LebGeeks

arached

Member

mate 20 pro or note 9?

so after approximately 3 years of use, my nexus 6p battery have arrived to its end (barely last 1 hour with usage) so now I'm in the market looking for a new phone. I would loved to wait after christmas so that the prices get lower but i doubt the battery will hold that long.
The cellphones that i'm looking for are the mate 20 pro and the note 9 (also I preferred the pixel 3xl but it's way overpriced in my opinion).
Both phones have the same price (with a better bundle with the note 9) but I'm lost which one to go for.
I'm looking forward to read your recomandations.

xazbrat

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

If you didn't say you were coming from the Nexus 6p (iirc close to stock android), I would say go with the mate 20 pro.   Huawei's EMUI is pretty heavy handed and it may take a while to get used to.  You can put in a custom launcher like the Nova or Pixel launcher, but even those have their limitations.  My recommendation is to go mess around with one a store and see if you can manage, otherwise go with the Note 9 or S9+ if you don't need the pen dIfference between Note 9 and S9+  The mate 10 pro's camera is arguably better, but the display is definitely better on the Samsungs--no argument from anyone on that.

Or if you have someone coming in from anywhere I guess, maybe you could convince them to bring you a OnePlus 6t with them.  :)

Mayyad

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Note 9 has always on display feature, which is very useful in my opinion, in the other side it lacks IR blaster which huawei has, it is not very usable but it wilk be nice if samsung reintegrate the IR blaster again.
If it was me ill go with the note 9.

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

If you didn't say you were coming from the Nexus 6p (iirc close to stock android), I would say go with the mate 20 pro.   Huawei's EMUI is pretty heavy handed and it may take a while to get used to.  You can put in a custom launcher like the Nova or Pixel launcher, but even those have their limitations.  My recommendation is to go mess around with one a store and see if you can manage, otherwise go with the Note 9 or S9+ if you don't need the pen dIfference between Note 9 and S9+  The mate 10 pro's camera is arguably better, but the display is definitely better on the Samsungs--no argument from anyone on that.

Or if you have someone coming in from anywhere I guess, maybe you could convince them to bring you a OnePlus 6t with them.  :)

Actually my mother and sister have huawei so I'm used to it but i would always prefer stock android or what's the closest to it.
I liked the article that you've mentioned and i think it's worth the 100$ difference between the s9+ and note 9 specially with the note 9 built in dex(no need for a dex station only a cable) and the pen.
Now for the camera, i like to snap some photos every while and then but it's not my number one priority specially that with the right software you can have the best photos(take the pixel for example).
But what concerns me the most is in term of performance and endurance
which one is better in performance term and which one would last longer with better performance. I don't want to pay this amount for a cellphone only to change next year(that's why i prefer the pixel 3 xl but it's way overpriced)

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Note 9 has always on display feature, which is very useful in my opinion, in the other side it lacks IR blaster which huawei has, it is not very usable but it wilk be nice if samsung reintegrate the IR blaster again.
If it was me ill go with the note 9.

till this day i still to remember a day that I've used the IR other for than prank. Yes it's a nice feature to have but definitely not to care about.
and for the always on display there's planty of apps in the playstore that can do it on any cellphones (but sometime messes the screen unlock).
Both features are nice to have but both aren't any deal breaker for me.
What i concern about more is the performance and the features/$.

bobo619

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Go with the huawei as it has the new generation processor which is built on the 7nm process compared to the exynos/snapdragon which are still using the 10nm. The kirin inside is 20% more powerful and 40% more power efficient. To top all that the 40w charging on the Mate 20 pro is leaps ahead of samsung's 15w charging, trust me when you try it you won't be able to go back. Lastly both use the same Oled display differences are solely based on manufcaturer calibration (saturated or not etc..) and preference. As for the UI both are known to be bloated just install nova launcher. As for the always on display i wouldn t use it as it makes burn in on the OLED screen and drains battery around 15-20% per day and whoever don't believe in burn just check your phone after a year or so of usage as all Oled has them.

