Recently Xiaomi and Huawei announced their flagships for 2018 with Xiaomi showcasing the Mi Mix 2S and Huawei the P20 Pro along with the regular P20. The Mi Mix 2S is the successor to the Mi Mix 2 that was announced last year and the P20/Pro succeeds the P10/P10 Plus.
First lets talk about the Xiaomi's Mi Mix 2S -
The device like its predecessors which laid the foundation for bezel less display consists of a 5.99 inch FHD+ IPS display with a chin to the bottom. The bottom like the first Mi Mix houses the rear facing camera which is of 5MP. This placement is indeed awkward however the real deal with the device is being bezel less without a notch. Yes!! It has no notch and kudos to Xiaomi for that however the headphone jack is missing. The rear houses the fingerprint sensor along with the dual 12MP cameras with a flash and the orientation is similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The device is made out of ceramic and it weighs 189g. Xiaomi has finally included wireless charging with the Mi Mix 2S. This time the earpiece like the Mi Mix 2 is located at the top with a mini opening which is far better than the under display sensor (which made use of vibrations) with the first Mi Mix.
Speaking of internals, the Mi Mix 2S is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SOC which comes with 8 cores based on KRYO 385. The cores are divided into 2 clusters with maximum clock frequency upto 2.8GHz. The RAM provided is upto 8GB coupled with storage upto 256 GB which cannot be expanded. The battery capacity included is 3400 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0. The device comes with MiUi based on Android Oreo. The major difference from the predecessor is the addition of another rear camera and the SOC. Overall, the design from the front is quite similar to the predecessor however we can imagine the rear to be a ceramic Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The Mi Mix 2S comes in white and black colors with the base variant (6GB - 64GB) being priced at 3299 yuan and the 6GB - 128GB variant is priced at 3599 yuan whereas the high end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at 3999 yuan equivalent to about Rs. 40K.
Now, lets take a look at the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro-
The P20 and P20 Pro have similar aesthetics with a glass back. The P20 comes with an IPS display of 5.8 inch and FHD+ resolution. The P20 Pro on the other hand comes with a larger 6.1 inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution. Strangely, the Mate 10 and Honor 8 Pro come with a QHD display however FHD+ shouldn't be a deal breaker since it won't be power hungry. The fingerprint sensor is located to the bottom which does add up to some bezel and they do come with a notch. Well!! Bezel less it is !! With these devices Huawei has debuted a newer and eye-catching color tone and named it as Twilight which is a blend of 2 colors. Apart from Twilight the other colors include Black, Pink Gold and midnight Blue.
Speaking of the internals, the P20 and the P20 Pro are powered by Huawei's own HiSilicon Kirin 970 SOC which comes with a dedicated NPU for AI related algorithms. This SOC consists of 8 cores with 4 clocked at 2.4 GHz and the remaining 4 are clocked at 1.8 GHz and like the Snapdragon 845 is based on 10nm process. This SOC is also present on the Honor View 10 and the Mate 10 series. The P20 comes with 4GB RAM alongside 128GB storage however the Pro comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The battery capacity made available on the P20 is 3400 mAh whereas the P20 Pro gets a 4000 mAh capacity where both are capable for fast charging via Huawei's own Super Charge. Both these devices come with Android Oreo based on EMUi.
Now, lets talk about the cameras which are again Leica branded. The Huawei P20 comes with dual 12 (f/1.6 1.55 micron pixel size ) +20 MP (f/1.6 ) sensors at the rear where the latter is a monochrome sensor. Similar megapixel count and utility was also seen on the Mate 10 series and even the P10 however differences are with respect to the aperture size and the pixel size. The main highlight related to camera is that of the P20 Pro.
The P20 Pro comes with not 2 but 3 cameras to the rear.
