We compare 2019's sharpest smartphone cameras to see who comes out on top.
The Specs
iPhone 11 Pro : 12-megapixel (f/1.8) wide angle with OIS and PDAF + 12-megapixel (f/2.0) telephoto with OIS and PDAFGoogle Pixel 4 XL: 12.2-megapixel (f/1.7) primary lens + 16-megapixel (f/2.4) telephotos lensHuawei Mate 30 Pro: 40-megapixel (F/1.6) + 40-megapixel (f/2.4) + 5-megapixel + 3D TOF camera
The Pics
Round 1 - Breakfast
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 2 - Flowers
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 3 - Nature
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 4 - Churches
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 5 - Zoom
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 6 - Close Up
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 7 - Landscape
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Round 8 - Night Mode
iPhone 11 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG iPhone Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 XL
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Huawei Mate 30 Pro
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
The Verdict
While there are certainly fronts where the difference between Huawei's hardware and the rest are more prominent, it's hard not to see three incredible smartphone cameras on offer here. Each device here brings a slightly difference tone and color to the pictures involved but there's nothing stopping you from taking a great image with any of the three.
Still, where low-light and zoom-performance is concerned, we'd consider the Huawei's Mate 30 Pro to be the best - with Apple's iPhone 11 Pro arriving a close-second. Of course, just because the Mate 30 Pro has the best camera doesn't mean you should blindly go for it. It's a device with more than its fair share of caveats, check out our full review for more .