Honor 20 Pro vs Huawei P30: can Honor challenge its parent?

Honor is known to be the sub-brand of Huawei, with devices that are usually cheaper than those of Huawei, although this is not always the case. The recently introduced Honor 20 Pro is a top of the range, which can be at the level of the best flagships of 2019. Although comparing it with the Huawei P30 Pro seemed a bit risky, we decided to face the standard P30 and see which of the two is better. Both devices only have one model for sale, which simplifies the comparison.

• Honor 20 Pro hands-on review

Design: glass and metal

Accustomed more and more to giant smartphones, we could say that we are in front of two compact devices. Both adapt well to the hand, although the Honor 20 is a little larger and also heavier (182g vs 165g).

Although the P30 is available in three elegant colors (mother-of-pearl, Aurora and black), the Honor goes a step further with its phantom black and phantom blue versions. The black version, which we have tested, changes to purple tones depending on how the light is reflected, an effect that undoubtedly attracts much attention.

The main difference in the front is in the location of the selfies camera. If Huawei's device bets on a drop-shaped notch in the middle, Honor follows the path that already started with the View20 and its hole in the screen. The latter option allows you to win more screen-to-body ratio, which is 91% versus 86% for the P30.

In addition, the two smartphones are opting for fashionable construction in the 2019 high-end range: glass back and metal frames. Although the Honor 20 Pro has a little surprise: it doesn't have a fingerprint reader under the screen like Huawei's, but is located on the side. Point in favor for lovers of this more classic unlocking method which, to be honest, usually works better.

Screen: LCD vs OLED

Without a doubt, the P30's OLED screen is one of its strong points. If we compare it with the Honor OLED panel, Huawei's device is a clear winner. The colors are brighter, the blacks more intense and the angle of vision is wider. That said, the screen quality of the Honor 20 Pro is generally satisfactory, but does not stand up to comparison with its rival.

In terms of size, the Honor 20 Pro is slightly larger, with 6.29" by 6.1" of the P30. It also has a slightly higher resolution of 2340 x 1080, which gives it a density of 412 ppi. A difference, which on the other hand, you won't notice, since both smartphones have a Full HD+ screen.

• Huawei P30: compact and with a large camera

Camera: Is 4 better?

I want to make one thing clear: the two smartphones are beasts. Huawei has worked hard to make the P30 Pro the best camera of the year, and the standard P30 is not far behind. Perhaps what we didn't expect was that Honor would do so well in the photographic section of the Honor 20 Pro. But let's see what makes them different...

If we turn the two smartphones around, we see how the Huawei P30 has a triple camera placed in an upright position, while the Honor raises its bet to 4 lenses.

For their primary lenses, both manufacturers rely on sensors from Sony. The Honor device repeats its bet on a 48MP IMX586 lens that we already know from OnePlus 7 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 9 or View20 itself. Its f/1.4 opening, one of the largest on the market, allows more light to pass through the lens, optimizing overall camera operation in low-light environments. The Huawei P30, on the other hand, has an IMX650 lens, in this case 40MP, and a smaller aperture, f/1.6.

Both devices complement this main lens with a wide-angle 16 MP and f/2.2 sensor, and an 8 MP and f/2.4 telephoto lens that features the amazing 3x optical zoom and a 5x hybrid. If up to here both cameras have similar characteristics, the Honor raises the bet with the inclusion of a fourth lens of 2MP and f/2.4, dedicated to the macro photography and with which you will be able to approach up to 4 cm from the object that you want to capture.

Does this mean the four Honor cameras will do better than the P30? We'll have to wait for our first analysis to find out. If so, and taking into account the excellent results of the Huawei device, it would become one of the best smartphones of the year in this section.

Performance: extras make the difference

If we analyze the hardware, the two devices have similar characteristics. Both have the house's star processor, the HiSilicon Kirin 980 manufactured in 7 nm and accompanied by a Mali-G76 GPU. As for RAM, they share 8 GB, a figure only the height of the largest. They differ, of course, in the internal storage. While the 128GB of the Huawei P30 is not bad, the Honor doubles that figure to reach a huge 256GB but not expandable. On the other hand, the Huawei device can extend its capacity by means of an NM card (no microSD), in addition to having a mini-jack connection, a couple of extra functions that give it more value.

As for the software, both work with Android 9 Pie as could not be otherwise, although each with its own layer of customization. Huawei continues to bet on EMUI in its version 9.1. Honor, on the other hand, counts with Magic UI 2.1, that although it is an independent interface, maintains many in common with EMUI.

Autonomy should not be a problem

In my analysis of the P30, I was surprised by its battery, able to reach a day and a half of autonomy practically without disheveling, thanks to its 3650 mAh. Under the paper, the Honor 20 Pro should make it even better, as it reaches 4000 mAh, although it also has to deal with a bigger screen, and it sure consumes more battery. We'll have to wait for our full analysis to see the results.

Both devices feature a fast charge system powered by a 22.5W SuperCharge charger, capable of reaching 50% battery capacity in just half an hour. If you're looking for wireless charging, don't count on either.

A little brother who's learned all the tricks

Although I loved the Huawei P30 during the days I tried it, I have to say that Honor has done its job very well, and even more so if we look at a key feature: its price. The Honor 20 Pro comes at a selling price of €599, exactly €150 less than the P30. Although today it is possible to find the Huawei terminal at a slightly lower price, its technical specifications do not seem to me to be much better than those of Honor. While it has a better display, a more compact size, headphone jack output and memory expansion via NM card, Honor can claim that its battery has more mAh, has an extra camera (tests will tell us if it's really necessary) and double the storage. Although logic tells us that Huawei's flagship has to be better than the high end of Honor, I have my doubts...

And you, which one would you prefer to buy?