Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 comparison review: How does the new Huawei P10 flagship mobile stack up against the mighty Galaxy S7, in terms of specs, camera tech, performance and other key features?
MWC 2017 is already throwing some awesome phones at us, with one of the most exciting being the Huawei P10 (and its big brother the P10 Plus). This flagship smartphone offers premium specs and some seriously impressive features, but how does it compare with one of the best phones of 2016, Samsung’s Galaxy S7? And should S7 owners consider an upgrade?
Here’s our full P10 vs S7 comparison review, to help you decide which phone is best for you.
Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Design
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is a good-looking phone, boasting a sleek combination of glass and metal that feels great in the hand. However, that shiny rear surface is a magnet for fingerprint grease, so you’ll need to buff it up regularly to keep it looking smart.
By comparison, Huawei’s P10 offers a solid all-metal framework that’s both tough and attractive. The P10 is a 5.1-inch phone like the Galaxy S7, so quite compact and relatively easy to use with a single hand. It also doesn’t scuff up so easily, as that Matt metal surfacing repels any kind of marks.
Both handsets give you fingerprint security, which is a quick and convenient way of securely unlocking your phone. However, the S7 is the only one of these pair to offer water resistance. You can chuck Samsung’s phone in a sink or bath and it’ll come out unscathed, while the P10 would die a watery death.
In terms of the general aesthetics, the S7 is still the most pleasing to our eyes. That said, we certainly admire the attractive finish and detailing of the P10.
Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Screen and media
The Huawei P10’s 5.1-inch IPS screen offers quite crisp and accurate image reproduction. That Full HD resolution means your high-def movies look great, and we’re impressed by the strong contrast levels and overall brightness.
But the Galaxy S7 is still a step above thanks to its supremely sharp 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display. You get a dense Quad HD resolution, which means more detail is pumped out compared with the Huawei P10. Colours are more vibrantly produced too, for punchy and eye-pleasing visuals.
In both cases you can expand the on-board storage (64GB on the P10, up to 128GB on the S7) with a microSD memory card. Cards of up to 256GB are supported.
Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Features and OS
The Huawei P10 comes packing Android Nougat, the latest version of Google’s mobile OS. This offers loads of great features including smart battery management and a notifications bar which allows quick replies to messages.
What’s more, Huawei’s own Emotion UI 5.1 (EMUI 5.1) overlay sits on top, adding even more solid features. You get some impressive resource management, loads of handy shortcuts and plenty more besides, as you’ll see in our in-depth EMUI 5 review. And version 5.1 adds more functionality like auto-generated ‘video memories’ (the kind of stuff Facebook loves to churn out).
Over on the Galaxy S7, we’re still waiting for an update to Android Nougat – although Samsung has already started rolling out the upgrade. Here’s hoping it arrives sooner rather than later.
Like Huawei, Samsung has also added a few of its own features to the Android OS. There’s a built-in gaming tool for users to record their mad skills and also prevent interruptions during a particularly intense gaming session. And casual fitness fans will get a kick out of the S Health app, which can monitor your daily movements.
Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Performance and battery
We’re still happy enough with the Galaxy S7’s performance after 12 months of use. Samsung’s 2016 flagship is a smooth performer, thanks to that well-designed Exynos chipset backed by 4GB of RAM.
However, the Huawei P10 has an immediate advantage in this area as it’s brand new. Huawei’s own super-charged Kirin 960 processor offers fantastic everyday performance – it’s the same premium chipset packed inside Huawei’s Mate 9 phablet. And with 4GB of memory on board, the P10 can blaze through any task you throw at it.
However, there’s no support for Google’s Daydream VR, which means the Galaxy S7 has the edge when it comes to virtual reality. Samsung users can enjoy games and VR experiences using the Gear VR headset of Samsung’s own creation.
As for battery life, we’re still yet to fully test the P10’s 3200mAh cell to see how it holds up for everyday use. However, Huawei’s Supercharge tech means you can fully charge it in just under 90 minutes, which is a similar result to the Galaxy S7 with Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging. We get a full day of use from the S7 on a full charge and we’re hoping for at least that much from the P10.
Huawei P10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Cameras
Samsung’s Galaxy S7 may be a year old but it still boasts one of the best mobile cameras around. That 12-megapixel f/2.0 lens is ideal for low light photography and can capture absolutely stunning shots in daylight, as well as up to 4K resolution video.
However the Huawei P10 offers a strong rival with its dual-lens rear camera, manufactured in collaboration with Leica. You get a 20-megapixel monochrome lens as well as a 12-megapixel colour lens with built-in optical image stabilisation, which combine to capture supremely detailed photos.
As for video recording, the Huawei P10 can shoot up to 4K resolution video just like the S7.
Check back soon for our full Huawei P10 camera review, as well as our in-depth review of Huawei’s new flagship phone. For now, check out our hands-on P10 review and P10 Plus review and take a look at our MWC 2017 hub for more on the latest phone launches.
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