1. 40 MP f/1.8 RGB sensor
2. 20 MP f/1.6 Monochrome sensor
3. 8 MP f/2.4 for 3X optical zoom
This combination is one of a kind where for the first time 3X optical zoom is made available (although 5X was showcased as a prototype with Vivo). Apart from the optical zoom we also get 5X hybrid zoom where digital plays its part. The cameras come with OIS and EIS for video stabilization and Huawei has touted the software stabilization as an AI feature and named it AIS. The P20 Pro and the P20 are capable of recording 4K at 30FPS and 960FPS slow motion at 720p resolution. The P20 Pro is capable of achieving an ISO level of 102400 which is comparable to a DSLR and the max achieved in any smartphone till date. (The cameras have got a DxO mark rating of 102 - P20 and 109 - P20 Pro however we do believe in real world performance rather than just a rating )
The front facing camera on both the P20 and Pro is of 24MP (f/2.0). Since it's 2018, AI has taken over in all respects and same is the case here. We can enable the AI mode for better shots which are prominent under low light since they do display images with better dynamic range and detailing. The AI utility can only be tested practically however on paper the cameras seem promising and might give a tough competition to the Pixel devices and even the S9+.
The Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro are indeed promising with the P20 Pro taking a leap in terms of features. The P20 will be available for 650 Euro and the asking rate for the Pro is about 900 Euro which indeed has made Huawei another brand to enter the $1000 mark. They will be released in many markets and the availability can only be confirmed later.
If given a choice what would be your pick - The Mi Mix 2S or the Huawei P20 or the P20 Pro considering the pricing and features ? Do share your thoughts.
Image source : Xiaomi and Huawei's official website
First lets talk about the Xiaomi's Mi Mix 2S -
The device like its predecessors which laid the foundation for bezel less display consists of a 5.99 inch FHD+ IPS display with a chin to the bottom. The bottom like the first Mi Mix houses the rear facing camera which is of 5MP. This placement is indeed awkward however the real deal with the device is being bezel less without a notch. Yes!! It has no notch and kudos to Xiaomi for that however the headphone jack is missing. The rear houses the fingerprint sensor along with the dual 12MP cameras with a flash and the orientation is similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The device is made out of ceramic and it weighs 189g. Xiaomi has finally included wireless charging with the Mi Mix 2S. This time the earpiece like the Mi Mix 2 is located at the top with a mini opening which is far better than the under display sensor (which made use of vibrations) with the first Mi Mix.
Speaking of internals, the Mi Mix 2S is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SOC which comes with 8 cores based on KRYO 385. The cores are divided into 2 clusters with maximum clock frequency upto 2.8GHz. The RAM provided is upto 8GB coupled with storage upto 256 GB which cannot be expanded. The battery capacity included is 3400 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0. The device comes with MiUi based on Android Oreo. The major difference from the predecessor is the addition of another rear camera and the SOC. Overall, the design from the front is quite similar to the predecessor however we can imagine the rear to be a ceramic Redmi Note 5 Pro.
| SPECS | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.99 inch IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 2160×1080 (18:9) |
| SOC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 4 Cortex A75 2.8GHz + 4 Cortex A55 1.8 GHz (Kryo 385 cores) |
| GPU | Adreno 630 |
| RAM and storage | 6GB - 64GB 6GB - 128GB 8GB - 256GB |
| Rear camera | 12+12 MP (f/1.8 and f/2.4) |
| Front camera | 5MP f/2.0 |
| Battery | 3400 mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5 WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz) GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou NFC, Wireless Charging |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Proximity Ambient Light Gyroscope Fingerprint |
The Mi Mix 2S comes in white and black colors with the base variant (6GB - 64GB) being priced at 3299 yuan and the 6GB - 128GB variant is priced at 3599 yuan whereas the high end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at 3999 yuan equivalent to about Rs. 40K.
