Huawei P20 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+

27 April 2018
1x, 2x... 5x. Zooming smartphone cameras are no longer a novelty - in fact a numbers race is forming. Asus' Zenfone Zoom couldn't make waves, but Huawei appears on the right track to do so with the P20 Pro and its 3x zoom camera. We figured we'd pit it against the Galaxy S9+ - the latest phone to come out with what's become the standard 2x zoom.

Sort by:

  • D
  • AnonD-755409
  • fwN
  • 28 Apr 2018

S9 privide provide images in natural way...

    • D
    • AnonD-755352
    • TCn
    • 28 Apr 2018

    vrvly, 28 Apr 2018If you dont mind overprocessed images, not using 40mp as ma... more"overprocessed images" Are you freaking kidding me. Look at all photos of natural objects, S9's image processing is clearly struggling to render them in natural way, producing buzzy grass, waxy leaves and flowers, and oddly sharpened rocks and mountain edges. To be fair it is working great on artificial structures whereas P20 Pro's processing smudges very fine details on something like buildings and roads.

      • H
      • Hoffmann
      • 8s{
      • 28 Apr 2018

      I liked it very much, when I saw you included images from various places on earth. These pictures from the Colorado Desert I would never expect to be shown here. Kudos for that GSM Arena !

        • r
        • r33fd
        • La8
        • 28 Apr 2018

        Summary:
        Daylight: TIE
        Low light : P20 pro
        Zoom: P20 pro
        Portraits: TIE
        Selfies: S9 plus
        Video: S9 plus!

          • D
          • AnonD-731363
          • SH3
          • 28 Apr 2018

          Well all its nice but any camera from Cannon or Nikon for just 100 can do much better photos than any of these two.

            • D
            • AnonD-755380
            • B{H
            • 28 Apr 2018

            AnonD-2869, 28 Apr 2018S9+ is winning in more areas of photography and in videos (... moreP20 pro has easy projection mode which is the same as Samsung Dex but doesn't require any docking stations. It also has stereo speakers and dolby atmos

              AnonD-145316, 28 Apr 2018You don't know what you are talking about my friend! P20 pr... moreIf you dont mind overprocessed images, not using 40mp as main resolution, not using available 4K, or not using selfie, its better. Not for all, however.

                • D
                • AnonD-145316
                • NY9
                • 28 Apr 2018

                Dr.iNov, 28 Apr 2018Huawei is the real winner here , they just cant accept that .True man! When you read the review it can't take you long to notice how gsmarena guys are finding it hard just to accept indeed Huawei P20 pro is the real deal!! Just read how they are trying so hard to sugarcoat S9+ i will say it again 4k videos don't matter at all! I can't remember when I have recorded with 4k resolution but most of the time i always do that with 1080p resolution which am sure most guys use that too. Please guys just take your time to watch other video comparisons reviews between S9+ vs Huawei P20 pro, and you will know why P20 pro is superior.

                  • D
                  • AnonD-755290
                  • Nq3
                  • 28 Apr 2018

                  S9+ photos in daylight are much better, More fine details, better color accuracy, SLIGHTLY higher dynamic range, SLIGHTLY less noise, no moire nor over-processing artifacts. However in Lowlights, P20 pro kicks s9+ out of the water, there is even no competition here. Any blind person "i will not say a photographer" will tell that s9+ low light photos are blown out " low details in highlights" with more noise and they are much less sharp. A true samsung fan talking here but what is the problem of admitting another company won in a certain situation!!! ..We have to admit it, p20 pro takes low light into another level. Look at the Eiffel tower or the viva casino photo!!!!!! Accept it GSMarena.

                    • D
                    • AnonD-2869
                    • PSc
                    • 28 Apr 2018

                    S9+ is winning in more areas of photography and in videos (thanks to easier navigation UI and variable aperture) and Huawei has come a long way too, but they have rooms for improvement. But, if I add in S9+ fast wireless charging, Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, DeX and 3.5mm audio jack tuned by AKG etc I'd say S9+ will be a more complete package for what it offers in current smartphone market. P20 pro is a good phone,too but because of fugly notch, I'd prefer Mate 10 pro with the similar speces, sleeker and more beautiful design!

                      Nice Comparison... As always...

