Anyone using Huawei or OnePlus phones?

[Shane]

I have an iPhone 7 at the moment but because I watch a lot of YouTube content I'm thinking of getting a larger phone with a better display. If I stick with Apple then it will probably be the XR with it's 6.1" screen and the fact that it's about £300 cheaper than the XS/XS Max.

However, I'm not tied into the Apple ecosystem in that I have to use an iPhone. I know Android has at least as good technology and you generally get better specs for your money. Samsung has some excellent phones at the moment but my eye is being drawn to the Huawei P30 Pro and the OnePlus 7 Pro. Both have better displays than the iPhone XR - to get a similar OLED display it would mean spending over £1000 on the XS Max.

Does anyone use either of these phones and if so, what do you think of them? Are they user-friendly in normal day to day life? Anything you don't like about them?

The main reason why I'd stick with Apple is that I'm used to their operating system and I'm not sure how difficult it will be switching to Android.

[asteclaru]

I have an iPhone 7 at the moment but because I watch a lot of YouTube content I'm thinking of getting a larger phone with a better display. If I stick with Apple then it will probably be the XR with it's 6.1" screen and the fact that it's about £300 cheaper than the XS/XS Max.

However, I'm not tied into the Apple ecosystem in that I have to use an iPhone. I know Android has at least as good technology and you generally get better specs for your money. Samsung has some excellent phones at the moment but my eye is being drawn to the Huawei P30 Pro and the OnePlus 7 Pro. Both have better displays than the iPhone XR - to get a similar OLED display it would mean spending over £1000 on the XS Max.

Does anyone use either of these phones and if so, what do you think of them? Are they user-friendly in normal day to day life? Anything you don't like about them?

The main reason why I'd stick with Apple is that I'm used to their operating system and I'm not sure how difficult it will be switching to Android.

I've had a couple of OnePlus phones, and they were excellent phones and very good value. However, to achieve that good value, you need to cut some corners, and it seems like the corner they cut is the camera. It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. I don't have the latest iteration, but having read the reviews, it seems that the camera continues to be the weak point.

Regarding Huawei, I really like the P30 Pro, and I actually bought one, but had to send it back immediately after Trump banned Huawei from doing business with American companies (i.e. Google, who pretty much control Android services). The ban was actually imposed while I was still waiting for my phone to arrive, which was that much more of a bummer. So, really good phones in my opinion (and the P30 Pro still has the best camera on any phone currently on the market), but there is uncertainty over the Huawei ban, which could mean that you'll end up with a very expensive phone unable to be updated.

[will852]

Yeah I switched to a OnePlus 6T last year after 10 years or so of iPhone ownership.

Like you I was a big fan of the Apple OS, and having had low end Samsung phones for work, I really didn't like much about Android.

I tried a friends OnePlus and I was almost completely converted. The OnePlus OS is pretty much stock Android and the gesture controls work very well.
I'd always hated the navigation bar on my Samsungs and found them to be rammed full of widgets and crap that I didn't want.

In the end though the massive price difference between the Oneplus 6T (£530) and the iPhone XS max (£1200) completely converted me.
(I buy my phones and then stick a giffgaff sim in)

6 months later and it's still excellent. Battery life is still phenomenal. The half hour quick charge is great and the performance hasn't appeared to have dropped. Eg, the facial recognition is still instantaneous.

(Meanwhile I still have a low end Samsung for work (A5) and it's still utterly pants. Even though their both android phones they are incomparable)

[noidea]

For a vanilla uncluttered android phone have a look at the Google Pixel range of phones. I use a Pixel 2 XL and the camera is very good.
The current Pixel 3 is due to be replaced soon so there are deals to be had on them.
In fact if memory serves me well there was one for sale in sales corner recently.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[mondie]

Had a Huawei P20 Pro and earlier this year went to the P30 Pro. I love the camera and its nice to have such a capable device with me when a good shot appears, i use it for business too where it is very capable. Nothing not to like that comes to mind. The battery life is excellent and the fast charge feature makes them an extremely practical phone.

[dkpw]

I had an old P10 which I bought second hand. It was great but unfortunately it had been badly rooted (hacked) so secure apps were reluctant to run or even install. I replaced it yesterday with a Huawei P smart + 2019 which was £210 and is really excellent for the money. The looks and performance are splendid. Excellent cameras and fast processors. I'm in IT and support both Android and iPhones, and they are easy to switch between. It may take a couple of days to become totally familiar with the ins and outs but I wouldn't worry about it.

A little tip, if you do end up with a Huawei don't sign up for the Huawei account during setup. That's nothing to do with the Chinese listening in, it's simply a means of not being inundated with Huawei bloatware.

[MB2]

The main reason why I'd stick with Apple is that I'm used to their operating system and I'm not sure how difficult it will be switching to Android.

I recently moved from Apple to Android - it was fairly painless although the contacts had to be exported and imported as a csv (useful as I tidied them up at the same time). WhatsApp was a pain but there is a piece of software to do that. I kept the iPhone running on WiFi for a few days - if you have any things that use "authenticator" apps then that really helps as is a lot easier to update the authentication once you have logged in.

[Shane]

Thanks for the replies so far. I've been looking at the non-flagship models and Huawei have the P20 Pro and OnePlus the 7 (non-Pro) which are both about 6.41" with AMOLED displays. More importantly, they are around £550 each, which is half the price of the iPhone XS Max.

