Newsletter
We’ve seen some great flagship smartphones being released this year. Both Google and Huawei released truly compelling smartphones, and we’re here to compare their two most powerful ones. We’ll compare the Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro, two heavyweights. These two phones are quite different, in a lot of ways. They both have a very appealing design, great performance, and stellar cameras.
They do feature different designs, considerably different software, and so on. We’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Having said that, let’s get going, shall we?
Specs
| Google Pixel 7 Pro | Huawei Mate 50 Pro | |
| Screen size | 6.7-inch QHD+ curved AMOLED LTPO display (120Hz refresh rate) | 6.74-inch QHD+ curved OLED display (120Hz refresh rate) |
| Screen resolution | 3120 x 1440 | 2616 x 1212 |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 12GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) | 256GB/512GB, expandable (UFS 3.1) |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor, 1.2um pixel size, f/1.85 aperture, 82-degree FoV) 12MP (ultrawide, 1.25um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 125.8-degree FoV, lens correction) 48MP (telephoto, 0.7um pixel size, f/3.5 aperture, 20.6-degree FoV, 5x optical zoom, Super Res Zoom up to 30x) |
50MP (f/1.4-f/4.0, 24mm lens, wide angle, OIS, PDAF, Laser Autofocus) 13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 13mm lens, 120-degree FoV, ultrawide, PDAF) 64MP (f/3.5 aperture, 90mm lens, OIS, PDAF, 3.5x optical zoom) |
| Front cameras | 10.8MP (1.22um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 92.8-degree FoV, Fixed Focus) | 13MP (ultrawide, f/2.4 aperture, 18mm lens) ToF 3D (depth/biometrics) |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, non-removable, 23W wired charging, 23W wireless charging, reverse wireless charger Charger not included |
4,700mAh, non-removable, 66W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging Charger included |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm | 162.1 x 75.5 x 8.5mm |
| Weight | 212 grams | 205 grams (vegan leather)/209 (glass) grams. |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 4G LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Face Unlock In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
| OS | Android 13 | Android 12 EMUI 13 |
| Price | $899/$999/$1,099 | €1,299 |
| Buy | Huawei |
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro: Design
The Google Pixel 7 Pro is made out of metal and glass. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro actually comes in two build variants, both have a frame made out of metal, but the backplates are different. You can choose between glass and vegan leather. The model we reviewed included a vegan leather backplate, and that is much better for grip, needless to say. The Pixel 7 Pro is a lot more slippery in comparison. The weight distribution is actually great on both, that’s one major improvement that the Pixel 7 Pro delivered compared to the Pixel 6 Pro.
Both smartphones feature curved displays, but still look quite different from the front. The Pixel 7 Pro has a display camera hole, which is centered. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro includes a short and wide display notch. There’s a good reason it’s there, though. It includes tech for advanced facial scanning, similar to what iPhones offer. That tech ensures that your face gets scanned properly regardless of the light, which is not something we can say for the Pixel 7 Pro. Google’s flagship uses a camera only to do that, and it only works if there’s enough light around.
The devices also look considerably different from the back. The Pixel 7 Pro has a long camera strip, which is covered by aluminum. That camera strip actually protrudes from the phone’s left side to its right side. From one side of the frame to the other. Huawei opted for a centered camera island with neatly-arranged camera sensors. These are two considerably different approaches, and your personal preference will play a huge role here.
The two phones are about the same in terms of height, but the Pixel 7 Pro is wider, and slightly thicker. It is also heavier, and that goes in comparison to both glass back and vegan leather back Huawei Mate 50 Pro variants. The in-hand feel is considerably different between the two, but both feel extremely premium. Both phones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro: Display
The Pixel 7 Pro features a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is adaptive. This is a curved panel that supports HDR10+ content, and gets quite bright at up to 1,500 nits. The aspect ratio of this display is 19.5:9, and it’s protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.
The Huawei Mate 50 Pro, on the other hand, has a 6.74-inch 2616 x 1212 OLED panel. This is also a 120Hz panel, and it’s curved. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and it has the same display aspect ratio as the Pixel 7 Pro, 19.5:9. This display is protected by the Kunlun Glass that Huawei bragged about during the launch.