Last edited by bobo619 (November 19 2018)

infiniteloop

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

If Vivo Nex was in Lebanon I would say get the Nex, but unfortunately no official dealer or grey market yet
I would get the S9+ like already mentioned unless you really need the s-pen, both will have the Pie and incoming samsung updated UI

nefe_lpmk

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Mate 20 Pro is ages ahead of any competition right now.
Topping every chart, topping Camera Dxo, fastest CPU + ai, OLED, 40W charging, wireless/reserve charging.
This phone has everything, only con I can think of is the ui, although UI 9.0 is making it a bit better.

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Go with the huawei as it has the new generation processor which is built on the 7nm process compared to the exynos/snapdragon which are still using the 10nm. The kirin inside is 20% more powerful and 40% more power efficient. To top all that the 40w charging on the Mate 20 pro is leaps ahead of samsung's 15w charging, trust me when you try it you won't be able to go back. Lastly both use the same Oled display differences are solely based on manufcaturer calibration (saturated or not etc..) and preference. As for the UI both are known to be bloated just install nova launcher. As for the always on display i wouldn t use it as it makes burn in on the OLED screen and drains battery around 15-20% per day and whoever don't believe in burn just check your phone after a year or so of usage as all Oled has them.

they say even the on screen navigation bar can do such burn but my nexus 6p (which have an oled screen) still to show any sign of a burn after approx 3 years of usage.
Don't get me wrong I'm not that into the always on display and I was against it at first because of battery concerns but it look now that it's the new trend in the future of cellphones.
still huawei is indeed better in all this terms but is it worth the price tag? huawei always used to offer the best specs with the lowest price tag always one of the cheapest in all high end devices but now the price tag is getting more and more ridiculous! 1000$ can be a down payment for car!
I'm sill waiting for amhaz to bring it maybe if he sell it at lower price it can break the price tag.
Meanwhile private cell is selling a note 9 bundle with multiple items for 833$ so is it worth the 120$ difference and without any decent bundle to get the mate 20 pro?

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

If Vivo Nex was in Lebanon I would say get the Nex, but unfortunately no official dealer or grey market yet
I would get the S9+ like already mentioned unless you really need the s-pen, both will have the Pie and incoming samsung updated UI

I wish alot of things was in Lebanon to have an easier access to them but nothing can be done. If it was possible i would get the oneplus 6t offering great specs with a decent price!

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Mate 20 Pro is ages ahead of any competition right now.
Topping every chart, topping Camera Dxo, fastest CPU + ai, OLED, 40W charging, wireless/reserve charging.
This phone has everything, only con I can think of is the ui, although UI 9.0 is making it a bit better.

None can argue about the mate 20 pro specs, but is it worth the price tag? Don't get me wrong but no phone I find it worth such price tags but lucky us that's the renewed trend for flagship devices!
private cell is selling the note 9 bundle with multiple items for 833$ so is it worth to pay 120$ more to get the mate 20 pro?

nefe_lpmk

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Mate 20 Pro is ages ahead of any competition right now.
Topping every chart, topping Camera Dxo, fastest CPU + ai, OLED, 40W charging, wireless/reserve charging.
This phone has everything, only con I can think of is the ui, although UI 9.0 is making it a bit better.

None can argue about the mate 20 pro specs, but is it worth the price tag? Don't get me wrong but no phone I find it worth such price tags but lucky us that's the renewed trend for flagship devices!
private cell is selling the note 9 bundle with multiple items for 833$ so is it worth to pay 120$ more to get the mate 20 pro?

Mate 20 also offers a bundle that includes wireless charger, car charger and other.
You are right that flagship prices has gone up hitting the 1k$ mark which sucks. But in my opnion, if you are paying nearly 900$ pay a bit more and get the best phone in the market now. One feature I adore about the mate 20 is the wide angle lenses, if you like to photograph landscape. Also, you are getting much more next-gen features than the note.
I would say either buy the m20 pro now or wait for S10/Note10 if you can.

arached

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Mate 20 Pro is ages ahead of any competition right now.
Topping every chart, topping Camera Dxo, fastest CPU + ai, OLED, 40W charging, wireless/reserve charging.
This phone has everything, only con I can think of is the ui, although UI 9.0 is making it a bit better.

