The Huawei Mate 20 was made official on October 16, 2018, six months after the Huawei P20. Two top-of-the-line focused smartphones from Samsung that are walking on their toes while offering a superior alternative to Xiaomi and OnePlus. Despite some commonalities, the Mate 20 and P20 are very different propositions. Also, they are not sold for the same price. So which one to choose?
Huawei Mate 20 and Huawei P20: technical sheet
The first major difference between the two smartphones, the Huawei Mate 20 is equipped with Kirin 980, the new 7nm engraved SoC from the Chinese manufacturer and founder. For its part, the P20 certainly has an efficient but aging Kirin 970. The P20 is also the brand’s last smartphone to run on the Kirin 970, an end-of-life SoC found on the high end and now mostly on Honor devices. Performance-wise, the Mate 20 is thus far ahead, even if once again the P20 is honorably doing more.
We can also mention that the Mate 20 is released directly under Android 9 Pie. The P20 is still below Oreo even though it will qualify for an update soon. During our Huawei P20 test, we were convinced of its autonomy. Know well that the Mate 20 is even stronger with impeccable durability. Its 4200 mAh battery lasts for 2 days with normal use (1 and a half days with heavy use), enough to satisfy even the most demanding in this field.
Another key feature of the Mate 20 compared to the P20 is the presence of a 3.5mm jack port for connecting headphones and a slot for the NM Card, the new memory card format introduced by Huawei. Therefore, it is possible to expand the storage, unlike the P-series smartphone, which ignores this feature.
| Huawei Mate 20 spec sheet | Huawei P20 spec sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 158.2 x 77.2 x 8.3mm | 149.1 x 70.8 x 7.65mm |
| Weight | 188g | 165g |
| Screen | 6.53 inch 18.7:9 IPS-LCD | 5.8 inch 18.5:9 IPS-LCD |
| Definition | 2244 x 1080 pixels | 2240 x 1080 pixels |
| Photograph | Rear: 12 MP f/1.8 + 16 MP f/2.2 + 8 MP f/2.4 Front: 24MP f/2.0 |
Rear: 20 MP f/1.6 (Monochrome) + 12 MP f/1.8 (RGB) Front: 24MP |
| BONE | Android Pie 9.0 EMUI 9.0 |
Android 8.1 Oreo EMUI 8.1 |
| internal memory | 128GB | 128GB |
| NM-Card | Yes up to 256GB | Number |
| connection | Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac WiFi | Supports Bluetooth 4.2, aptX HD, LDAC and LHDC 4G Cat.18, up to 1.2 Gbp (4×4 MIMO) |
| NFC | Yup | Yup |
| SoCs | Kirin 980 | Kirin 970 |
| data store | 4GB | 4GB |
| Fingerprint sensor / face recognition | Yeah yeah | Yes (front)/Yes |
| water resistance | IP53 | IP53 |
| battery | 4000mAh | 3400mAh |
| charging port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Fast charging | Huawei Super Charge | Huawei Super Charge |
| Wireless Qi charging | Number | Number |
| Colors | Black, Midnight Blue, Twilight | Black, Midnight Blue, Twilight, Rose Gold |
| Price | 799 € | 649 € |
Mate 20 and P20 screen and design
While the Mate 20 offers a 6.53-inch IPS LCD screen and a resolution of 2244 x 1080 pixels with a ratio of 18.7:9, the P20 comes with a 5.8-inch 18.5:9 IPS LCD panel and a resolution of 2240 x 1080 pixels. It’s out of size, so we’re not too far from each other. Even without OLED, we were amazed at the quality of the Mate 20’s display during our testing. Both smartphones have a notch. If the P20’s isn’t already big, the Mate 20 has been made even smaller with a waterdrop-shaped notch.
Bigger and heavier than the P20, the Mate 20 is harder to use if you have small hands. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the smartphone, while the P20 has a physical button on the front. This change allows to reduce the size of the border, especially in the lower part of the chin. Then it’s up to you to see what you find most practical based on your habits and the way you hold your phone.
Triple photo sensor versus two sensors of Huawei Mate 20 and P20
The Huawei P20 Pro was the first smartphone with three photo sensors on the back and caused a sensation with this feature. The P20 didn’t have that right and “content” with a 20 MP f/1.6 (Monochrome) + 12 MP f/1.8 (RGB) setup. Mate 20 offers 3 modules on the back, all RGB: 12 MP f/1.8 + 16 MP f/2.2 + telephoto and 8 MP f/2.4 wide-angle. The P20 was one of the best photophones released in the first half of 2018 and remains a good product in this area, but the Mate 20 is clearly above.
Price difference between Mate 20 and P20
Currently available for purchase, the Huawei Mate 20 retails for 799 euros in France. For its part, the P20 was marketed for 649 euros at launch. But with a little searching, it’s not hard to find for less. For example, the Huawei P20 is offered in the Orange store at a price of 379.90 euros, without the need to take a package with it. At this price the P20 seems like a better deal, with the Chinese manufacturer raising these prices a lot in 2018, especially with the Mate 20. Secondly, it can convince you if you really need a performance boost, photo quality or screen size and you are looking for a smartphone with a 3.5mm jack port.
