Introduction
We’ve seen many compelling flagship smartphones in 2018, and the LG V40 ThinQ and Huawei Mate 20 Pro are amongst the most compelling ones. These two phones have plenty in common when it comes to sheer look, though they’re quite different on the inside, while their software is also considerably different. Both of these phones were introduced in the same month, in October last year, which makes them less than three months old at this point. If you’re thinking of purchasing a new flagship, and these two smartphones are on your shortlist, well, read on, let’s see which one is ahead.
Specifications
Design
Both of these smartphones are made out of metal and glass, and despite that, they offer considerably different in-hand feel. The LG V40 ThinQ’s back side is smoother, and thus more slippery than the Mate 20 Pro’s, as Huawei applied some sort of coating on top of the Mate 20 Pro’s glass backplate. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is also narrower, despite the fact these two phones have almost the same size display, with the same display aspect ratio. The Mate 20 Pro measures 72.3mm in thickness, while the LG V40 ThinQ compared with 75.7mm. The LG V40 ThinQ is taller, and thinner than the Mate 20 Pro. The Mate 20 Pro is a better solution if you’re planning to use a phone with one hand, as it’s narrower, and shorter, while it’s also less slippery. If we take a look at the front side of each of these phones, you’ll notice that both feature really thin bezels, and that both come with a display notch, the LG V40 ThinQ’s is a bit narrower, than the Mate 20 Pro’s. So, which one gets this round? Well, we’re more inclined to give it to the Mate 20 Pro, simply because Huawei managed to tuck in that display in a really narrow body, which is also shorter than the LG V40 ThinQ, and on top of everything, the Mate 20 Pro is less slippery than the LG 40 ThinQ, and its back looks much cleaner due to rear-facing camera setup and no rear-facing fingerprint scanner.
Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Display
These two handsets both come with OLED panels, though slightly different OLED panels. The LG V40 ThinQ features a 6.4-inch QHD+ P-OLED display, while the Mate 20 Pro comes with a 6.39-inch QHD+ AMOLED panel. As you can see, their resolution is identical, and both phones include Corning’s Gorilla Glass protection on top of their displays. The LG V40 ThinQ features Gorilla Glass 5, while the Mate 20 Pro comes with an unspecified version of Gorilla Glass, though it’s probably also Gorilla Glass 5. The Mate 20 Pro’s display is slightly curved on the sides, while the LG V40 ThinQ’s is flat. In terms of image quality, both phones provide great output, both displays are crisp and clear, with punchy colors, and great viewing angles, so chances are you will not object in any way here. This category is a real pain to compare when it comes to these two devices, as their displays are quite similar in terms of quality, despite the fact we’re looking at different OLED panels here. We really can’t make up our mind here, and will not give this category to either phone, their displays are on par with each other, so it’s a tie.
Winner: Tie
Performance
As far as performance is concerned, both of these phones are commendable, as they should be considering these are flagship phones we’re talking about. Both devices ship with flagship processors, though different ones, as the LG V40 ThinQ ships with the Snapdragon 845, while the Mate 20 Pro uses Huawei’s Kirin 980 chip. Both phones offer 6GB of RAM (Mate 20 Pro also comes in an 8GB flavor), and the rest of their specs are also flagship-grade. Now, in terms of sheer performance, both are quite smooth, though you will notice an occasional tiny issue here and there, which we usually attribute to Android overlays that ship on these phones. Both phones offer rather “heavy” Android overlays with plenty of added features, the LG UX in LG’s case, and EMUI in Mate 20 Pro’s case. The Mate 20 Pro comes with a newer version of Android, though, Android 9 Pie compared with Android 8.1 Oreo on the LG V40 ThinQ. This is yet another category that we will end with a tie, as these two phones are on par in terms of performance, and truth be said, we’re not exactly huge fans of either of these two iterations of Android.
Winner: Tie
Battery Life
Battery life sure is an important factor to many of you, as you do need your phone to last you until the end of the day, no matter what. Well, spoiler alert, the Mate 20 Pro has a considerable advantage here. The Mate 20 Pro comes with a lot larger battery, a 4,200mAh vs a 3,300mAh, and on top of that, it even has some added battery saving features that are not included on the V40 ThinQ, not to mention that it comes with a more battery-friendly OS version (newer version of Android). In our endurance test, the Mate 20 Pro offered a considerably more juice in day-to-day use than the V40 ThinQ, not to mention that the phone has considerably faster charging than the V40 ThinQ, and can get from 0 to 70-percent in 30 minutes. Both phones offer wireless charging, but Mate 20 Pro’s wireless charging is faster, while you can also use this phone to charge up other phones which support Qi charging, as the device offers reverse wireless charging functionality. The Mate 20 Pro is a clear winner here, no doubt.
Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Cameras
Most of you probably use your smartphone as your main and only camera, which is probably why camera quality is important to you. Well, chances are that most of you will not be disappointed with either of these two smartphones as far as camera quality is concerned. Both of these smartphones feature three rear-facing cameras, and we’re actually looking at a similar general setup here, main sensor plus ultrawide and telephoto lenses. Sensors are different, of course, but the general idea is similar. Both phones can produce really compelling images in both daylight and nighttime, though the Mate 20 Pro’s processing plus separate mode for nighttime shooting gives the phone the upper hand when the light is gone. The Mate 20 Pro also comes with ultra slow-motion video recording, 720p at 960fps. The LG V40 ThinQ can shoot QHD video at 60fps, though, which is something to consider if you’re looking for that functionality. Front-facing cameras on both devices are fine, nothing to write home about, and in both cases, you’re getting wide-angle lenses, though on the V40 ThinQ, we’re looking at a separate wide-angle lens. All in all, the Mate 20 Pro is the more compelling devices in the camera department, overall, as it’s really good in pretty much every situation, and definitely one of the best camera smartphones at the moment, if not the best.
Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Conclusion
On top of everything we’ve mentioned, it’s also worth noting that the Huawei Mate 20 Pro comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner, Leica’s camera lenses, and stereo speakers, while the LG V40 ThinQ offer 32-bit/192kHz audio, and DTS:X Surround Sound, while the phone’s audio output is tuned by Meridian Audio, so it may be the better option if you’re looking for high-quality audio output with headphones plugged in. Speaking of which, the V40 ThinQ also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is something you will not find on the Mate 20 Pro. With everything considered, however, we do believe that the Mate 20 Pro is the better option, as the phone simply offers more in more categories that matter, even though the V40 ThinQ may be your option if you’re looking for a true powerhouse for audio output, presuming you’re using headphones, of course.
Winner: Huawei Mate 20 Pro