That being said, both of these displays are utterly excellent. We basically don’t have a major complaint about either. They’re very bright, offer vivid colors with deep blacks, as you’d expect. The viewing angles are excellent on both, and they’re well-optimized for high refresh rates. The touch response is also excellent on both. You really can’t go wrong with either.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro: Performance
The Pixel 7 Pro is fueled by the Google Tensor G2 SoC. That is Google’s second-gen processor. The phone also includes up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. It includes 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is technically a more powerful chip, but the Tensor G2 is optimized for Pixels only.
In general, both of these phones offer excellent performance. They’re some of the smoothest-performing smartphones on the market at the moment. Opening and closing apps is buttery smooth, as is multitasking. They’re great for multimedia consumption, browsing, editing images and videos, and so on. Even when it comes to gaming they’re doing a great job, though you will notice the difference with demanding games.
The Pixel 7 Pro does struggle running Genshin Impact at the highest of settings. This is not a gaming phone or SoC, but it does a great job either way. You may notice a slight drop in performance with the most demanding games only. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro ran everything we found in the AppGallery perfectly, but do note that Genshin Impact and similar games are not available there, so were unable to test that. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a beast of a processor, though.
Biometrics & software
I do have to note that the facial scanning on the Mate 50 Pro works a lot better due to hardware that supports 3D scanning. It works great even in pitch-black conditions. The fingerprint scanner is also faster and more accurate.
When it comes to software, though, it’s worth saying that the Mate 50 Pro comes without Google services. It comes with Huawei’s own HMS, without Google Play Store, and everything Google-related.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro: Battery
Google’s latest flagship includes a 5,000mAh battery, while the Huawei Mate 50 Pro has a 4,700mAh battery pack on the inside. The Mate 50 Pro’s battery is a bit smaller, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has worse battery life. In fact, both of these smartphones delivered really great battery life for us. Getting over the 7-hour mark was easy with both smartphones, and at times, even over 8 hours of screen-on-time.
Do note that our usage did not really include gaming, other than on days we tested that specifically. It did include a lot of browsing, messaging, taking pictures, editing pictures, consuming multimedia, and so on. So basically everything other than gaming. Your mileage may differ, as your usage will be different, as will your installed apps, and your signal, of course. Those are only some parameters.
When it comes to charging, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro steals the show completely. It supports 66W wired, 50W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. The Pixel 7 Pro is limited to 23W wired, 23W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. Do note that the Pixel 7 Pro also slows down past the 50% mark, significantly. It’ll take almost two hours to fully charge. It doesn’t come with a charger either, unlike the Mate 50 Pro.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Huawei Mate 50 Pro: Cameras
These two offer excellent camera performance. Before we get into it, however, let’s talk hardware. The Google Pixel 7 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the back. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro utilizes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto camera, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Pixel 7 Pro relies far more on Google’s image processing, while the Huawei Mate 50 Pro comes with an XMAGE camera system, and can change apertures as needed.
Both of these companies are well-known for having great camera smartphones, and the same goes for these two phones. We were worried about Huawei as it’s no longer partnered up with Leica, but there was no cause for such concern, it seems. The Mate 50 Pro is an excellent camera smartphone, to say the least. Its auto mode does wonders in all situations, even in low light. You don’t even need to reach for the night mode unless it’s a really pitch-black scene. The phone balances photos like a champ, handles HDR situations great, and even pulls out a ton of detail in low light. The images are sharp and balanced.
The Pixel 7 Pro also does a great job. The images do look different, though. They’re a bit more on the colder side of things, and those HDR shots look a bit more processed, but great nonetheless. It also does a great job in low light, and pulls a lot of detail from the shadows. Do note that you will reach for Night Sight more often on the Pixel 7 Pro in low light, though. All in all, the images they provide look great, but different. Ultrawide cameras are also excellent, and in line with the main shooters in terms of colors.
Both phones handle telephoto shots really nicely. The Pixel 7 Pro offers 5x optical zoom, while the Mate 50 Pro offers 3.5x optical zoom. They do a great job even at a lot higher zoom ranges, at 10x both shine, to be quite honest. The Mate 50 Pro does a bit better job at really high zoom ranges, though. These are some of the best camera smartphones in the market, hands down.
Audio
Both of these phones include stereo speakers, but no 3.5mm headphone jack. Not many flagships have an audio jack these days, so you’ll have to use a Type-C port for wired audio connections. If you prefer to keep things wireless, Bluetooth 5.2 is on offer on both phones.
What about their speakers? Well, both sets of speakers are really good. They’re loud, offer detailed and well-balanced sound, and even some bass. We preferred the Mate 50 Pro’s output, though, as it seemed to offer a bit wider soundstage.