None can argue about the mate 20 pro specs, but is it worth the price tag? Don't get me wrong but no phone I find it worth such price tags but lucky us that's the renewed trend for flagship devices!
private cell is selling the note 9 bundle with multiple items for 833$ so is it worth to pay 120$ more to get the mate 20 pro?

Mate 20 also offers a bundle that includes wireless charger, car charger and other.
You are right that flagship prices has gone up hitting the 1k$ mark which sucks. But in my opnion, if you are paying nearly 900$ pay a bit more and get the best phone in the market now. One feature I adore about the mate 20 is the wide angle lenses, if you like to photograph landscape. Also, you are getting much more next-gen features than the note.
I would say either buy the m20 pro now or wait for S10/Note10 if you can.

I wish I could wait so that the prices gets a little lower but my phone battery really sucks now and even tho i doubt that the s10 or note 10 will be amy cheaper if not higher.
Also this mate 20 pro bundle was only for the preorder now you only get the car charger which is meaningless.
So the question again is those next gen features are they worth the money difference (approx 150$ more)?
Keep in mind that the camera can't be compared because while the mate 20 pro beats the note 9 in the landscape, the note 9 also beats the mate in other scenarios like every phone  out there so they can't really be compared.

nefe_lpmk

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

In a time where mid-range phones compete with flagships, I would either buy the best flagship available (mate 20 pro) or settle for a good mid-ranged phone (pocophone, xiaomi, one plus...).

If your biting the bullet and spending 800$+, get the M20 Pro again for the following advantages:
-> 40 W charging 0->70% on a 4200 battery in 30 mins
-> Outstanding camera with wide angle lens (not available in note, will be available in s10).
-> Best cpu in the market right now (cpu not gpu), and AI capabilities built it.
-> Comes with android pie and promises 2 generations of update Android 10,11( where note 9 will only get android 10)
-> Cool but not so useful features: Reverse wireless charging and 3D scan + augmented reality.

Hope that helps you decide. finally dropping the numbers and specs aside, get what you like better and what you feel like holding for the next 1-2 years .

Last edited by nefe_lpmk (November 24 2018)

NuclearVision

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

One should compare mate 20 pro to the next generation note, not the current one, in my opinion Mate 20 pro is one generation ahead of note 9.
One more thing worth mentioning: Huawei phones barely slow down after years of usage, and quick charging feature is magic, i don't know the battery could handle 40 w over and over,seems like an overkill

xazbrat

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

While both have pretty bloated UI's, I would probably favor the Huawei in this case because Samsung seems to always have software issues.. One of the biggest reasons why they have issues is that they have to design software for both the Qualcomm  and their own Exynos processors.  While the two are similar, they are not the same and inevitably issues do arise as well as weird bugs.  To add to this problem, they have dozens of models of phones and the likelihood of weird glitches or bugs increases.  Huawei does have an advantage in that they make both the processor and adapt the software specifically for their hardware, much like Apple so while they have many models out there,  they will be have less issues.

Now, there are other companies that don't have the issues that Samsung have like Google and Oneplus as they have so few models out there that they can optimize the software to work with whatever hardware they are using.  Additionally, since these companies produce something close to stock android, updates will come out quickly.  Samsung and Huawei cannot say the same.

Since you do not appear to be a Samsung fanboy, go with the Huawei since you already have experience with them.