Now, lets take a look at the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro-
P20 Pro
P20
Speaking of the internals, the P20 and the P20 Pro are powered by Huawei's own HiSilicon Kirin 970 SOC which comes with a dedicated NPU for AI related algorithms. This SOC consists of 8 cores with 4 clocked at 2.4 GHz and the remaining 4 are clocked at 1.8 GHz and like the Snapdragon 845 is based on 10nm process. This SOC is also present on the Honor View 10 and the Mate 10 series. The P20 comes with 4GB RAM alongside 128GB storage however the Pro comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The battery capacity made available on the P20 is 3400 mAh whereas the P20 Pro gets a 4000 mAh capacity where both are capable for fast charging via Huawei's own Super Charge. Both these devices come with Android Oreo based on EMUi.
Now, lets talk about the cameras which are again Leica branded. The Huawei P20 comes with dual 12 (f/1.6 1.55 micron pixel size ) +20 MP (f/1.6 ) sensors at the rear where the latter is a monochrome sensor. Similar megapixel count and utility was also seen on the Mate 10 series and even the P10 however differences are with respect to the aperture size and the pixel size. The main highlight related to camera is that of the P20 Pro.
The P20 Pro comes with not 2 but 3 cameras to the rear.
1. 40 MP f/1.8 RGB sensor
2. 20 MP f/1.6 Monochrome sensor
3. 8 MP f/2.4 for 3X optical zoom
This combination is one of a kind where for the first time 3X optical zoom is made available (although 5X was showcased as a prototype with Vivo). Apart from the optical zoom we also get 5X hybrid zoom where digital plays its part. The cameras come with OIS and EIS for video stabilization and Huawei has touted the software stabilization as an AI feature and named it AIS. The P20 Pro and the P20 are capable of recording 4K at 30FPS and 960FPS slow motion at 720p resolution. The P20 Pro is capable of achieving an ISO level of 102400 which is comparable to a DSLR and the max achieved in any smartphone till date. (The cameras have got a DxO mark rating of 102 - P20 and 109 - P20 Pro however we do believe in real world performance rather than just a rating )
The front facing camera on both the P20 and Pro is of 24MP (f/2.0). Since it's 2018, AI has taken over in all respects and same is the case here. We can enable the AI mode for better shots which are prominent under low light since they do display images with better dynamic range and detailing. The AI utility can only be tested practically however on paper the cameras seem promising and might give a tough competition to the Pixel devices and even the S9+.
| SPECS | P20 | P20 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.8 inch IPS | 6.1 inch AMOLED |
| Resolution | 2244×1080 FHD+ | 2244×1080 FHD+ |
| SOC | HiSilicon Kirin 970 | HiSilicon Kirin 970 |
| GPU | Mali G72 - MP12 | Mali G72 - MP12 |
| RAM and storage | 4GB - 128GB | 6GB - 128GB |
| Rear camera | 12MP (f/1.6) + 12MP (f/1.6 monochrome) | 40MP (f/1.8) RGB + 20MP (f/1.6) monochrome + 8MP (f/2.4) 3X optical zoom |
| Front camera | 24MP f/2.0 | 24MP f/2.0 |
| Video recording | 4K 30FPS 720p slow motion 960FPS | 4K 30FPS 720p slow motion 960FPS |
| Battery | 3400 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2 WiFi 2.4 & 5 GHz GPS, NFC |
Bluetooth 4.2 WiFi 2.4 & 5 GHz GPS, NFC |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Proximity Gyroscope Ambient Light Fingerprint Compass |
Accelerometer Proximity Gyroscope Ambient Light Fingerprint Compass Infrared |
The Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro are indeed promising with the P20 Pro taking a leap in terms of features. The P20 will be available for 650 Euro and the asking rate for the Pro is about 900 Euro which indeed has made Huawei another brand to enter the $1000 mark. They will be released in many markets and the availability can only be confirmed later.
If given a choice what would be your pick - The Mi Mix 2S or the Huawei P20 or the P20 Pro considering the pricing and features ? Do share your thoughts.
Image source : Xiaomi and Huawei's official website