Huawei Mate 9 Pro (left); the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 (middle); Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (right). Photos: Ben His
When Samsung implemented the dual-curved sides to its Galaxy line of phones in 2015, most tech reviewers had the same reaction: the curves look really cool, but doesn’t add any functionality … in fact making the phone harder to use.
And while that’s still somewhat true today, it’s safe to say the “cool factor” has won over. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, before the fire, garnered many “best designed/looking phone ever” praises for its complete symmetrical build (curved front and back), and Chinese phonemakers have since followed suit with their own version of the dual-curved display. Even Apple is jumping on board, as all signs point to the iPhone 8 having a curved display.
Personally, I’ve been won over. I think a curved display along with a curved back make a phone feel very comfortable in the hand, to the point that when I go back to bulky, blocky phones like the Huawei P9 or iPhone SEE, I find the edge digging uncomfortably into my palms. Since the Note 7 is no more, Samsung’s S7 Edge has taken back the flagship crown from the South Korean giant. But how does the originator of the trend fare against two Chinese up-and-comers, each of which have clearly ceilings design cues from Samsung? Well, I have all three phones on me, so it’s time for a showdown.
Let’s get this out of the way: it’s uncanny how much the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 and Huawei Mate 9 Pro resemble Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones. Huawei has even moved its circular fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone (which has been a stable in Huawei phone for years) to the bottom-front of the device, and making it an oval home button to boot (just like on the Galaxy phones). I have no idea why Huawei is doing this, considering it’s a tech titan in its own right, and one which has crafted its own identity in the past year.
But there are obvious differences between the three hardware. Huawei’s curves aren’t as drastic as on the S7 Edge or Mi Note 2, and its metal build in the back gives it a very hefty, solid feel. In my opinion, the Mate 9 Pro feels the most premium. But as far as true symmetrical feel — the Mi Note 2 wins because it is built almost exactly like a Note 7, where the front and back curves meet perfectly in the middle. The Mate 9 Pro and S7 Edge both have backs that don’t curve as much as the displays, so the point at which the two sides meet is not exactly center.
The S7 Edge (left); Mate 9 Pro (center) and Mi Note 2 (right).
All three devices use the AMOLED display tech, but the Mi Note 2′s resolution is “only” 1080p compared to the other two phones’ quad HD (2,560 x 1,440). But, if you’ve read my stuff, you already know that I don’t think the human eye can tell the difference from the two on mobile displays (during standard use, anyway — VR is another story). Each company has its own preferences on how to calibrate the colors, so it really comes down to preference. I think I prefer the Mate 9 Pro’s display the most of the three. Its maximum brightness level beats both the S7 Edge and Mi Note 2, and the colors aren’t as a as on Samsung’s phones. Still, the difference is minuscule, as all three curved AMOLED screen look very pleasing to the eye.
As for the internals, the Mate to the 9 Pros’ Kirin 960 is hands-down the fastest chip in the world, and the benchmarks back it up: on Geekbench, the Mate 9 Pro scored a 1920/5659 on single-/multi-core tests. While the S7 Edge and Mi Note 2 respectively scored 1806/4155 and 1569/3795. As for real world use, the Mi Note 2 and Mate 9 Pro both operate buttery smooth, unlike the S7 Edge, which has hiccups here and there because Samsung’s TouchWiz software is so bloated and ugly.
Moving on the cameras, the S7 Edge is still probably the best camera overall, but the Mate 9 Pro comes close — and the latter’s dual-lens can pull off more trick photos. The Mi Note 2 suffers here, as its camera is average at best. You can’t really tell the difference in daytime shots though, the differences in photo quality turn up when the lights are off.
S7 Edge (left); Mate 9 Pro (middle); Mi Note 2 (right).
S7 Edge.
Mate 9 Pro.
Mi Note 2.
S7 Edge, shot in a dark room.
Mate 9 Pro, shot in a dark room.
Mi Note 2, shot in a dark room.
As mentioned earlier, the Mate 9 Pro doesn’t even bother to implement features that take advantage of the curves on the screen, and I don’t have a problem with it at all. The so-called “Edge Panel” on the S7 Edge is mostly pointless, offering “shortcuts” to actions that could be activated the normal way in the same amount of time anyway. Also, the combo of Huawei’s palm rejection software plus the Mate 9 Pro’s more subtle curves means the phone is more usable one-handed than that S7 Edge. On Samsung’s phone, the erroneous palm touches to the edge of the screen is quite common. The problem is not as bad on the Mi Note 2, but still enough that I had to avoid putting apps in the lower-left most corner of the phone (hold the phone with my left hand). On the Mate 9, no such problems exist.
Notice the meaty party of my palm tend to touch the edge of the screen when I hold the phone one-handed. This results in a lot of erroneous touches on the S7 Edge, but not on the Mate 9 Pro.
I haven’t used the Mate 9 Pro long enough yet to give a final opinion (the review will come next week), but so far, Huawei’s latest is looking like a powerhouse. But, at $ 750, it’s also priced at the Apple/Samsung territory. Xiaomi’s Mi Note 2, meanwhile, only costs around $ 500. Regardless, the dual-curved-screen phones are here to stay.
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