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Huawei P30 vs. Galaxy S10 vs. Pixel 3: Cameras, battery and all the specs

Here's where Huawei's new flagship phone fits into the competition.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
Angela Lang/CNET

The new Huawei P30 isn't just any phone. It's shaping up to be an Android powerhouse designed to challenge the Galaxy S10 and Google's  Pixel 3  on nearly every front that matters: screen size, battery life and -- most important of all -- the cameras. (The even more advanced Huawei P30 Pro has four rear cameras.)

It's hard to overstate the importance of camera quality as a key consideration for phone buyers, and it isn't just automatic mode that people care about. Portrait mode, low-light shots and other tricks for making shots more artistically impressive are also wrapped into people's search for the "best" phone camera that money can buy.  Phones  such as the Huawei P30 and Pixel 3 have a dedicated night mode that, for some, could make them more attractive options than the Galaxy S10.

Both the P30 and Galaxy S10 have three rear cameras and one front-facing camera. Google's Pixel 3 has just one rear camera, but photo quality is excellent. Google gave it two front-facing lenses, however, and all three phones will give you portrait selfies. 

Huawei P30 Pro's four rear cameras from every angle

See all photos

The P30's megapixel count is much higher than the Galaxy S10 and Pixel 3, but remember that the amount of light that streams in and the way that the software processes photos are both more important than the number of pixels a camera has on the final effect. 

One area where a large pixel count can come as an advantage is with zooming in (or cropping in) on details, but there are plenty of other phones that do a nice job of that without extremely high pixel counts.

Moving on from cameras, the Galaxy S10's ability to wirelessly charge another device -- say a phone, a watch or earbuds -- is a utility that helps  Samsung's  phone stand out against the Huawei P30. It's notable because the more expensive and robust P30 Pro does have this feature. Where Samsung made its Wireless PowerShare universal across all its S10 phones (even the cheapest Galaxy S10E), Huawei used it to differentiate between its two models.

Huawei P30 specs vs. Galaxy S10 vs. Pixel 3


Huawei P30Samsung Galaxy S10Google Pixel 3
Display size, resolution 6.1-inch OLED; 2,340x1,080-pixels6.1-inch AMOLED; 3,040x1,440-pixels5.5-inch "flexible" OLED; 2,280x1,080 pixels
Pixel density 422 ppi550 ppi443 ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 5.9x2.8x0.3 in
5.9x2.77x0.31 in5.7x2.7x0.3 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 149x71.4x7.8 mm
149.9x70.4x7.8 mm145.6x68.2x7.9 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.8 oz; 165 g5.53 oz; 157 g5.2 oz; 148 g
Mobile software Android 9.0 with EMIU 9.1Android 9.0 with Samsung One UIAndroid 9 Pie
Camera 40-megapixel (standard), 20-megapixel (ultra wide), 8-megapixel 3x optical zoom12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)12.2-megapixel
Front-facing camera 32-megapixel10-megapixelDual 8-megapixel
Video capture 4K4K4K
Processor Kirin 980 processorOcta-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (2.5GHz + 1.6GHz octa-core)
Storage 128GB128GB, 512GB64GB, 128GB
RAM 6GB8GB4GB
Expandable storage Up to 256GB with proprietary NM cardUp to 512GBNone
Battery 3,650 mAh3,400 mAh2,915 mAh
Fingerprint sensor In-screen (optical)In-screen (ultrasonic)Back cover
Connector USB-CUSB-CUSB-C
Headphone jack YesYesNo
Special features Camera night mode, IP53 water resistance Wireless PowerShare; hole punch screen notch; water resistant (IP68); Fast Wireless Charging 2.0IPX8, wireless charging support, Pixel Buds USB-C headphones in the box
Price off-contract (USD) Converts to $920$900$799 (64GB); $899 (128GB)
Price (GBP) £699£799£739 (64GB); £839 (128GB)
Price (AUD) AU$1,099AU$1,349AU$1,199 (64GB); AU$1,349 (128GB)