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

27 March 2019
Huawei's been bringing us some of the most meaningful camera innovations in smartphones over the past few years, experimenting with monochrome modules, image stacking, and night mode, off the top of our heads. The Huawei P30 Pro is now official and it's got a new trick up its sleeve - a periscope telephoto camera.

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ThaneofCawdor, 28 Mar 2019Mi 9? not really https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idTy... moreMacbeth, is that you?

    Kua, 28 Mar 2019P30 photos look like no color, Pixel 3 is the best. Surpris... moreMi 9? not really
    https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone3=7555&idCamera1=300585&idCamera2=300598

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      • Pete L
      • sR3
      • 28 Mar 2019

      Why wasn't the Nokia 9 Pureview included in the comparison? The only aspect it would not have been competitive is the lack of a telephoto zoom.

        finally a phone camera that beats Sony XZ2, and very similar to the King: Moto X force.
        https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=4&idPhone1=9082&idPhone3=7555&idCamera2=300598
        But low light champion is still XZ2 (yes, XZ3 is not as good)
        https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=9082&idPhone3=7555&idCamera2=300598

          • S
          • Sangkom 1
          • PWs
          • 28 Mar 2019

          Thanks for the comparison. You guys did a good job as always.

          Just a comment here. In normal life, it could be a situation that 3x zoom is enough and 5x zoom is just too much. In this 3x zoom case, does P30 Pro image better than Mate 20 Pro?

            • M
            • Masrk
            • jiW
            • 28 Mar 2019

            Am I blind, or the P30 colors look worst of all??? The Sky looks blue in Pixel 3, but much less blue in P30.

              • K
              • Kua
              • jiW
              • 28 Mar 2019

              P30 photos look like no color, Pixel 3 is the best. Surprisingly Mi9 also very nice.

                Anonymous, 28 Mar 2019Infamous cardboard look? Never heard of it, except from you.You don't hear it. You see it.

                  Shui8, 28 Mar 2019If u can use Night Mode on 40mp option, then its the Ultra ... moreAh, thanks for the heads. Didn't know that.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • XNk
                    • 28 Mar 2019

                    vrvly, 27 Mar 2019Would add dslr, xperia1 and 2x zoom, mi9 would definitely l... moreXperia 1 is not even out yet. Sony is moving too slow.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • XNk
                      • 28 Mar 2019

                      SpiritWolf, 28 Mar 2019Mostly edge to edge sharpness. Grass rendering. Samsung pho... moreInfamous cardboard look? Never heard of it, except from you.

                        VectorR, 28 Mar 2019I see nothing wrong in demanding of outstanding video quali... moreYou are right. It isn't. But I will gladly pay twice the price to get roughly 25% better stills. I am too old and too lazy to carry my DSLR every time and everywhere. About video, it's really seldom when I use it and 1080p video quality is pretty OK. Enough for me.

                          • C
                          • CHAOSNIGHTMARE
                          • 8WK
                          • 28 Mar 2019

                          Walter C. Dornez, 27 Mar 2019Agreed. Though, you must admit, it seems everybody needs ca... morethe p30 pro camera is better than it seems, but for some reason huawei keeps it capped at 10mpx, look at the full 40mpx samples in the review article and the difference in detail is amazing compared with the 10mpx samples, exposure time, dynamic range and ISO is about the same so I don't see any reason to shoot at 10mpx instead 40mpx.

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                            • CHAOSNIGHTMARE
                            • 8WK
                            • 28 Mar 2019

                            In this comparison Pixel photos looks sightly sharper and more detailed than huawei lower resolution photos, however this is by far not the best P30 pro can do, look at the P30 pro review article in camera section at the full 40mpx samples compared with the AI default 10mpx default photos and the differfence in detail is huge also the post-processing sharpening is gone, the dynamic range and exposure time (wich seems to be lower for P30 pro than for most competition under similar conditions) is about the same for both 10mpx and 40mpx resolutions, so I don't even know why Huawei decided to keep the 10mpx as default mode but with such good quality sensor this camera in 40mpx mode can obliterate competition also in good light conditions.

                              • S
                              • Shui8
                              • KZ8
                              • 28 Mar 2019

                              SpiritWolf, 28 Mar 2019Mostly edge to edge sharpness. Grass rendering. Samsung pho... moreIf u can use Night Mode on 40mp option, then its the Ultra Clarity mode.

                              Night mode = Ultra Clarity mode

                                SpiritWolf, 28 Mar 2019Fortunately, not all us are millenials who value video qual... moreI see nothing wrong in demanding of outstanding video quality in the phone priced like Huawei P30 Pro! And I will have zero complains about Xiaomi Mi 9 despite numerous drawbacks presented there. As I can see from this and other Mi 9 reviews, the photos quality and overall camera system capability certainly isn't more than twice worse as its price. That's my point. It all comes down to the price after all.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • tj8
                                  • 28 Mar 2019

                                  Dear gsma,
                                  please make comparison between samsung, huawei, and sony.
                                  I'm sure it will be fun to red the comment section.

                                    VectorR, 28 Mar 2019Completely agree. Half-working Huawei EMUI Android kills al... moreFortunately, not all us are millenials who value video quality over all. Best stills after Nokia 808 (doesn't beat it though, at least detail wise) and that you can't deny.

                                      cain, 27 Mar 20194k video is disaster !!! They do not allow us to have 4k 60... moreCompletely agree. Half-working Huawei EMUI Android kills all the pleasure to interact with the smartphone. Basically it turns it into just a pocket camera. And locked bootloader leaves as no choice. This and other inherent issues certainly don't justify such a high price tag. Also fresh sour taste of my personal experience with Mate 20 Pro clearly tells me: "No way I'll spend $1000 on Huawei phone again!". Xiaomi Mi9 looks much more attractive option among all batch of phones in this review. Especially with $484 price tag on AliExpress Anniversary Sale.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • sxr
                                        • 28 Mar 2019

                                        IrfanIrfan, 27 Mar 2019Where is Nokia 9 Pureview??!!None.. they must include nokia 9 pureview in camera test.