                        • D
                        • AnonD-755352
                        • TCn
                        • 28 Apr 2018

                        Both phones are neck to neck in daylight photography with S9 resolving better details for artificial architectures, whereas P20 Pro is performing better for rendition of plants including grass and flowers + optical zoom. But man, I'm truly astonished by how much P20 Pro is better than S9 at night, and it doesn't even have OIS! The amount of details, sharpness across the frame, dynamic range, and noise level are simply all amazing. Samsung definitely needs to improve their image processing at high ISO, or use better sensor, while P20 Pro... Just add goddamn stabilisation for 4K video recording, please.

                          I have S9+. I am comfortable to the fact that P20 Pro camera department is marginally better. In smartphone flagship mobiles user almost same sensors and same tricks on computational aspects.

                          For a social media sharing, any of their cameras good enough. But it is good to see the competition to push the bar.

                          I bought S9+ considering other aspects as well.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • pp}
                            • 28 Apr 2018

                            Hats off to Huawei P20 pro....

                              Anonymous, 28 Apr 2018The best camera ins smartphone p20 pro The iverge..., The ... moreThe only downside of that superior camera is 4K video. Overall, this is the king of cameras in the market. I like the oversharp crisp photos and low light. It even competes well in S9+.

                                S9+ still king of smartphone photography.

                                  • N
                                  • Nick
                                  • TCn
                                  • 28 Apr 2018

                                  First of all, thank you so much for this excellent review, GSMArena. I couldn't find any reviewers who made a camera comparison review as detailed as your one.

                                  Those are key points I found:
                                  -S9+'s selfie camera is more practical because of autofocus.
                                  -For the main camera, in daylight, S9 has an edge when it comes to resolving details in artificial structures (buildings), whereas P20 Pro has a tendency to smear them and create flat-colored surface. On the other hand, P20 Pro is better at rendering at trees, grass and flowers. S9+ doesn't perform as good here as it tries to sharpen up everything to create waxy, buzzy looking mess.
                                  -P20 Pro wins when it comes to zoom range and resolved details, but S9+ has more consistent color saturation across any magnification.
                                  -In lowlight there's no contest, P20 hands down destroys S9+. It has wider dynamic range, lower noise level, better details and it's sharper across the frame. Funny thing is noisier output of S9+ isn't helping retain any more details than P20 Pro's at all, as you can see in
                                  https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p20_pro_vs_samsung_galaxy_s9_plus-review-1755p4.php#image13
                                  and
                                  https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_p20_pro_vs_samsung_galaxy_s9_plus-review-1755p4.php#image14
                                  Larger sensor on P20 Pro is simply reigning supreme here, though P20 Pro isn't perfect either. It tends to show slightly jaggier edges than S9 around highlights. But, it doesn't change the fact that P20 Pro is an overall better one when it comes to photography. By the way GSMArena didn't tell this, P20 Pro's optical zoom actually works even under low-light unlike the one on S9+.

                                  Video is a bit mixed bag for P20 Pro, though, it is on par wtih S9+ for details but no stabilisation in 4K is simply atrocious for 2018 standard... this alone makes S9+ much more practical solution for video recording. Color "pulsing" is something you can fix by turning off Master AI, it's a known issue. Also it should fare better in zoom when you're shooting in FHD in both since on 8MP telephoto sensor of P20 Pro there's not enough resolution to deal with 4K recording.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • kAF
                                    • 28 Apr 2018

                                    Geric.770, 28 Apr 2018"Even if you people argue each other which phone is the bes... moreThe best camera ins smartphone p20 pro
                                    The iverge..., The Dxo.. (insert 3-4 more here)
                                    It's almost like... Everyone has their preferences and subjective opinion.. oh wait

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • sxr
                                      • 28 Apr 2018

                                      AnonD-145316, 28 Apr 2018You don't know what you are talking about my friend! P20 pr... moreWell it depends on your preference. Huawei has a cleaner output in lowlight at the expense of details, as its processing chews details for breakfast. It looks good in screens though but upon thorough examining, you'll love how it creates painting. Other reviews even proved it, and count me in.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • sxr
                                        • 28 Apr 2018

                                        Very objective in stating the observations and findings in this shoot test. GSMArena lets its readers to take their own pick according to what they read. And based on the sample photos and findings, S9+ is still the better all rounder if not by miles. Huawei is still trying its best in the competition, but accept it or not, it still needs some tweaking given the triple camera set up which could be a good advantage.
                                        And oh the Pixel 2/XL, not in the scene, is a great performer. Though include zooming, then it can't match any of these 2 any day. And I leave it there.