Ramim91

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Hello guys I am a Huawei user since the Mate 8, I tried the Mate 8, Mate 9, Mate 10 pro, and now I got the Mate 20 pro. Overall the phone is a beast in all terms. Amazing Camera, Screen, Battery life... All specs that anyone can have in a premium phone is here. When you put this phone in your arms you will know the feeling that I'm talking about.
But after 10 days of use I notice there's something wrong on the edge of the screen, there's a green-tinted light. The problem only appears when you are in a totally dark room and the brightness is on low levels.I made some research to see if the problem is common and I notice that many users worldwide reported this issue, and it seems that not all devices have this problem (depends on the batch, screen brand LG or Gorilla).I called the service center here in Lebanon, they were very helpful and understanding, they will replace my phone in 2-3 days until the new batch(batch with no problem) arrives to Lebanon.
I am writing this not to change your mind to buy another phone, I'm really happy with this phone and all features in it are amazing. But just telling you what happened with me and just to know this.
If you need any more details about the phone please let me know :)

nefe_lpmk

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Hello guys I am a Huawei user since the Mate 8, I tried the Mate 8, Mate 9, Mate 10 pro, and now I got the Mate 20 pro. Overall the phone is a beast in all terms. Amazing Camera, Screen, Battery life... All specs that anyone can have in a premium phone is here. When you put this phone in your arms you will know the feeling that I'm talking about.
But after 10 days of use I notice there's something wrong on the edge of the screen, there's a green-tinted light. The problem only appears when you are in a totally dark room and the brightness is on low levels.I made some research to see if the problem is common and I notice that many users worldwide reported this issue, and it seems that not all devices have this problem (depends on the batch, screen brand LG or Gorilla).I called the service center here in Lebanon, they were very helpful and understanding, they will replace my phone in 2-3 days until the new batch(batch with no problem) arrives to Lebanon.
I am writing this not to change your mind to buy another phone, I'm really happy with this phone and all features in it are amazing. But just telling you what happened with me and just to know this.
If you need any more details about the phone please let me know :)

Yes this is a common issue, but Huawei acknowledged that and are replacing all these "green" screens.

LifeEngineer

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

How r u liking this phone @Ramim91?!

I've been a long time Samsung user and have been stuck with my S7 edge for nearly 2 years now (ironic as I had an addiction on smartphones since 2009 HTC HD2 and had nearly every flagship phone since... until I recently made great effort to forget that addiction).

The note 8 didn't feel worth it for me (it has lots of compromises mainly small battery and weird fingerprint location etc...).
The note 9 looks much better but is still very expensive (I would LOVE to get the 8/512 version but not gonna go that far).

Now recently the Mate 20 pro caught my attention, especially with its the triple camera setup. I was always an advocate of the wide-angle camera (although ironically never owned an LG phone since the LG G2).
It is still very expensive.
Yesterday I went to Huawei and checked both the m20pro and the regular mate 20! I think the regular mate 20 (6/128) gives me everything I want without a curved screen and the gimmicky under-display fingerprint.

What do you say?

Ramim91

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

I'm really happy with this phone I choose the pro version because I like the design, camera and the screen more. But keep in mind that mate 20 packs a lot fewer megapixels. The Mate 20 Pro has a huge 40-megapixel wide-angle camera, alongside an 8MP telephoto lens and a 20MP ultra wide-angle lens. Meanwhile, the standard Mate 20 drops those specs to a 12MP wide-angle main camera, along with an 8MP telephoto lens and 16MP ultra wide-angle lens. I assume that you will notice the difference in night shots and in wide shots, plus the camera zoom. I am using the face recognition and the in display finger print, but the face recognition is good so most of the time I don't have to out my fingerprint (unless the phone is on the table and I'm eating or something). Overall my experience with Mate 20 pro till now is great and I'm over satisfied. I'm traveling next month I'm excited to try the camera and all features in it.
The 2 devices are very close and a bit similar but there's differences in camera, screen, biometrics. If you don't want to pay this much I think the Mate 20 is a great device, but if someone is able to pay for the Mate 20 pro, my advice to him is that it deserves every dolar.

nefe_lpmk

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

Just a note, the two camera sets may look identical, but the M20 Pro is higher speced than the M20

Salloum

Member

Re: mate 20 pro or note 9?

I'd get a OnePlus 6T. Out of these two, Note9.