The Huawei P30 and Samsung Galaxy S10 are both considered to be flagship offerings from their respective manufacturers, but as many of you know, they’re not the only flagships from those two companies.
The Huawei P30 Pro and Galaxy S10+ are considered to be a step above the Huawei P30 and Galaxy S10, though the differences between those phones are not that big. We’ve already compared the Huawei P30 Pro and Galaxy S10+, so it’s time to do the same with the P30 and Galaxy S10.
These two phones are a better choice if you’re looking for smaller flagship devices, as they’re both smaller than their flagship siblings. These two phones are both quite compelling, and if you’re interested in getting either one of them, read on, we’ll compare them across a number of categories.
Specifications
Design
Both the Huawei P30 and Galaxy S10 are nice-looking phones, no doubt about that. Both devices offer extremely thin bezels, even though both have a “chin” below the display. Both devices are made out of metal and glass, and both are curved on the back, and quite slippery at the same time.
Handling these two phones is much easier than their more powerful siblings, as they’re smaller. The Huawei P30 is easier to handle in one hand as it comes with a flat display, and not a curved one, like the Galaxy S10. The Huawei P30 is a bit wider than the P30 due to its flat display, though, while the two phones are almost equally tall and thick.
The Huawei P30 includes a tiny waterdrop display notch at the top of its display, while the Galaxy S10 comes with a display camera hole in the top-right corner. Both are a distraction, and it all depends on what you prefer. The notch is easier to hide with the status bar, as its bottom part is closer to the top of the display, but it’s all a matter of preference.
The position of rear-facing cameras is also different, in the P30’s case the cameras are located in the top-left corner and are vertically-aligned, while the Galaxy S10 opted for horizontally-aligned camera in the upper portion of its back side. Both of these phones are extremely compelling in the design department, and are on the same playing field in our eyes.
Winner: Tie
Display
Both the Huawei P30 and Samsung Galaxy S10 include OLED panels but they’re quite different. The size of these two displays is the same, at 6.1 inches, but the display aspect ratio is different. The Huawei P30 offers a 19.5:9 display aspect ratio, while the Galaxy S10 comes with a 19:9 display aspect ratio.
The Huawei P30 features a fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) OLED display, while the Galaxy S10 sports a QHD+ (3040 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED display. The Huawei P30’s panel is HDR10 compatible, while the Galaxy S10’s is HDR10+ compatible.
The Huawei P30’s panel is protected by Gorilla Glass, but we don’t know what version exactly, it’s either Gorilla Glass 5 or 6. The Galaxy S10’s, on the other hand, comes with Gorilla Glass 6, for sure.
Both of these displays are really good, but the Galaxy S10’s is a step above the P30’s. The Galaxy S10’s display is sharper, it looks nicer to the eye, and the colors are a bit punchier. The fact that it has HDR10+ support is only a plus, and it’s hard not to give the Galaxy S10 an advantage in this category.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10
Performance
Both the Huawei P30 and Galaxy S10 are flagship-grade phones, and come with top of the line specifications. The Huawei P30 is fueled by the Kirin 980 SoC, while the Galaxy S10 comes with either the Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820.
The two phones also include plenty of RAM, 6GB or 8GB for the Huawei P30, and 8GB for the Galaxy S10. Both devices ship with Android 9 Pie, though software is considerably different on them, in comparison. The Huawei P30 comes with Huawei’s Emotion UI (EMUI) skin, while the Galaxy S10 features One UI on top of Android 9 Pie.
Despite the different approach to software, both of these phones offer a ton of features, and stellar performance. A stutter here and there will be something you may notice, but that’s pretty much it as they’re capable of handling anything you throw at them with ease. They are on par in this regard, as both devices will serve you well in regards to performance.
Winner: Tie
Battery Life
Battery Life is one of the most important aspects of a smartphone for many people, which is not exactly a surprise considering that people need to have their phones at hand all the time. Well, both of these phones do well in that department, they’re not the best around, but they’re really good in the battery department.
The Huawei P30 does better in this regard than the Galaxy S10, though, as it can provide more battery juice during the day than the Galaxy S10. The Huawei P30 does have a larger battery pack, a 3,650mAh unit, while the Galaxy S10 comes with a 3,400mAh battery. That battery size plays a role in the Huawei P30’s advantage, but the phone’s software plays a huge part as well, same goes for its chip and possibly even display resolution.
Both of these phones can handle plenty of usage, but if you’re a heavy user, the Galaxy S10 may not be for you. The Huawei P30 may be able to handle it, unless you’re really pushing the device hard with games. For the vast majority of people, however, both devices will be more than good enough in the battery life department.
Both devices offer fast charging, the Huawei P30 offers faster 22.5W wired charging, while the Galaxy S10 comes with 15W wired charging. The Huawei P30 does not include wireless charging, while the Galaxy S10 has the same 15W charging in the wireless department as well. The Galaxy S10 can also wirelessly charge other devices thanks to its reverse wireless charging.
All in all, the Huawei P30 takes the cake here. The phone does not support wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, but it can provide more battery juice than the Galaxy S10 on a single charge, while it also offers faster charging overall.
Winner: Huawei P30
Cameras
Both the Huawei P30 and Galaxy S10 have three cameras on the back, and a single camera on the front. The Huawei P30 utilizes 40, 8, and 16-megapixel cameras on the back, while the Galaxy S10 sports two 12-megapixel and one 16-megapixel cameras back there.
Generally speaking, both devices are capable of providing great-looking pictures in pretty much all conditions. In daylight, they both offer great-looking pictures with solid dynamic range, colors, and high detail. In low light, well, the Huawei P30 had the advantage until a recent update that the Galaxy S10 received, which introduced a plethora of fixes for the camera (and a special mode for low light photography), especially in low light, now they’re more or less on part in that regard. The Huawei P30 may have a slight advantage due to the level of detail, and a bit less noise, but they’re both great in low light… with dedicated low light modes, of course.
Front-facing cameras are really good on both phones, well, as good as they can be for selfie camera. Video output is good on both devices, though they both perform best when recording in fullHD resolution. These two phones are more or less on par in the camera department, the Huawei P30 does have a slight advantage in low light, and it offers you a chance to zoom in further without detail loss, but other than that, they’re on par.
Winner: Tie
Audio
This is one of the very few comparisons in which both devices offer a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Galaxy S10 does have an advantage when speakers are concerned, as it sports stereo speakers, compared to a single speaker on the Huawei P30. The P30’s speaker is loud and good overall, but it’s not match to the Galaxy S10’s stereo setup.
Both devices come with Dolby Atmos support, while the Galaxy S10 also comes with AKG sound. Both devices are capable of providing 32-bit/384kHz audio, which is best to experience through a solid pair of headphones.
Both of these phones are great in the audio department, there’s not doubt about that, but the Galaxy S10 does have an edge here. The phone offers stereo speakers, and its sound through a pair of headphones is also a bit richer than what the P30 has to offer, even though both are really good in that regard.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S10
Conclusion
So, to wrap up… both of these phones are great. Each of them has its own advantages, though the Galaxy S10 did win most of these categories, so it’s a winner of this comparison… only barely, though.
The Huawei P30 does offer better battery life, and it’s on par with the Galaxy S10 in many aspects, including both design and camera performance, while its display and audio are somewhat below what the Galaxy S10 has to offer, but not by much.
All in all, no matter which one of these two phones you end up choosing, chances are you’ll be really happy with what it has to offer.