Phone Comparisons: Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T

The time has come to compare the Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7T. These are essentially flagships from both companies. Huawei did announce the Mate 30 Pro after the P30 Pro, but that device does not include Google’s services, and is not available in the vast majority of markets, which is why we opted for the P30 Pro instead.

The OnePlus 7T Pro is considered to be more powerful than the 7T, but not by much. Besides, the OnePlus 7T is more widely available than the 7T Pro. In any case, the Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T seems like a perfect comparison when these two companies are concerned. Each of these two devices has a lot to offer, it’s all a matter of preference.

We’ll do our best to show you in which category each of these devices shines. Some of these categories may surprise you, of course. Each of these two devices is still very much worth buying, and if you’d like to know more about them, read on, let’s kick off this comparison.

Specs

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Design

Both the Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7T are made out of metal and glass. These two phones do feel different in-hand, though. The Huawei P30 Pro is narrower and shorter, but it’s a bit thicker than the OnePlus 7T. The two phones weigh about the same, around 190 grams. The Huawei Pro has fewer curves than the OnePlus 7T. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a curvy device, but there’s are two spots where it’s flat, and the 7T is not.

We’re talking about the bottom and the top of the P30 Pro. Those two places are flat, while they’re not on the 7T. That makes the Huawei P30 Pro less slippery in the hand, but it also makes its edges feel a bit sharp when you’re holding it. Holding the device is not uncomfortable, or anything of the sort, but it’s something worth noting. Both devices are actually really good ergonomically, the only question is, what do you prefer. The P30 Pro is a bit easier to hold, due to its narrowness and flat bottom, but it’s also quite slippery, same as the 7T.

Both phones have really thin bezels, and rounded corners. The same goes for the corners of their displays, which are rounded as well. Speaking of which, both phones include display notches, the P30 Pro comes with a dewdrop notch, while the OnePlus 7T includes a waterdrop notch. Both of those notches are fairly minimal, which is a good thing.

Rear camera modules on both phones protrude a bit. The Huawei P30 Pro includes one more camera than the OnePlus 7T on the back. Both devices are curved on the back, which helps with the in-hand feel, but doesn’t make them less slippery. Neither of the two phones have a 3.5mm headphone jack, by the way. Both of these are fairly nice-looking, and well-designed phones. There are some differences, as we’ve noted, so it’s up to you, what do you prefer more. In terms of the design, they’re both great choices.

Winner: Tie

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Display

The Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7T both come with fullHD+ OLED displays. The Huawei P30 Pro includes a 6.47-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) panel, while the OnePlus 7T ships with a 6.55-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Fluid AMOLED display. The P30 Pro offers a 19.5:9 display aspect ratio, while the OnePlus 7T has a higher, 20:9 display.

The OnePlus 7T’s panel offers 90Hz refresh rate, compared to a 60Hz refresh rate on the P30 Pro. That is one advantage that it has over the P30 Pro, but not the only one. These two displays look quite similar on paper, and you’d think that the image reproduction is similar. Well, it’s not. The panel on the P30 Pro looks a bit washed out next to the 7T’s display. Don’t get us wrong, the P30 Pro’s display is really good, but next to the 7T’s, it doesn’t seem like it.

OnePlus reduced blue light emission from the 7T’s display by a lot, and the display looks much crisper as a result. It looks better in comparison, as its colors are more punchy, it’s brighter to the naked eye, and also seems sharper, even if it isn’t. The OnePlus 7T’s display is also flat compared to the P30 Pro’s panel, so if that’s something you need, the 7T is for you.

All in all, both of these displays are good, but the 7T’s is better. You really do need to see them side-by-side, and also use them to feel the difference. This category goes to the OnePlus 7T, no doubt.

Winner: OnePlus 7T

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Performance

Both of these devices are excellent performers. The Huawei P30 Pro is equipped with Huawei’s Kirin 980 SoC, and plenty of RAM. The OnePlus 7T comes with a newer Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, more or the same amount of RAM, depending on which variant of the P30 Pro you compare it with. The OnePlus 7T does have faster flash storage, UFS 3.0 compared to UFS 2.1 on the P30 Pro.

So, the OnePlus 7T has newer hardware, can you notice the difference, though? Well, rarely. Neither of these two phones is prone to lagging or anything of the sort. We did notice slightly less hiccups on the 7T, though, but that is probably due to software. Huawei did wonders with EMUI 10, compared to previous versions, and it’s a great build of Android. OnePlus’ OxygenOS still has an upper hand though, at least in our book.

