Camera comparison: Huawei P30 Pro vs S10+, iPhone XS, Pixel 3, Mi 9, Mate 20 Pro

Selfies

The P30 Pro is equipped with a 32MP front-facing camera, which is easily the highest pixel count on a selfie shooter in the flagship segment. While 32MP is obviously overkill, more important is the fact that it manages to capture a wide dynamic range and does so while rendering likable colors.

Selfies, indoor: P30 Pro • Mate 20 Pro • Mi 9 • Galaxy S10+ • Pixel 3 • iPhone XS

With the bright sunlight straight in Will's face, the P30 Pro manages to prevent blowing out highlights and makes for an overall balanced exposure. There's perhaps a bit of a greenish tint to the P30's shot, but nowhere near the straight-up green rendition of the Mi 9. The iPhone is the warmest, predictably, the Galaxy has exposed the brightest, with the red channel blown out in brightly lit areas of the face. The Pixel, meanwhile, has the familiar gritty sharpened facial texture, but also the darkest rendition of our model's hair.

Selfies, harsh light: P30 Pro • Mate 20 Pro • Mi 9 • Galaxy S10+ • Pixel 3 • iPhone XS

In our most difficult test scene, the P30 Pro does admirably, keeping Will's face well exposed while also preserving detail in the extreme highlights in the sky and clouds. Huawei's AI HDR+ might be a lot of marketing letters, but the underlying algorithms do work, as evidenced in a comparison against the Mate 20 Pro's lesser AI HDR.

A case could be made that the P30 Pro is pushing it past what looks natural, but we'd take that over the fully clipped clouds of the iPhone and the Mi 9. The Pixel and the Galaxy are taking the middle road here and, depending on where your preferences stand on the punchy/natural scale, might be the best option.

Selfies, backlight: P30 Pro • Mate 20 Pro • Mi 9 • Galaxy S10+ • Pixel 3 • iPhone XS

Wrap-up

We bet you'd be asking where are the portraits, why so few shots of this or that kind, why no video. There's a ton more samples of each and every type in the P30 Pro's review, be sure to check it out.

With this shootout we were aiming to see just how great the new telephoto camera is, compared to what's available on the market. And, it's properly amazing, yes. It offers unmatched reach bringing subjects closer like no other, and captures high-quality images to boot.

Things did go a bit overboard once we got out shooting and our initial concept for a telephoto comparison expanded to include all three cameras in both daylight and at night. It wasn't a clean sweep by any means - the Pixel 3 will get an edge here, the Galaxy S10+ and Mi 9 there.

However the P30 Pro certainly felt like the most versatile of the elite bunch, never being markedly off the pace and always being in the running for the top spot. And this makes it a winner more than any of the individual victories it scored.