Our Huawei Mate 9 vs OnePlus 3T comparison review reveals which of these mighty Android phones is best for you. Whether it’s speed, battery life, camera tech or media punch, we’ve fully tested and compared both of these phones.
Huawei’s massive Mate 9 is one of the biggest Android phones of 2016, boasting a mighty 5.9-inch Full HD screen. You get premium performance and an impressive dual-lens Leica camera, plus some other seriously top-end specs, making this a definite alternative to the doomed Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
However, the Mate 9 is also blooming expensive, costing from €699 (UK pricing still isn’t official). Which is why the OnePlus 3T, Chinese manufacturer OnePlus’ latest flagship mobile, might be a better choice.
The 5.5-inch OnePlus 3T costs from £399 here in the UK, yet packs the latest Qualcomm processor, a great 16-megapixel camera, super-fast Dash Charge tech and Full HD visuals. Some seriously impressive specs considering that low asking price.
Here’s our full OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9 comparison review, so you can see which of these mega-phones is best for you.
OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9: Specs at a glance
| Phone | OnePlus 3T | Huawei Mate 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 5.5-inches | 5.9-inches |
| Screen resolution | Full HD 1920×1080 | Full HD 1920×1080 |
| Fingerprint sensor? | Yes | Yes |
| Water resistant? | No | No |
| OS | Android 6.0 Marshmallow | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Processor | Snapdragon 821 | Kirin 960 |
| Memory | 6GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB or 128GB | 64GB |
| MicroSD? | No | Yes (Up to 2TB) |
| Battery | 3400mAh | 4000mAh |
| Rear camera | 16-megapixel | 12-megapixel & 20-megapixel |
| Front camera | 16-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Price | £399 | €699 |
OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9: Design and features
When it comes to design, the Mate 9 and OnePlus 3T aren’t a million miles apart. Both of them are beasts and tricky to use one-handed, although the 5.5-inch OnePlus 3T is a little more svelte than the 5.9-inch Mate 9.
If you do happen to drop one of them, there’s a decent chance they might survive the tumble at least. Both phones here sport a metal unibody that proves reassuringly resistant to scratches and scuffs. Neither phone is water-resistant, however, so don’t get them too moist.
Both of these mighty mobiles boast impressively fast fingerprint sensors, for quickly and securely unlocking without the need for fiddly PINs. They’re accurate too, so you’ll rarely have to tap your print more than once. You get a choice of two colours with the Mate 9 (silver and white or dark grey), as you do with the OnePlus 3T (gunmetal grey and soft gold).
The OnePlus 3T boasts OnePlus’ own Oxygen OS, while the Mate 9 comes with Huawei’s own Emotion UI 5.0. Both launchers are packed with useful features, including some tools to make one-handed use easier. Just read our full reviews of both to see what bonus tools you get.
OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9: Screen and media
Media fans will love the crisp, colourful screens on both of these handsets. If you want to enjoy movies and shows on the go, these spacious panels will definitely do the job.
The Mate 9’s 5.9-inch IPS LCD display isn’t quite as vibrant as the OnePlus 3T’s 5.5-inch AMOLED screen, which produces really punchy colours. But you can manually adjust the colour warmth on both of these phones to match your own personal preferences. You get Full HD visuals in both cases, so images are pleasingly crisp.
You get 64GB of storage space with both of these phones, which is plenty to carry around a decent-sized media collection. The OnePlus 3T can also be picked up with 128GB of storage, in the gunmetal finish. However, the OnePlus doesn’t support microSD memory cards, so you’ll need to backup your photos and other bits every so often to avoid filling that storage space up. Thankfully the Mate 9 does support microSD, so you can expand up to a whopping 2TB.
OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9: Performance and battery life
The OnePlus 3T and Huawei Mate 9 deliver best-in-class performance, so you’re guaranteed a super-smooth experience no matter what you’re up to.
Huawei has stuffed its latest Kirin 960 processor inside the Mate 9, backed by 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile the OnePlus 3T uses Qualcomm’s meaty Snapdragon 821 chipset, complete with a mighty 6GB of RAM. You can therefore play the most demanding games, edit video and do pretty much everything you need, without any stutters or pauses.
The OnePlus 3T also boasts strong battery life. Not only does the 3400mAh battery take over a day to drain with heavy use, but the Dash Charge tech allows you to power it back up again in just over an hour. All while the phone stays pleasingly cool.
With Huawei’s bundled ‘Super Charger’, the Mate 9 can recharge almost as fast as the OnePlus 3. Just half an hour at the plug gives you over 50 per cent charge, and full capacity takes around 90 minutes. Battery life is also better thanks to the bigger 4000mAh cell, giving close to two full days of use.
OnePlus 3T vs Huawei Mate 9: Cameras
The OnePlus 3T boasts a very good 16-megapixel rear camera which can capture sharp, detail-packed photos in most conditions. In low light it struggles compared with more expensive rivals, but otherwise you can expect pleasing results, even when viewing back your images on a big screen. You can shoot Full HD or 4K video, again with solid results.
Check out our full OnePlus 3T camera review for samples and more.
The Huawei Mate 9 packs a rather funky dual-lens Leica camera. These 12-megapixel and 20-megapixel lenses work together to produce incredibly crisp photos, with true-to-life colours. You can also expect some lovely bokeh (arty background blur) when shooting your subject up-close.
And this is the first Kirin-led Huawei phone to boast 4K video recording too.
Check out our full Huawei Mate 9 camera review for samples and more.
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