Huawei P30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus vs Apple iPhone XS – Which Phone Would We Recommend?

We’re not even halfway through 2019 yet but some of the biggest brands in the market have already launched their most advanced smartphones to date. We have the Android titans, the Huawei P30 Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus and on the side of iOS, we have the Apple iPhone XS from 2018. Each phone has something different to offer to its users, so we decided to compare them and see these exciting new upgrades for ourselves.

Note: The specs listed below are based on the models officially offered in the Philippines.

Summary of advantages

Huawei P30 Pro:
• Larger screen size
• More storage options
• Higher main and ultra-wide camera resolution
• TOD 3D camera
• Higher front camera resolution
• Highest zoom possible (up to 50x digital zoom)
• IR blaster
• Larger battery with faster charging

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus:
• Higher screen resolution
• Corning Gorilla glass
• 12GB RAM option
• 1TB storage option
• Support for traditional microSD cards
• Higher telephoto camera resolution
• WiFi 6 support

Apple iPhone XS:
• Higher screen resolution than the P30 Pro
• Highest-performing CPU in AnTuTu
• Lower storage option
• 3D Face ID

Display

Looking at the display, we can already see how each phone is different from the other. In terms of screen size, the P30 Pro definitely wins with its 6.47-inch screen. Not far behind is the Galaxy S10+ with its 6.3-inch screen. The S10+, however, wins in terms of resolution and coming in second is the iPhone XS.

As for their screen designs, all phones differ to accommodate their front cameras. But if we were going to vote, the S10+ wins for having the Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED screen with a higher pixel count. The P30 Pro follows because of its tiny notch which is very convenient and placing last is the iPhone XS.

Camera

When it comes to the cameras, the three models also have different things to offer. If you’re looking for the highest resolution possible, the P30 Pro has you covered with its primary shooter at 40MP and its ultra-wide shooter at 20MP. It also has a TOF 3D camera for better bokeh effects and a much higher 32MP camera for selfies.

Main camera samples:

Ultra-wide (daylight) samples:

Ultrawide (night) samples:

Aside from having good low-light performance, its zoom capabilities are also incredibly impressive. It can do 5x optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom, and up to a whopping 50x digital zoom. Its zoom is so efficient that it can even take decent photos of the moon on its own – something that the other phones cannot do.

Looking at the S10+, it has a higher telephoto camera at 12MP. For selfies, it may not have the highest resolution, but an 8MP secondary accompanies the 10MP camera for depth sensing which can result in good selfies with the bokeh effect. For its zoom capabilities. It can’t match the P30 Pro in range, but it can take good photos at 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom.

For the iPhone XS, it has 12MP dual-rear cameras. The first one is the main shooter, while the second is for telephoto, and handling its selfies is a 7MP sensor. Its zoom capabilities can only do up to 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom.

Check out the zoom samples below:

Zoom samples:

1X

2X

5X

10X

20X

Huawei P30 Pro

50X

Huawei P30 Pro

Zoom samples (night)

1X

10X

50X

Huawei P30 Pro

The P30 Pro also rewrites night-time photography as it can also take very impressive photos in extremely low-light conditions without compromising quality.

Low-light samples:

In terms of quality, the P30 Pro is still leading at DxO Mark’s ranking. This is also evident in the samples we’ve taken and in our experience of using the phone for taking photos. The S10+ is not far behind and can still produce great photos and coming in last is the iPhone XS.

Low-light

Depth Effect

Sample 1:

Sample 2:

Sample 3:

Portrait mode selfies

Performance

This is the part where it gets interesting. Huawei and Samsung are using their most powerful chipsets to date- the 7nm-based Kirin 980 and the 8nm-based Exynos 9820 Octa. For the iPhone XS, it is using the 7nm-based A12 Bionic. Based on our AnTuTu benchmark tests, the iPhone XS’s A12 Bionic (based on a test done on the XS Max) performed the best, getting a score of more than 360K. The S10+ comes second at 336K, then the P30 Pro at third with 291K. Although there are considerable differences in ratings, one won’t notice the difference in performance for day-to-day usage.

Memory and Storage

When it comes to RAM, the S10+ wins for having a 12GB RAM option. The P30 Pro follows it with its 8GB RAM offering. The iPhone XS comes third at 4GB RAM but let’s consider the fact that it is running on iOS which is optimized to run well even at this memory capacity.

Storage-wise, the S10+ again wins for offering a maximum capacity of 1TB, with a minimum of 128GB. Coming second is the iPhone XS for providing a maximum of 512GB with options for 256GB and 64GB. The third is the P30 Pro for offering up to 256GB.

When it comes to expandability, the S10+ wins for having support for regular microSD cards. The P30 Pro is also expandable, however, you can only use NM cards. The iPhone XS, on the other hand, doesn’t have these options as well.

Biometrics

The three phones sport their own biometric security features. In the case of the P30 Pro and the Galaxy S10+, they have fingerprint scanners installed under the display for a more seamless design and both devices also feature Face Unlock. The iPhone XS, on the other hand, doesn’t have a fingerprint scanner but instead uses the Face ID. It’s different from the regular Face Unlock as this one uses an infrared camera for a more accurate scan of the face.

So, if you’re more comfortable using your fingerprint to secure your device and want more options for security, the P30 Pro or the Galaxy S10+ are the ones to get.

Battery

The P30 Pro leads the pack for having the largest battery capacity at 4,200mAh. Coming in second is the Galaxy S10+ at 4,100mAh, then the iPhone XS at 2,658mAh. All have their charging technology with support for wireless charging, but the P30 Pro and the Galaxy S10+ have a reverse wireless charging feature which comes in handy. However, the P30 has leverage over the Samsung as it offers the more powerful 40W SuperCharge technology.

In PC Mark’s battery test, the P30 Pro was rated at 13 hours and 3 minutes. The Samsung Galaxy S10+, on the other hand, lags behind at only 10 hours and 15 minutes. We don’t have data on the iPhone XS as of writing but based on our experience, the battery life is way shorter than what the other two Android can provide.

Price

The P30 Pro is available in the Philippines at PHP 50,990USD 869INR 73,660EUR 828CNY 6,328 with 256GB of storage. The Galaxy S10+ starts at PHP 55,990USD 954INR 80,883EUR 909CNY 6,948 for the 128GB model and the iPhone XS is the most expensive, starting at PHP 67,990USD 1,159INR 98,218EUR 1,103CNY 8,438 for the 64GB. For our last criterion, the P30 Pro wins for providing better specs for a smartphone at the lowest price.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you want a higher resolution screen and a phone that can provide you with 12GB + 1TB variant (at a heftier price, of course), take the Samsung Galaxy S10+. As for users who are looking for one of the best-performing devices in Apple’s iOS platform but don’t want to shell out on the more expensive, XS Max model, get the XS.

But for overall value, our recommendation is the Huawei P30 Pro as it is the smartphone with the best and most advanced camera technology (good enough to take a photo of the moon), a big battery with one of the most powerful fast charging technology, and impressive specs at a reasonable price point.