On top of all that, the OnePlus 7T’s 90Hz display is making a difference. Its high refresh rate display makes everything feel that much smoother when in action. To my eyes, 60Hz content looks choppy compared to 90Hz reproduction, though I do realize some people can barely tell the difference. All in all, the OnePlus 7T will win this category, but only by a hair. Both of these phones are amazing performers who can handle anything you throw at them, with ease.

Winner: OnePlus 7T

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Battery

When it comes to battery life, the Huawei P30 Pro is one of the best phones around. The OnePlus 7T has really great battery life, but it’s not comparable to what the P30 Pro has to offer. This phone easily got over 8 hours of screen on time in a single day for us, it even crossed the 9-hour mark on an occasion. We were basically unable to deplete it, even with intensive usage. Just to be clear, this information is based on EMUI 10 build.

The OnePlus 7T was able to get past the 7-hour mark consistently, but unlike the P30 Pro, the 7T was almost fully depleted at that point. That’s actually great, and it would beat the vast majority of smartphones, but not the P30 Pro. Huawei’s EMUI 10 software is doing wonders for this phone’s battery life, that’s for sure. Huawei’s somewhat aggressive memory handling has something to do with that as well.

The Huawei P30 Pro also offers faster battery charging. Not by much, though. The Huawei P30 Pro supports 40W wired charging, compared to 30W wired charging on the 7T. The P30 Pro is faster in this regard, but very little. Unlike the 7T, though, the P30 Pro also offers wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. Huawei’s handset is the winner here, no doubt.

Winner: Huawei P30 Pro

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Cameras

The Huawei P30 Pro is still lauded, by many, as one of the best camera smartphones in the business. Well, that is true, though the OnePlus 7T is no slouch either. The OnePlus 7T brings a ton of camera improvements over its predecessors, and is actually quite a reliable smartphone in that regard. The P30 Pro does have more to offer. In regular conditions, both cameras provide a great amount of detail, they’re quite sharp and offer great colors, with great dynamic range.

Both ultrawide cameras are really good in such conditions as well. The P30 Pro does offer some crazy zoom capabilities, though, unlike the 7T. Thanks to its periscope camera system, you can achieve such crazy results, and the images that the phone can capture using this camera are not half bad. Do note that the quality deteriorates considerably in low light, as far as the periscope camera is concerned.

Both devices are really good in low light, that goes for both the main camera, and the ultra wide one. Both phones offer a dedicated night mode which can make the image a lot brighter if needed. The Huawei P30 Pro does have an upper hand in low light, though. Most images captured with the phone offered more detail, and less noise. Though, surprisingly, the OnePlus 7T held its own, and truth be said, you cannot go wrong with either of these smartphones in the camera department. We’re giving the advantage to the P30 Pro, though.

Winner: Huawei P30 Pro

Huawei P30 Pro vs OnePlus 7T: Audio

What about audio? Well, the Huawei P30 Pro has one major disadvantage compared to the OnePlus 7T. It does not have stereo speakers. Both phones have a speaker set at the bottom of the device. Unlike the Huawei P30 Pro, however, the OnePlus 7T has a secondary speaker included above the display. Sound output, via its speakers, is better on the OnePlus 7T, mainly due to that secondary speaker.

The Huawei P30 Pro’s single speaker is one of the better ones out there, though. It’s really good, and loud. If you don’t mind the lack of the secondary one, you probably won’t have complaints here. Both devices support Dolby Atmos audio, and neither of them have a 3.5mm headphone jack, unfortunately. Both support Bluetooth 5.0, though, with A2DP and aptX HD. Sounds output via earbuds is great on both phones, that goes for both wired and wireless earbuds. As long as they’re good enough, you can get some great sound output here, with great mids. The OnePlus 7T takes the win here.

Winner: OnePlus 7T

The overall winner

If you count our categories, you’ll notice that the OnePlus 7T is the winner here. OnePlus’ offering won by a hair, though. These two phones are basically on the same playing ground. The OnePlus 7T offers slightly better performance and audio, while its display has an advantage as well. The Huawei P30 Pro takes the win in both battery and camera departments. So, it’s all a matter of preference here, what you need most out of the things we’ve mentioned. Regardless, both of these phones are great options.

Winner: OnePlus 7T