Close to Getting Everything Right, But...

The Huawei Mate 10 is another phone released this year that I experience is close to getting everything correct, simply ultimately falls brusk. There are a number of great things about this handset, headlined by a fantastic price bespeak, though with stellar competition, information technology's hard to recommend it to everyone.

Let's first with the good stuff: The Mate 10 is a improve buy than the 'higher-finish' Mate 10 Pro because it includes a headphone jack, a microSD card slot, and it features a larger, higher-resolution display. Headphone jacks are even so essential inclusions on modernistic smartphones in my opinion, while the screen on this handset is hard to top.

It's big, thank you to its 16:9 attribute ratio, and information technology's the starting time Huawei device to push up to a 1440p resolution, which provides actress clarity at this size. The Kirin 970 SoC used in the Mate x is an improvement on the Kirin 960 that nosotros saw in the P10, primarily in the graphics department, which closes the gap again on the powerhouse Snapdragon 835.

The key add-on to the SoC is the Neural Processing Unit, though information technology remains to be seen whether this AI-focused block will deliver an reward in some workloads. And storage performance is every bit strong as e'er, topping the charts once again.

Unfortunately the Kirin 970 does throttle heavily, particularly in GPU heavy workloads. In this regard, the Kirin 970 is a regression compared to the Kirin 960, which is a disappointment considering its improvement in other areas.

On a less positive note, the design of the Mate x is quite slippery with glass on both sides, and a glossy cease to the metal edges. The bezels around the display are remarkably minor for a 16:ix panel, which helps to make the telephone as meaty as possible, however it'southward nonetheless a large handset and it is a bit too difficult to grip. The phone doesn't look as premium as the all-time designs on the market either, at to the lowest degree in my opinion.

There'southward too the issue of software, which just apparently sucks. I don't like EMUI, I don't like its visual mode, I don't similar some of the changes it makes compared to stock Android, and I especially don't like all the junk that's pre-installed. Motility over to the Pixel 2 Forty with its stock Android 8.0 and information technology feels a whole generation more modern, which is not good news for the Mate 10 that also runs Android viii.0.

Every bit for the photographic camera system, it'southward adept without being great. There are a few inconsistencies with how information technology performs indoors, and it lacks the top-end quality of phones similar the Pixel ii and iPhone 10. All the same, the simulated bokeh feature is customizable and works well (aside from edge detection), and image quality in sunlight and low light is very good. Plus the photographic camera app is packed with features.

The Mate 10 is currently available for around $680 through Amazon, which places it a few hundred dollars below competitors like the Pixel 2 40, LG V30, and Samsung Milky way Annotation viii. I feel this is a fair price considering the difference in quality; phones similar the Pixel ii XL and Milky way Annotation 8 in item are better, just they're besides more expensive.

With that said, if you are after a large-screen phone and just want a cracking display, excellent bombardment life, adept enough performance and features like a headphone jack, the Mate 10 does provide a decent pick at a lower price point. However, I'd still consider the cheaper OnePlus 5T if budget is a business, and I feel that if you're about to drib $700 on a telephone, it'south worth spending an actress $150 to grab the superior Pixel 2 Xl.

Shopping Shortcuts:

  • Huawei Mate 10 on Amazon, Newegg
  • OnePlus 5T on Amazon, Newegg, OnePlus.com
  • Pixel 2 XL on Amazon, Newegg, Google.com

Pros: Better features than the Mate 10 Pro, like a headphone jack, microSD card slot, and a fantastic high-resolution display. Decent peak performance with first-class bombardment life. Cheaper than like-sized competitors.

Cons: Software needs an overhaul to compete with Google. Kirin 970 throttles heavily. Slippery design isn't great on a phone this large.