, it can be toggled on and off in the device’s display settings – effectively blacking out the display on either side of the front camera.

The Galaxy S9 and P20 also come equipped with fingerprint sensors – at the back of the device below the camera and on the front of the smartphone below the screen respectively – and facial recognition systems.

The Huawei P20 and Samsung Galaxy S9 are available at the following prices in South Africa.

Samsung

• Samsung Galaxy S9 – R15,499
• Samsung Galaxy S9+ – R17,999

Huawei

• Huawei P20 – R12,999
• Huawei P20 Pro – R15,499

Now read: Huawei P20 launch event in Paris – Photos from behind the scenes