Huawei or Xiaomi: Which smartphone is better to choose in 2020?

The choice between Huawei and Xiaomi in 2020 was a real puzzle for buyers: both brands offered competitive devices in different price categories, but with fundamental differences in approaches. Whereas Xiaomi was betting on aggressive price-performance ratio, Huawei was surprised by innovations in the field of photography and design – despite sanctions restrictions.

The year has been a tough one for Chinese manufacturers: Huawei faced a ban on Google services, forcing the company to develop its own ecosystem of HMS (Huawei Mobile Services), Xiaomi, in turn, strengthened its position in the global market, offering smartphones with pure Android and support for all familiar services. But was this decisive factor? Let’s see what models deserve attention through the prism of 2020 – from flagships to budget solutions.

2020 flagships: Huawei P40 Pro vs Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro

Comparing top-end models is the best way to understand the brand philosophy, with the Huawei P40 Pro embodies the company’s ambitions for mobile photography, and the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro demonstrating how to pack top-end hardware into an affordable body, and the difference in approaches is already visible in key characteristics:

• 📸 Camera: P40 Pro equipped with a 50-MP sensor RYYB (Improved light sensitivity), 40-MP ultra-wide and 12-MP periscope with 50-fold zoom. Mi 10 Pro responds with 108-MP main camera (with binning up to 27 MP), 20-MP ultra-wide and two 12-MP modules (telephoto). + portrait).
• ⚡ Performance: Both smartphones got Snapdragon 865, but Huawei used its own shell EMUI 10.1, and Xiaomi — MIUI 11 based on Android 10.
• 🔋 Battery: 4200 mAh y P40 Pro with 40-watt fast charging vs 4500 mAh at Mi 10 Pro with 50-watt charging.

Huawei's top trump card P40 Pro -- optical capabilities, especially in low light. RYYB The sensor can capture 40% more light than traditional sensors. RGGB-However, the lack of Google Play Services made the smartphone less versatile for the global market. Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, on the contrary, offered a “pure” Android with full support for all applications, but lost in the processing of photos.

Mid-range price segment: Huawei Nova 7 Pro vs Xiaomi Redmi K30 Pro

In the segment up to 40 000 rubles (at the rate of 2020), the fight unfolded between the Huawei Nova 7 Pro and Xiaomi Redmi K30 Pro. The first attracted a stylish design and cameras, the second - a frameless screen and a powerful processor.

The Redmi K30 Pro was a performance-enhancing Snapdragon 865, but a design-loser: its front camera was hidden in a cutout rather than a mechanical module like the Nova 7 Pro. The latter, in turn, boasted a more advanced camera system and 5G support (in some regions).

⚠️ In 2020, Huawei began to actively promote its own services HMS (AppGallery, Huawei ID, This meant that many popular apps (like YouTube or Gmail) required manual installation via the Internet. APK-files that cause inconvenience to the average user.

Budget models: Huawei P Smart 2020 vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

In the segment up to 20,000 rubles, the Huawei P Smart 2020 and Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 were the leaders. Both models offered balanced specs, but with different accents. P Smart 2020 focused on design and basic functionality, while Redmi Note 9 relied on performance and battery capacity.

• 💰 Price: ~18,000 rubles for P Smart 2020 vs. ~15 000 rubles for Redmi Note 9 (at the start of sales).
• 🔄 Xiaomi promised 2 years of Android updates, Huawei – only 1 year.
• 📱 Screen: 6.21" LCD Huawei vs 6.53" IPS Xiaomi (with higher resolution).

The key difference is the processors: the P Smart 2020 ran on the Kirin 710F (12 nm), and the Redmi Note 9 on the Helio G85 (12 nm), which performed similarly in synthetic tests, but in games the Helio G85 showed better optimization thanks to the Mali-G52 graphics accelerator, while Huawei offered a more “adult” design with minimal bezels.

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Ecosystem and Software: EMUI vs MIUI

In 2020, the gap between EMUI and MIUI became even more pronounced, as Huawei continued to develop its ecosystem, but was forced to abandon Google Mobile Services (GMS) in new models due to sanctions, while Xiaomi, on the contrary, remained fully compatible with Google services, which was critical for many users.

Let's compare the key aspects:

• 🌐 Global services: MIUI — Full support for Google Play, YouTube, Gmail. EMUI — Huawei AppGallery with a limited set of applications.
• 🔄 Updates: Xiaomi released monthly security patches, Huawei less frequently (due to license issues).
• 🎨 Design: MIUI 11 copy iOS, EMUI 10.1 offered a more unique interface with gestures.

For Google-based users, the choice was obvious: Xiaomi, but Huawei made up for it with its own alternatives: Petal Search, Huawei Mobile Cloud, Celia, and voice assistant, which in China and some Asian countries was not an issue, but in Europe and Russia, many buyers preferred Xiaomi.

Autonomy and charging: who held the longer?

Xiaomi traditionally led the way in battery capacity in 2020, but Huawei offered more advanced energy-saving algorithms, such as the Huawei P40 Pro with a 4200 mAh battery overtook the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (4500 mAh) in battery tests thanks to the Kirin 990 5G optimization and Ultra Power Saving feature.

Comparison of fast charging technologies:

• ⚡ Huawei SuperCharge: 40W (up to 70% in 30 minutes) P40 Pro, 22.5 W in budget models.
• ⚡ Xiaomi Turbo Charge: 50 watts in Mi 10 Pro, 33 watts in Redmi K30 Pro.
• 🔋 Wireless charging: 27 watts at Huawei P40 Pro vs 30 watts Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro.

Fun fact: The Huawei Mate 40 Pro (released in late 2020) was the first smartphone to offer 66-watt fast charging, overtaking Xiaomi in the race, but for most users the difference between 40W and 50W was negligible – both solutions provided full charging in 40-50 minutes.

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To extend battery life, avoid charging to 100% and discharging below 20%.The optimal range is 30-80%.

Design and Ergonomics: Who won in 2020?

Huawei in 2020 has been betting on premium design: glass rear panels with gradient overflows, metal frames and minimalist chamber modules. Xiaomi, especially in the Redmi line, favored practicality - plastic cases, thicker bezels, but also lower price.

Examples of design solutions:

• 🎨 Huawei P40 Pro: "shifty" Frost Silver, a square chamber block with the inscription Leica.
• 🎨 Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro: matte glass Alpine White, vertical camera module.
• 📏 Dimensions: Huawei more often offered more compact cases (for example, Nova 7 Pro – 160 g vs Redmi). K30 Pro - 218g).

Huawei was the ergonomic leader, with its smartphones thinner and lighter, and the location of the buttons and fingerprint scanner (in-screen or on the side edge) was considered more convenient, and Xiaomi was often criticized for being too bulky models (for example, the Redmi Note 9 Pro weighed 209 g).

Prices and availability: where was the best purchase?

In 2020, Xiaomi maintained a reputation as a brand with a better value for money, but Huawei began to actively reduce prices for older models after the imposition of sanctions. For example, the Huawei P30 Pro (2019) in early 2020 cost ~ 50,000 rubles, and by the end of the year it could be found for ~ 35,000 rubles.

Price comparison at the start of sales (Russia, 2020):

The bottom line: if the budget was tight, Xiaomi offered better options. For those willing to overpay for designs and cameras (and put up with Google’s absence), Huawei remained an interesting choice.

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Xiaomi won in 2020 in terms of price/quality, but Huawei offered unique technological solutions (especially in photography).

FAQ: Frequent questions about choosing between Huawei and Xiaomi 2020