Camera Comparison: Mate 30 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro vs Google Pixel 4 XL

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 PDAF
  • Google Pixel 4 XL: 12.2-megapixel (f/1.7) primary lens + 16-megapixel (f/2.4) telephotos lens
  • Huawei 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

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 2 - Flowers

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 3 - Nature

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample
iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: 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

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 5 - Zoom

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 6 - Close Up

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 7 - Landscape

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample

Huawei Mate 30 Pro

Credit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG

Round 8 - Night Mode

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample
iPhone Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
iPhone Camera Sample

Google Pixel 4 XL

Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: Fergus Halliday ~ IDG
Google Pixel 4 Camera Sample
Google Pixel 4 Camera SampleCredit: 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.