Huawei Mate 20 vs Huawei Mate 10: What’s changed?

Huawei’s newest flagship smartphones, the Mate 20 series, are finally here. While a lot of brands these days seemingly offer incremental upgrades from generation to generation, this one is pretty significant. Let’s see how much more the Huawei Mate 20 offers compared to last year’s Huawei Mate 10.

Here are their detailed specs:

	Huawei Mate 20	Huawei Mate 10
Display	6.53" RGBW IPS LCD, FHD+ (1080 x 2244), 381ppi, 18.7:9, 88.0% screen-to-body ratio	5.9-inch 16:9 IPS LCD display @ 2560 x 1440, ~499 ppi, 81.6% screen-to-body ratio
CPU	Kirin 980 2.6GHz octa-core processor (2x Cortex A76 2.6GHz + 2x Cortex A76 1.92GHz + 4x Cortex A55 1.8GHz)	2.4GHz Octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 970
GPU	Mali-G76 MP10	Mali G72 MP12 GPU
RAM	4GB, 6GB	4GB
Storage	128GB	64GB, 128GB
Expandable storage	up to 256GB via NM card	up to 256GB via microSD card (hybrid)
Rear camera	12MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.8) + 16MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2) + 8MP (Telephoto, f/2.4) Leica Triple cameras, AI Stabilization	12MP RGB + 20MP Mono dual Leica optic rear cameras with dual-tone Flash: f/1.6, OIS, 2x lossless zoom, Leica optics
Front camera	24MP, f/2.0	8MP front camera
SIM	Dual SIM	Dual SIM
LTE	4G LTE Cat. 21	4G LTE CAt.18
Wi-Fi	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (wave2), 2.4GHz and 5GHz	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.0, BLE, SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC and HWA Audio	Bluetooth 4.2
GPS	Dual GPS, AGPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo (E1 + E5a dual band), QZSS	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC	Yes	Yes
Biometrics	~ Fingerprint scanner (rear mounted) ~ Face Unlock	~ Fingerprint scanner ~ Face Unlock
3.5mm audio port	3.5 mm	3.5 mm
IR Blasters	Yes	Yes
Features	- IP53 resistance - Invisible Dual speakers - App Twin - Google AR Core - 3D Live Emojis	- IP53 resistance
USB	USB Type-C 3.1	USB Type-C 3.1
Battery	4,000mAh battery with SuperCharge	4,000mAh battery with SuperCharge
OS	EMUI 9.0 (Android 9.0 Pie)	EMUI 8.0 (Android 8 Oreo)
Dimensions, Weight	158.2 x 77.2 x 8.3 mm, 188 g	150.5 x 77.8 x 8.2mm
Color	Emerald Green, Midnight Blue, Classical Black, Twilight, Pink Gold	classic black, champagne gold, pink gold, mocha brown

What did Huawei change in the Mate 20, coming from the Mate 10?

Larger screen size
Lower screen resolution
Lower pixel density
Higher screen-to-body ratio
Screen notch
On-screen navigation
Better performing CPU
Better performing GPU
6GB RAM option
New expandable storage standard (NM card)
Triple rear camera setup
24MP front camera
4G LTE Cat.21
Bluetooth 5.0
Dual GPS
QZSS
Android 9 Pie out-of-the-box
More color options

In terms of design, the Mate 20 implements a minimal notch design, as opposed to the Mate 10’s top bezel. We also see the removal of a physical home button, which the Mate 10 still had. Also, note the Mate 20’s curvier, more symmetrical design whose pinnacle comes in the form of the square triple rear camera module. We also get new colors like Emerald Green, Midnight Blue, and of course Huawei’s famous Twilight.

Looking at the display, the Mate 20 comes in with a larger screen size and bigger screen-to-body ratio, though bumps down the QHD resolution to 2244 x 1080. This is perhaps the only downgrade we will see.

Powering the Mate 20 is the Hisilicon Kirin 980, Huawei’s newest, most powerful chipset. It’s better than the Mate 10’s Kirin 970 in every way from power efficiency, graphics performance with its Mali-G76, AI with its dual-NPU, and even connectivity with a Cat.21 modem.

But perhaps the most talked about upgrade we have is the Mate 10’s Leica triple rear camera setup. If the P20 Pro is any example to go by, then it’s clear that Huawei really knows how to implement such a camera setup, whether it’s hardware or software features.

It isn’t just about the rear cameras though, as the selfie shooter gets an upgrade too. The Mate 20 has a 24MP front camera, which is a big bump from the Mate 10’s 8MP front camera. Expect better selfies.

The Mate 20 doesn’t have an in-display fingerprint scanner like the Mate 20 Pro, but it still does support face unlock. It still has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner like the Mate 20, but consider biometric security further fortified.

The Huawei Mate 20 is priced at EUR899 (~Php49,900) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and EUR850 (~Php53,000) for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The Huawei Mate 10 is currently priced at PHP 27,990. Local pricing for the Mate 20 Pro is yet to be announced.

Are you guys satisfied with how much upgrades the Huawei Mate 10 got over it predecessor? Let us know in the comments section.

Joey Maceda

Joey is YugaTech's Video Production Manager. He constantly puts effort towards his aspirations to be a filmmaker and journalist... when he's not riding his bike, playing games on his PC, watching anime, cooking, and petting his dogs.