I'd use it more for viewing website content and YouTube and those displays on Android phones (with seamless screens, no borders) look amazing.

[cbh]

Using a P20 Pro to reply to this thread, just an amazing phone with great battery life, easy to use with a brilliant camera, never bother with my iPad now, I just use the phone. On flights I watch films and TV programmes, just a great bit of kit, thoroughly recommended.

[Wyvern971]

I have a OnePlus 6, my sister has the 6T and both work well, fairly good camera compared to an older iPhone (though probably not as good as the new iPhones). Battery life is excellent so far I get easily a full day of reasonably heavy use out of a full charge.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using TZ-UK mobile app

[andytyc]

Hi Shane, I've used a oneplus one, 3t and 6 in the past. All excellent with a non bloated Android system and quick android updates. The only thing I felt could be better were the cameras. The OnePlus 7 maybe better, I don't know. I moved to the Google Pixels when they first came out and they will be the only phones I use from now. I currently use the pixel 2XL. Plus points are unlimited full resolution backups on Google servers for all photos, immediate android updates and latest Google tech. The camera though is unbelievable so much so that I quite often go on holiday just with this phone, the pics are that good. The main difference is a separate processor for photography. This is lacking in others and even in the pixel 3a(becareful!). The photo processing is so fast it boggles the mind. Faster even than my i7 with 8gb Ram desktop. The processing algorithms and HDR is automatic and very nice. Guaranteed updates as well for a number of years. The pixel line should be on your shortlist.

[Shane]

I've not really considered the Google Pixel as tbh I know virtually nothing about it part from the fact it's supposed to have the best camera (along with Huawei) of any smartphone. Having a great camera isn't a big necessity for me, as long as it can take fairly good pics and reasonable video.

I don't use iTunes anymore (just Spotify) so not tied into that. I would miss iMessage and FaceTime a bit but these are not deal breakers.

Andy mentioned that the Pixel phones receive updates for a few years - is this the same with other manufacturers like Samsung, OnePlus etc? Apple release updates quite often and you can use the phone quite easily for 3-4 years.

What about the really basic functions like call quality? I've also noticed that the keypad on an Android phone looks different to an iPhone one - is it easy to get used to typing on another system?

BTW - what does 'vanilla' mean?

[andytyc]

Typically it is at least 3 years of updates. Vanilla means the Android interface is unmodified by the maker and typing is easier for sure on the iPhone. I don't know why that is.

[bubi]

I don' really care about phones, I do emails, fora, photos, texting and instagram.
Also I don' like big screens any longer, I prefere somthing I can hold in and use with one hand.
And tend to break stuff.
I have a wawei p20 lite, yeah no wawei account and a lot of googleware deactivated, they should get rid of google completely imo, it' rather obtrusive.

...
BUBI 0_0

[bloater]

Had a P20 pro for a while now got a P30 pro after having a couple of other phones in between including an XS Max.
The P30 pro is a great phone and I'm not looking to upgrade for a while and that's from a serial phone flipper.
Battery is great not Nokia 6310 great but will last me a day which is the first recent smart phone that will do that.

Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

[julian2002]

I write software for both and have a lot of Apple and android devices on my desk. Android is ok and does the job but imho Apple is the better experience certainly when it comes to updates and app compatibility.
Try one though £500 is a lot of money and can salve a lot of issues if it’s in your pocket rather than apples.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jason.humphrey.180]

I own the One+3t and have never had an apple phone.
A year ago, an Apple guru who works at the apple store was out with us at the pub and the 3t (even though it's the older variation) held it's own with speed, screen and I got a better 'night sky' photo than they managed to get. I think the one+ is on the version 7 now but I see no reason to change as the 3t is still very fast and compatible with all the software I want including photo manipulation software like snapseed.

[hogthrob]

I have a OnePlus 5. Excellent battery life, great fast charge, good performance. I feel no need to change.

[bigup]

Have a look at the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, really good prices right now

[KingKitega]

Been using a Huawei for three years now and been pretty happy with it. The camera of course is epic and was the deal-breaker for me.

Currently using the Mate 20 X which is more a phablet with a 7.2" screen, but prefer a fingerprint sensor at the back and the 5000mAh easily lasts 2 days.

[bdkelly72]

I have always used Android.. Went from a Samsung S9+ to this P20 Pro. Its great no complaints, but the Galaxy was a better screen experience in my opinion. Tech may be not as good but there is the S10+ now.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using TZ-UK mobile app

[bigup]

Been using a Huawei for three years now and been pretty happy with it. The camera of course is epic and was the deal-breaker for me.

Currently using the Mate 20 X which is more a phablet with a 7.2" screen, but prefer a fingerprint sensor at the back and the 5000mAh easily lasts 2 days.

Had one for a while, agree it’s a great phone

Shame they left out Wireless charging, an ip rating and the screen isn’t as good as the 20 pro but it has other pros that make up for it.

[Shane]

Thanks guys for all the advice - I'm broadening my choice to outside the 7 Pro and P30 Pro to include the other models and also the Google Pixel, which I'll admit I know nothing about but happy to take Andy's advice to at least consider it.

I have Apple AirPods - would they work ok on an Android phone?